Editing Franz Abt (section)

==Biography==
Abt was born at [[Eilenburg]] in [[Prussian Saxony]], and showed musical talent at an early age. His father was a clergyman and a talented pianist, and it is he who gave Franz his earliest instruction in music. Like his father, Abt was interested in both music and theology, and he followed both pursuits at the [[Thomasschule Leipzig]] and [[Leipzig University]] with the ultimate intention of becoming a member of the clergy. While in school, Abt became friends with [[Albert Lortzing]], [[Felix Mendelssohn]], and [[Robert Schumann]].<ref name="Grove">Edward F. Kravitt: "Franz Abt", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed 18 January 2009), [http://www.grovemusic.com (subscription access)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=16 May 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Printed portrait of Abt.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Franz Abt, from the cover of an edition of his songs]]
Upon the death of his father in 1837, Abt abandoned his theological studies and decided to concentrate entirely on music. It is at this time that he began to compose and publish music, mostly works for the [[piano]] which were written for performance in Leipzig's [[Salon (gathering)|salon]]s. In 1841 Abt became ''[[kapellmeister]]'' at [[Bernburg]], then moved to [[Zürich]] in the same year where he became an immensely popular and skilled choirmaster, often conducting his own compositions. While in Zürich he was appointed director of almost all of the city's numerous choral societies in succession, often winning prizes for them. In 1852 Abt returned to Germany to become musical director at the court theater in [[Braunschweig]] where he served until 1882.<ref name="Grove"/>

Abt also remained active as a choral conductor during his time in Braunschweig. He was appointed director of the [[Hofkapelle]] in 1855, serving in that position for many years. He was also frequently invited to conduct choirs in many capital cities of Europe during the 1850s through the 1880s, having at this point developed an international reputation. He notably toured the U.S. in 1872 where he was received with overwhelming enthusiasm by music critics and the public alike. By 1882, his busy schedule wore him down to a state of ill health and he was forced to retire to [[Wiesbaden]] where he died in 1885.<ref name="Grove"/> He is buried in the Südfriedhof (South Cemetery) In Wiesbaden.<ref>Resting Places: The Burial Places of 14,000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson</ref>