From 1840-57, Heinrich Ernst was one of the most important and famous European musicians, and performed on stage, often many times, with Liszt, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Alkan, Clara Schumann, Berlioz, Joachim and Wagner. This work provides a portrayal of this important man's life and work. '... the author provides [...] a useful and thought-provoking description of Ernst's Jewish background and its effect on his career, and, from the numerous letters quoted, we are afforded vivid glimpses of many of Ernst's friends and colleagues... Students of the history of performance practice will find much of interest in these pages... this well-researched and well-written book fills a conspicuous gap in the literature in a highly successful manner.' Ad Parnassum '[Ernst's life and his singular personality] are discussed in the quite masterly introduction Mark Rowe contributes to his definitive biography of Ernst...' Gramophone