Heinrich Werner (composer)
Heinrich Werner (2 October 1800 – 3 March 1833) was a German composer. He was born into a musical family in Kirchohmfeld in the Eichsfeld district of Thuringia, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. He trained at home, played the organ for the local church at age 11, and sang in a choir at 15. His older brother in Braunschweig helped him study music and attend the local gymnasium.
From 1821 he studied in Erfurt and passed the teaching exam the next year. He led the chorus at Erfurt’s opera house and taught music students. In 1825 he became choral director at the court theatre in Braunschweig.
Werner is credited with about 84 compositions, mostly songs. He wrote a setting of Goethe’s poem Heidenröslein, which was first performed publicly in 1829 under his direction, opening with the line “Sah ein Knab’ ein Röslein stehn.” It became a popular version among many earlier settings, though Schubert’s art-song version, published in 1821, remains well known.
Heinrich Werner died in Braunschweig in 1833 at the age of 32 after an illness that began the previous year.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:17 (CET).