Otto Nicolai

Nicolai was exploited by his musician father who attempted to force the young Otto into becoming a prodigy. Nicolai finally succeed in running away at the age of sixteen. He studied with Zeltner in Berlin and Baini in Rome where he also became the organist to the Embassy of Prussia. During his abbreviated musical lifetime Nicolai demonstrated a fine voice, conducting skills and felicitous compositional phrasings and melodies. While in service to the Prussian court he was exposed to the theatre and gave up on his contrapuntal studies. Through his operatic work he made a reputat...