Carl Engel

Born in 1818 in Hanover, Carl Engel became a German-born writer on music and an important collector of musical instruments. He moved first to Manchester and then, in 1850, settled in London, where he built a reputation as a piano teacher and as an energetic author on musical subjects.

Engel is best remembered for books on musical instruments, ancient music, and what was then called national music. His work aimed to explain music not just as an art, but as part of human history and culture, and later scholars have described him as an early and influential voice in the study of instruments and comparative music history.

He died in London in 1882. A suitable verified portrait image was not clearly available from the pages I could confirm, so none is included here.