A student of theology and composition in Strasbourg, Viktor Nessler eventually had a career as a choral and opera conductor in Leipzig, while enjoying considerable success as a composer with his operas.
Operas It was with Der Trompeter von Sckingen in 1884 that Nessler won his greatest success. His career purely as a composer had started with the success in 1879 of Der Rattenfnger von Hameln (The Pied Piper of Hamelin), and other works continued to enjoy popular favour, without making undue demands on audiences.