Music historian and bibliographer, He held choral positions in
Lüneburg (1766) and in Schwerin (1767) before a patron
enabled him to study law at the University of Göttingen
(1769). There he was university chapel organist, taught music
theory, and eventually (ca. 1779) became director of concerts; in
1787 the university elevated him to professorial status. He is
recognized as one of the founders of musicology. Of chief value
are his bibliographies Musikalisch-kritische Bibliothek (Gotha, 1778-79) and
Allgemeine Litteratur der Musik (Leipzig, 1792), and his
Allgemeine Geschichte der Musik (Leipzig, 1789-1801). He also published, in 1802, the first biography of J. S. Bach.