Composer, keyboard player, and music historian. He received musical instruction as a child. In 1772 be was ordained as a Benedictine priest; he became prior of' Melk in 1784, abbot of Lilienfield in 1786, abbot of Kremsmünster in 1789; he settled in Vienna in 1796. As a composer he wrote mainly vocal music, much of it sacred, his oratorio Die Befreyung von Jerusalem (Vienna, ca. 1813) was quite successful. He also wrote chamber music and keyboard pieces. He wrote several articles and a history of music in Austria, Materialen zur Geschichte der Musik unter den österreichischen Regenten. He was a friend of Mozart's, whose widow he advised. Together with Georg Nissen, he catalogued Mozart's manuscripts.