Max Bruch was a German Romantic composer and conductor. He was sometimes referred to as the "one-work composer" because his G-minor violin concerto is highly popular, yet his other compositions are rarely performed. For several years, Bruch taught and performed music in an orchestra and later became a composer, conductor, and teacher. Bruch was born into a musical family in Cologne. He gained his early music learning from his mother, who was a renowned singer. Bruch spent his education in Bonn and wrote more than 70 pieces of music between the age of 9 and 14. For many years, he taught and performed music as a concertmaster in an orchestra and then settled down to a life of composing, conducting, and occasionally teaching.