Roth was born at
Tarnowitz in
Prussian Silesia on 25 October 1853. He began violin at age eight, switching to cello at twelve, all the while playing alongside his brothers in a quartet. After study with , he studied under the renowned cellist
Robert Hausmann at the from 1876 to 1878. He later received chamber and orchestral playing lessons from
Joseph Joachim and studied composition with both
Wilhelm Taubert and
Woldemar Bargiel. Roth's career centered on Berlin, aside from an concert tour stint in Russia. German musicologist
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski noted that Roth "has devoted his powers chiefly to teaching," and that he "has also been zealous in the publication of cello literature." He published a bibliography of cello repertoire,
Führer Durch die Violoncell-Litteratur, in 1890. Roth died in Berlin on 9 June 1898. ==References==