Kuntsch was born in
Dresden on 20 December 1775. He is described in ''
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' as "one of those earnest, old-fashioned, somewhat pedantic, musicians, to whom Germany owes so much; who are born in the poorest ranks, raise themselves by unheard-of efforts and self-denial, and die without leaving any permanent mark except the pupils whom they help to form." The most prominent of Kuntsch's pupils was
Robert Schumann, who studied the piano with him and seemed destined for a career as a virtuoso pianist until he turned to composition. Schumann's studies for the
pedal piano – six pieces in
canon form (Op. 56), composed in 1845 and published in 1846 – are dedicated to his former teacher. Kuntsch died in Zwickau on 12 March 1855, aged 79. ==References==