Friedrich Berr was born in Mannheim on the 17 April 1794. His musical life started with the violin which he played when he was 6 years old, later learning the flute and bassoon. His life at home cannot have been easy: his father was a hard tutor and at the age of 16 he left home and joined the French army (as a bassoonist) in an infantry regiment, fighting in the Peninsula War (1808–1814). After the war he moved to Paris where he studied composition with, amongst others, Reicha; he eventually settled there permanently. While there he taught himself the clarinet, making such a success of it that he was appointed solo clarinet to King Louis Philippe. He remained in Paris for the remainder of his life, becoming Professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1831, where he died in 1838. (source: Grove Music)