Classical musician who produced 25 symphonies and a plethora of concertos and chamber music. He finished Grieg's String Quartet No. 2.
He accepted a position with the Amsterdam music school in 1877 as a piano teacher, and he had the opportunity to be conducted by Johannes Brahms on Brahms' second piano concerto at an 1887 performance.
He continued experimenting with new forms of music well into his later years, mastering atonal technique beginning in 1920 and writing a bi-tonal symphony in 1930.
He was born into a musical family in which Engelbert Röntgen, his father, served as first violinist in Leipzig's Gewandhaus orchestra and Pauline Klengel, his mother, played the piano and was aunt to Julius Klengel, the famed cellist.
He was initially taught by Carl Reinecke who had a profound impact on his music.