Georg Knepler (1906-2003) grew up in Vienna and studied piano, conducting, and musicology there. As a pianist, he accompanied Karl Kraus in Vienna and Helene Weigel in Berlin. In 1933, the communist and Jew Knepler had to flee Germany, and in 1934, he also left Austria. In exile, he was an inspiring board member of the Austrian Centre in London. After the liberation of Austria, he initially returned to his devastated hometown. In 1949, he accepted a position in Berlin, where he established the Hochschule für Musik as rector and later served as director of the Institute of Musicology at Humboldt University. His perspective on the historical process of change in music, especially his groundbreaking music history of the 19th century, his book "Karl Kraus Reads Offenbach," and his book on Mozart are masterpieces of an intuitive artist and sharp Marxist.