Paul Büttner was born in Dresden in 1870 and studied violin and oboe at the city's conservatory, from whence he gradually established himself as an outstanding musician. But he remained virtually unknown as a composer until 1915, when the celebrated conductor Arthur Nikisch premiered his Symphony No. 3, following which Büttner became acknowledged as one of the greatest contemporary symphonists after Brahms and Bruckner. His Symphony No. 4 from 1917 continued this success and was performed on numerous occasions by several orchestras. In 1933 his music was marked as 'degenerate' by the totalitarian regime, which deleted him completely from the musical culture available to the public.