Max Bruch was a prominent German Romantic composer, conductor, and teacher, born on January 6, 1838, in Cologne, Prussia. He was the son of Wilhelmine Almenräder, a singer, and August Carl Friedrich Bruch, an attorney and vice president of the Cologne police. His early musical education was influenced by his mother and formalized under the guidance of Ferdinand Hiller, a renowned composer and pianist. Bruch's prodigious talent was recognized early on by Ignaz Moscheles, a Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso.

Bruch composed his first piece, a song for his mother's birthday, at the age of nine. By fourteen, he had written a symphony that won him a scholarship to study in Cologne. His early works included piano pieces, motets, string quartets, and orchestral compositions, although few have survived.

Throughout his career, Bruch held various musical positions in Germany, including posts in Mannheim, Koblenz, Sondershausen, Berlin, and Bonn. He served as the conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society from 1880 to 1883 and taught composition at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik from 1890 until 1910. Among his notable students were Ottorino Respighi and Clara Mathilda Faisst.

Bruch's most famous work is the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, which remains a staple of the violin repertoire. Other significant compositions include the Scottish Fantasy and Kol Nidrei. Despite his success, many of his works fell into obscurity, overshadowed by the rise of other musical styles and political circumstances, such as the Nazi regime's restrictions on his music due to misconceptions about his heritage.

Max Bruch married Clara Tuczek, a singer, in 1881, and they had several children, including Max Felix Bruch, who also showed musical talent. Bruch passed away on October 2, 1920, in Berlin-Friedenau, Germany, leaving behind a legacy of over 200 compositions that continue to be celebrated in concert halls around the world.