Rudolf Elvers
Born in Plau am See, Elvers was born the son of a merchant. He went to school first in Plau and then to secondary school at Waren by Müritz. During his Wehrmachts years in the Second World War he was captured by soviet soldiers. After his return he studied with Walter Gerstenberg at the University of Rostock in 1946 and later at the Free University of Berlin. In 1953 he received his doctorate with a dissertation on tempi in the instrumental music of Mozart and subsequently worked as music dealer by in Berlin. Elvers remained an enthusiastic collector throughout his life. He built up one of the most important collections of autograph letters, manuscripts and artifacts of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and his family, which he donated to the in 2009. During his years in the music department of the Berlin State Library he was - partly together with Hans-Günter Klein - responsible for a number of catalogues that are now considered standard reference works, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the Mendelssohn family. During this time Elvers also worked as a music critic and prepared several volumes of an edition of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's letters, which is now published by the Kassel-based Bärenreiter-Verlag. Elvers died in Berlin at the age of 87.
Career
He was particularly concerned with the work of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.