Christian Louis Heinrich Köhler (5 September 1820 – 16 February 1886) was a German composer, conductor and piano teacher.
Köhler was born in Braunschweig. He studied piano in Vienna under
Carl Maria von Bocklet,
Simon Sechter and
Ignaz von Seyfried. As a conductor, he worked in Marienburg and Elbing. After that he settled in Königsberg in 1847, after which time he concentrated on piano teaching and writings on music. Among his pupils were
Adolf Jensen and
Hermann Goetz. He was a critic for the Hartungsche Zeitung from 1849 to 1886, and was a contributor to Signale from 1844 until 1886. His writings were well known to Liszt and
Wagner; he also proposed the formation of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein, with which Liszt was involved.
He composed three operas and a ballet, and wrote books of musical study. He also wrote educational works for piano. He died in Königsberg.
