Matthias Ronnefeld managed to demonstrate great talent during his short life of just 27 years. He was born to Danish-German parents; his father was a composer and conductor, his mother a pianist. Matthias Ronnefeld grew up in Vienna and Copenhagen, and lived in his final years in Hamburg. He was trained by outstanding teachers: in the cello by Alice Harnoncourt, in piano by Herman D. Koppel and in composition by Finn Høffding, Per Nørgård and György Ligeti. Matthias Ronnefeld composed from the age of 12 and wrote a symphony when he was 15, but the list of his collected works is short. In his adult years he mainly wrote chamber works. His last works were a sonatina for clarinet and piano, and seven piano pieces based on the hymn Veni creator spiritus.