Paul Buttner was a man of many talents. Trained as a composer under Felix Draeseke, he was one of the last Romantic symphonists after the turn of the century. He conducted workers' choirs, taught choral singing at the Dresden Conservatory (later becoming director), and worked as a critic for the Dresdner Volkszeitung. He inspired amateur musicians so passionately that he can rightly be described as a "musical educator of the people". This intellectual vigor is directly reflected in Buttner's compositions, which, while modeled on great predecessors, challenge the boundaries of tradition in every measure - and convincingly so. His symphonic works, in particular, earned him wide recognition until the rise of the Nazi regime brought turbulence. His rediscovery is long overdue.