Gerhard Krapf (1924–2008) was born in Meissenheim, Germany. After years of piano and organ study, he was drafted into the German army in 1942, wounded six times in the course of military service, and did not know the war had ended when he was captured by the Russians on May 10, 1945. Years of hard labor followed, and during this period of mental and physical agony, Krapf began composing. Music paper was unavailable and even regular paper was in short supply, so he wrote his compositions on cement bags. After his release, he completed music degrees in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1953 for further study.

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