Career Summary

Zitelmann attended school in Stettin, then studied law at the universities of Leipzig, Heidelberg, and Bonn, his dissertation being entitled "The Concept and Constitution of a Legal Person" (U. Leipzig, 1873). He was nominated associate professor at the University of Göttingen in 1879, and shortly after was appointed full professor at the University of Rostock. He was professor at Halle University from 1881 to 1883. He also taught classes in German civil law and Roman law at the University of Bonn, where he was appointed full professor in 1883, retiring in 1921 as emeritus professor, and where he served twice as the institution's Rector. In 1899 the professional honor of Privy Counselor of Justice (Geheimer Juztizrat) was conferred on him.

Zitelmann served as chairman of the board of management (Vorsitzender) of the Verein Beethoven-Haus, Bonn from 1912 to his death in 1923.

Zitelmann and Schenker: Correspondence

In 1913‒14 Schenker corresponded with Ferdinand August Schmidt, deputy chairman (2. Vorsitzender) of the Beethoven-Haus, who himself on three occasions (BNba 304g, [2], [3], and [7], December 3 and 14, 1913, March 2, 1914) consulted Ernst Zitelmann (addressing him as "Privy Counselor" ‒ Herr Geheimrat); and the latter is referred to as "G[eheimer] R[at] Zitelmann" in a letter from Schmidt to another colleague (BNba 3046, [4], December 14, 1913). Zitelmann himself wrote to a Beethoven House colleague, probably Professor Leonhard Wolff (BNba 304g, [4a], December 18, 1913); two months later Schenker addressed Zitelmann in a covering letter as "Chairman of the Board" (Herr Vorstand) (BNba 304g, [5]-[6], February 28, 1914). Thus there are six letters among the Beethoven-Haus correspondence to, from, or referring to Zitelmann.