He first studied natural sciences but, after having met Carl Orff, decided to make music his career, and studied musical composition with Orff, Siegmund von Hausegger, and Anton Beer-Waldbrunn among others
In 1928 he became choir director of the Munich Bach Society, and in 1929 was appointed professor of compositional technique at the Akademie der Tonkunst, Munich. From 1939 to 1945 he taught music theory at the Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory in Graz, composed music for Nazi ceremonies and contributed to songbooks for the Hitler Youth. From 1946 until given emeritus status he was professor of composition at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart.
He died in Stuttgart.