sentences:  Between 1839 and 1843 he served as Kapellmeister of the Court Theatre at Wiesbaden.He came to New York in 1848, and in 1849 was the first man chosen by the New York Philharmonic Society to be sole conductor for an entire season (prior to this time it had been customary for several musicians to share the conducting duties).He began the custom of giving an annual Christmas performance of Handel's "Messiah".