Joseph Leopold Röckel (or Roeckel) (1838-1923) was born in London, England, from a family of German musicians. He studied piano with his father and brother and travelled to Würzburg and Weimar to study composition. He settled in Clifton, Bristol, and became a successful composer, teacher and pianist. He was best known as a composer of songs. His ballad titles were often British or sometimes Irish. His songs were popular for use with slide sets at magic lantern shows. He also wrote many pieces for piano, cantatas, songs for male chorus, two-part songs and short part-songs for mixed voices.