Bürgmuller was born in Ratisbon (now Regensburg) Germany. Both his father, Friedrich August Burgmüller, and his younger brother, Norbert Burgmüller, were also composers. He moved to Kassel in 1829 to study under Ludwig Spohr and Moritz Hauptmann. There he appeared as a pianist for his first concert, January 14, 1830. Friedrich moved to Paris in 1832 (at age 26), where he stayed until his death. Norbert, his brother, made plans to join him in Paris, in 1835. However, he drowned in a spa in Aachen a year later. In Paris, Friedrich adopted Parisian music and developed his trademark light style of playing. He wrote many pieces of salon music for the piano and published several albums. Burgmüller also went on to compose piano études intended for children. He died in Paris in 1874.