Wolf studied with Hiller, but said that his aesthetic compass was set by the happy hours he spent with C. P. E. Bach. It’s unclear what exactly were the relations between the now little-known Wolf and Hasse, or with those including Herder, Wieland and Kotzebue that he met at Weimar, where he was attached to the court for 30 years, the last 20 as kapellmeister: certainly Goethe took against him, trying unsuccessfully to have him removed from his court position.