German composer and poet, born June 27, 1789 in Schnait (today part of Weinstadt/Remstal), died August 26, 1860 in Tübingen.

From 1817, Silcher held the position of First Music Director at the University of Tübingen. With his collection of Southwest German choir songs, Melodien aus dem württembergischen Choralbuche (1819), he became an influential promoter of choral singing. He also founded the Liedertafel choir in Tübingen in 1829 and co-edited (with Ludwig Erk) what continues to be the standard collection of German student songs, the Allgemeines Deutsches Kommersbuch (1858).

Many melodies or arrangements of German and international folk songs that Silcher wrote are still part of the standard choir repertoire. His best-known works include the music to Heinrich Heine's 1824 poem Loreley (1837), the music for Uhland's Ich hatt' einen Kameraden (1825), the Christmas song Alle Jahre Wieder (1842), and his version of Muss I Denn, Muss I Denn Zum Städtele Hinaus (1827), which became international hits for Elvis Presley (1960) and Joe Dowell (1961) under the English title Wooden Heart.