Reinthaler was born in the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt, 1822. His obtained his first job as a voice teacher at the Cologne Conservatory and later moved on to Bremen, where he served as cathedral organist, director of the cathedral choir, and city music director beginning in 1858. His musical style adheres to the example set by Mendelssohn in many of the details.  The rediscovery of the opera Das Kaethchen von Heilbronn by Reinthaler is a work based on the drama of the same name by von Kleist.