1822 (27 May) - born in Lachen, Switzerland.

1835 - Educated at Rottenberg Gymnasium in Germany.

1838 - Moves to Schwyz Jesuit Seminary in Switzerland.

1840 - Begins work as school teacher in Rapperswil, Switzerland.

1844 - Moves to Zürich as full-time musician.

1845 (19 June) - Meets Liszt in Basel and joins his tour.

1846 - Settles in Cologne, selling pianos and writing criticism.

1847 - Moves to Stuttgart. Meets von Bülow.

1848 - Leaves Stuttgart and moves to Hamburg working for music publishing house.

1849 - Invited by Liszt to work for him in Weimar as his secretary and assistant.

1851 - Premiere of Opera "King Alfred"

1853 - Meets Doris Genast.

1855 - Epic Fairy Tale "Sleeping Beauty"

1856 - Leaves Weimar for Wiesbaden after a growing rift with Liszt.

1857 - "Ode to Spring" premiered by his friend von Bülow to great success.

1859 - Marries Doris Genast. Writes the "Cavatina" - his single most famous work.

1860 - Premiere of Opera "Dame Kobold" gains him acclaim in Germany.

1861 - Piano Trio No.1.

1862 - Piano Quintet.

1863 - 1st. Symphony wins Vienna prize. Raff achieves international recognition. "Sanges-Frühling" song cycle.

1866 - Birth of daughter Helene.

1867 - Psalm 130 "De Profundis"

1868 - Piano arrangements of Bach's Cello Suites

1869 - Symphony No.3 "In the Forest ".

1871 - "Italian" Suite.

1872 - Symphony No.5 Lenore

1873 - Piano Concerto.

1874 - Cello Concerto No.1 and the "Hungarian" Suite.

1876 - 7th. String Quartet "The beautiful Miller maid".

1877 - Moved to Frankfurt on appointment as Director of Hoch Conservatory there.

1878 - 9th. Symphony "In Summer".

1879 - Four Shakespeare Preludes.

1880 - "World's End" Oratorio.

1882 - (night of 24/5 June) Death from a heart attack.