Carl Friedrich Christian [Carl] Fasch (18/11/1736 - 03/08/1800), a German composer and harpsichordist, born in Zerbst. He was the son of Johann Friedrich Fasch. He died in 1800 in Berlin and was a famous and much revered son of the city of Zerbst during his lifetime. Carl Fasch is remembered in the history of music for being the harpsichordist to Friedrich II at the Royal Prussian Court and as a composer. Moreover and most importantly, he initiated a new kind of public musical life as the founder of the Singakademie zu Berlin which must be regarded his most important music-historical achievement. This particular musical institution - Germany's first mixed amateur choir - was soon to become the model for other newly-founded Singakademien and significantly influenced the development of choral societies during the 19th century.
Carl Fasch's contemporaries knew him as a friendly man who was much revered by his numerous students. None other than Ludwig van Beethoven considered it an honour to know and visit Fasch. Indeed, Carl Fasch was held in high regard by everyone despite the occasionally apparent, unsociable and withdrawn side of this "noble master". Much too self-critical he burnt numerous compositions, thus making an over-all evaluation of his compositional style impossible. Fortunately, he refrained from destroying his master work, the mass for 16 voices, a true work of art. Fasch probably devoted as much love and attention to detail to the mass as he spent on his eccentric hobbies which included working on a giant house of cards. Why else would he have composed a mass which he had not intended for performance at church?
It is a polyphonic work in the musical style of the 17th century, i.e. entirely without greater purpose and timeless and therefore possibly immortal. The mass as well as the other choral works of Carl Fasch (cantatas, motets, a requiem) present major challenges for any choir who want to perform them.

In accordance with a wish expressed in his will, the Berliner Singakademie performed Mozart's Requiem to his memory - for the first time in Berlin.

Carl Friedrich Zelter wrote a requiem in memory of Fasch.