Complex sentence: Although largely self-taught in the area of music, he did take lessons from Leopold Meignen around 1853, but by that time he was already an established instrumental teacher, and performed locally with various ensembles.
Split into simpler sentences: Although largely self-taught in the area of music, he did take lessons from Leopold Meignen around 1853. By that time he was already an instrumental teacher, and performed locally with various ensembles.