Benedict was born in Stuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and learnt composition from Johann Nepomuk Hummel at Weimar and Carl Maria von Weber at Dresden; it was Weber who introduced him in Vienna to Beethoven on 5 October 1823.
Benedict naceu en Stuttgart, fillo dun banqueiro xudeu, aprendeu a compoñer con Johann Nepomuk Hummel en Weimar e Carl Maria von Weber en Dresde; foi Weber quen lle presentou en Viena a Beethoven o 5 de outubro de 1823.