19 February 1927(1927-02-19) (aged 80) Vienna, Austria
Genres
Classical, romantic
Occupation(s)
Composer, music teacher
Formerly of
University of Music and Performing Arts
Musical artist
Robert Fuchs (15 February 1847 – 19 February 1927) was an Austriancomposer and music teacher. As Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, Fuchs taught many notable composers, while he was himself a highly regarded composer in his lifetime.
Biography
He was born in Frauental an der Laßnitz, Styria, Austria[1] in 1847. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Felix Otto Dessoff and Joseph Hellmesberger among others. He eventually secured a teaching position there and was appointed Professor of music theory in 1875. He retained the position until 1912. He died in Vienna in 1927.
"Unfailingly tuneful and enjoyable, Robert Fuchs's piano trios are an easily accessible way to get to know a composer whom Brahms greatly admired," noted the magazine Gramophone. "In his time Fuchs was very highly regarded, with one critic famously pointing to Fuchsisms in Mahler's Second Symphony."[citation needed]
The reason his compositions did not become better known was largely that he did little to promote them, living a quiet life in Vienna and refusing to arrange concerts, even when the opportunities arose. He certainly had his admirers, among them Brahms, who almost never praised the works of other composers. But with regard to Fuchs, Brahms wrote, "Fuchs is a splendid musician, everything is so fine and so skillful, so charmingly invented, that one is always pleased."[2] Famous contemporary conductors, including Arthur Nikisch, Felix Weingartner and Hans Richter, championed his works when they had the opportunity with few exceptions, but it was his chamber music which was considered his finest work.
In his lifetime, his best known works were his five serenades; their popularity was so great that Fuchs acquired the nickname "Serenaden-Fuchs" (roughly, "Serenader Fox"). The serenades have been recorded by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under Christian Ludwig for Naxos.[3][4]
List of compositions
Orchestral
Symphonies
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 37
Symphony No. 2 in E♭ major, Op. 45
Symphony No. 3 in E major, Op. 79
Serenades
Serenade for string orchestra No. 1 in D major, Op. 9
Serenade for string orchestra No. 2 in C major, Op. 14
Serenade for string orchestra No. 3 in E minor, Op. 21
Serenade for string orchestra and 2 horns in G minor, Op. 51
Serenade for small orchestra in D major, Op. 53
Andante grazioso & Capriccio for string orchestra, Op.63
Piano Concerto in B♭ minor, Op.27
Vocal
Operas
Die Königsbraut, in 3 acts, Op.46 (1889) (librettist: Ignaz Schnitzer) premiered in Vienna[5]
Die Teufelsglocke, in 3 acts (w/o Op.) (1891) (librettist: Bernhard Buchbinder)
Choral works
Mass in G, Op. 108
Mass in D minor, Op. 116
Mass in F, without opus number
Chamber
Quintets
Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in E♭ major, Op. 102
Quartets
String Quartet No. 1 in E major, Op. 58
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 62
String Quartet No. 3 in C major, Op. 71
String Quartet No. 4 in A major, Op. 106
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 15
Piano Quartet No. 2 in B minor, Op. 75
Trios
Trio in F♯ minor for violin, viola, and piano, Op. 115
Seven Fantasy Pieces for violin, viola and piano, Op. 57
String Trio in A major, Op. 94
Piano Trio in C major, Op. 22
Piano Trio in B♭ major, Op. 72
Terzetti (trios for two violins and viola) Opp. 61 Nos. 1 in E minor, 2 in D minor
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Further reading
Grote, Adalbert (1994). Robert Fuchs : Studien zu Person und Werk des Wiener Komponisten und Theorielehrers. München : Musikverlag E. Katzbichler; Berliner musikwissenschaftliche Arbeiten, Bd. 39. OCLC35285239. ISBN3 87397 079 1.
