Ludwig Thuille facts for kids

Ludwig Thuille.

Ludwig Thuille (born November 30, 1861, in Bozen, Austria – died February 5, 1907, in Munich) was a talented Austrian composer and teacher. He was known as one of the top opera composers from the "Munich School," a group of musicians that included the famous Richard Strauss.

Ludwig Thuille's Life Story

Ludwig Thuille was born in Bozen, which was then part of Tyrol and is now in Italy.

Sadly, he lost both his parents in 1872 when he was just 11 years old. He then moved to Kremsmünster, Austria, to live with his step-uncle. There, he sang in the Benedictine choir and learned to play the organ, piano, and violin. He was extremely good at music.

In 1876, a kind woman, the widow of a conductor named Matthaus Nagiller, helped him get more advanced music training in Innsbruck. In the summer of 1877, he met a young Richard Strauss, whose family was visiting. Ludwig and Richard became friends for life.

Ludwig's teacher in Innsbruck suggested he study with the famous composer Josef Rheinberger in Munich. Ludwig became a student at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and graduated with honors in 1882. Just a year later, he became a teacher there. A few years after that, he became a professor of music theory and composition.

Many students learned from him, including famous composers like Ernest Bloch and Walter Braunfels. One of his students, Walter R. Spalding, even became the head of the music department at Harvard University.

His Music and Works

Ludwig Thuille wrote a lot of music. He focused mainly on chamber music and operas. Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments. His most famous work is the Sextet for piano and wind instruments, written between 1886 and 1888. This is the only one of his pieces that is still often performed today.

He also wrote operas. In 1897, his opera Theuerdank won first prize in a big competition. It was even performed on stage, which was a great honor. His second opera, Lobetanz, was first performed in 1898 and was quite popular for a while.

Ludwig also composed a Symphony in F major, which his friend Richard Strauss really liked. He wrote five other chamber works, 13 pieces for choirs, and 78 songs.

Even though he was good friends with Richard Strauss and loved music-drama, Ludwig Thuille's music style stayed quite traditional. He didn't try many new or experimental ideas.

He passed away in 1907 in Munich at the age of 45 due to heart failure. He was married to Emma Dietl for 20 years and they had two children.

Ludwig Thuille's Legacy

Even though his compositions are not as well-known today, Ludwig Thuille's book, Harmonielehre, was very important. He wrote it with Rudolf Louis, and it was published after he died. This book went through many printings and was used to teach music theory in German-speaking countries until the 1960s. It explains the musical ideas of the Munich School composers and is one of the few records that shows examples of their music.

While his Sextet has always been popular, some of his other works have only recently become available on CDs. These include his two Piano Quintets, the Piano Trio in E-flat, the Piano Concerto in D, and the Symphony in F.

List of Selected Works

Operas

• Theuerdank
• Lobetanz, Op.10

Orchestral Works

• Romantic Overture, Op.16 (Prelude to Act I of Theuerdank)
• Symphonicher Festmarsch, Op.38
• Symphony in F
• Piano Concerto in D

Keyboard Music

• Organ sonata in A minor, Op. 2
• 3 Piano Pieces, Op.3
• 3 Piano Pieces, Op.33
• 3 Piano Pieces, Op.34
• 2 Piano Pieces, Op.37

Chamber Music

• Violin Sonata in D minor, No.1, Op.1
• Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet in B-flat major, Op.6
• Piano Quintet in E-flat major, No.2, Op.20
• Cello Sonata, Op.22
• Violin Sonata in E minor, No.2, Op.30
• Allegro Giusto, Op.39, for Violin and Piano
• Piano Trio in E-flat major
• Piano Quintet in G minor
• String Quartet in A major, No.1
• String Quartet in G major, No.2, WoO
• Quartett-Satz for String Quartet in A major

Vocal Music

78 solo songs, including:

• 5 Lieder, Op.4
• 3 Lieder for female voice, Op. 5
• Song-cycle, Von Lieb' und Leid, Op. 7
• 3 Lieder Op. 12
• 3 Lieder, Op.15
• 3 Lieder, Op.26
• 4 Lieder, Op.27
• Urschlamm-Idyll, song for bass voice and piano (1908)

13 choral pieces, including:

• Weihnacht im Walde, Op. 14 for men's chorus
• Traumsommernacht, Op. 25, for women's chorus with harp and violin
• Rosenlied, Op. 29, for three-part women's chorus with piano

See also

In Spanish: Ludwig Thuille para niños