Robert Fuchs (composer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Fuchs
Background information
Born	(1847-02-15)15 February 1847 Fraunental, Austria
Died	19 February 1927(1927-02-19) (aged 80) Vienna, Austria
Genres	Classical, romantic
Occupation(s)	Composer, music teacher

Robert Fuchs (born February 15, 1847 – died February 19, 1927) was an Austrian composer and music teacher. He taught many famous composers at the Vienna Conservatory. During his lifetime, people thought he was a very important composer.

About Robert Fuchs

Robert Fuchs was born in Frauental, Austria, in 1847. He studied music at the Vienna Conservatory. This was a special school for music. Some of his teachers were Felix Otto Dessoff and Joseph Hellmesberger.

Later, Robert Fuchs became a teacher at the same school. In 1875, he became a professor of music theory. This means he taught students about how music is put together. He taught there until 1912. He passed away in Vienna in 1927.

Robert also had an older brother named Johann Nepomuk Fuchs. His brother was also a composer and an opera conductor.

Why Robert Fuchs Was Special

Even though Robert Fuchs was a great composer, his music is not as well known today. This is because he did not try to make his music famous. He lived a quiet life in Vienna. He even said no to concerts that could have shown his music to more people.

But many famous musicians admired him. One of them was Johannes Brahms. Brahms rarely praised other composers' work. But he said that Fuchs was a "splendid musician." He thought Fuchs's music was "fine and skillful" and "charmingly invented."

Some famous conductors, like Arthur Nikisch and Hans Richter, also liked his music. They would play his pieces when they could. People thought his chamber music was his best work. Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments.

During his life, his most popular pieces were his five serenades. A serenade is a type of music often played in the evening. These serenades were so popular that people called him "Serenaden-Fuchs." This means "Serenader Fox."

His Music: What He Wrote

Robert Fuchs wrote many different kinds of music. Here are some of his compositions:

Music for Orchestra

• 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

Music with Singing

• Operas (stories told with music and singing)
  • Die Königsbraut (The King's Bride), Op.46 (1889)
  • Die Teufelsglocke (The Devil's Bell) (1891)
• Choral works (music for a group of singers)
  • Mass in G, Op. 108
  • Mass in D minor, Op. 116
  • Mass in F, without opus number

Chamber Music

• Quintets (for five instruments)
  • Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in E♭ major, Op. 102
• Quartets (for four instruments)
  • 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 (for three instruments)
  • 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
  • Terzetto in C♯ minor, Op. 107
• Duos (for two instruments)
  • Two Violins
    • Twenty Duos, Op. 55
    • Phantasiestücke, Op. 105 (16 duos)
  • Violin and Viola
    • Twelve Duets, Op. 60
  • Violin and Piano
    • Violin Sonata No. 1 in F♯ minor, Op. 20
    • Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 33
    • Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 68
    • Violin Sonata No. 4 in E major, Op. 77
    • Violin Sonata No. 5 in A major, Op. 95
    • Violin Sonata No. 6 in G minor, Op.103
    • Ten Fantasy Pieces for violin and piano, Op. 74
  • Viola and Piano
    • Viola Sonata in D minor, Op. 86
    • Six Fantasies for viola and piano, Op. 117
  • Cello and Piano
    • Cello Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 29
    • Cello Sonata No. 2 in E♭ minor, Op. 83
    • Seven Fantasy Pieces for cello and piano, Op. 78
  • Double-Bass and Piano
    • Double Bass Sonata, B♭ major, Op. 97
    • Three Pieces for Double Bass and Piano, Op. 96

Solo Music

• Organ
  • Fantasia in C major, Op. 87
  • Fantasia in E minor, Op. 91
  • Fantasia in D♭ major, Op. 101
  • Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme
• Piano
  • Improvisation for Piano, Op. 11
  • Piano Sonata No. 1 in G♭ major, Op. 19
  • Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 88
  • Piano Sonata No. 3 in D♭ major, Op. 109
  • Jugendklänge, Op. 32
  • Lieb' Schwesterlein (Dear Little Sister), Op. 32, No. 14
  • Twelve Waltzes, Op.110
  • 4 Klavierstücke, Op.111
  • Dewdrops (Tautropfen), Thirteen Pieces for Piano, Op. 112
• Harp
  • Harp Fantasy, Op. 85