Richard (Georg) StraussGerman Born 11 Jun 1864 Died 08 Sep 1949
Strauss’ father was a professional horn player, and he educated
his son in music. The young Strauss composed prolifically from
the age of six. He went to University for a short time, but had
no formal tuition in composition. Despite this lack of
education, he had several works performed in Munich, including a
symphony, when he was 17. The next year saw performances in
Dresden and Vienna. At the age of 20, Strauss had his second
symphony played in New York and he conducted the Meiningen
Orchestra in a suite for wind instruments. In 1885 he became
conductor of that orchestra, but soon left and visited Italy,
composing Aus ltalien as a result which caused controversy when
it premiered in 1887. By then Strauss was a junior conductor at
the Munich Opera. Other tone poems followed: Macbeth, Don Juan
and Tod und Verklärung come from the late 1880s. Don Juan is
perhaps the first of the really virtuosic compositions. He moved
to Weimar to take up a post a