Robert Fuchs
1847
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1927
Robert Fuchs is an Austrian composer and teacher. His style was greatly influenced by Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms. He is most well known for his serenades, and was often referred to as Serenaden-Fuchs. He was on staff at the Vienna Conservatory from 1875 to 1911, starting as a teacher of harmony. He was appointed director of the Conservatory in 1893. He was an organist for the Vienna Hofkapelle.
He was born at Frauenthal in the province of Styria. He served as Kappellmeister for the Bratislava Opera and conducted at many other opera houses. He was a friend of Johannes Brahms and, while at the Conservatory, was a teacher of Gustav Mahler, Franz Schreker, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Sibelius, and Franz Schmidt.
His Symphony in C Major won him the Beethoven Prize from the Vienna Musikfreunde in 1886. His opera Die Königsbraut wasn’t as successful. Aside from his serenades, his chamber music and piano music were well-appreciated by the Vienna public.