Strauss, Franz (Joseph)

views updated

Strauss, Franz (Joseph)

Strauss, Franz (Joseph), German horn player and composer, father of Richard (Georg) Strauss; b. Parkstein, Feb. 26, 1822; d. Munich, May 31, 1905. Until his retirement in 1889 he was solo hornist at the Hofoper in Munich. Although a violent opponent of Wagner, the master valued him highly, and entrusted to him at the premieres of Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Parsifal the important solo passages. Until 1896 he was a prof. of his instrument at the Akademie der Tonkunst, and from 1875 to 1896 conducted an excellent amateur orch., the Wilde Gungl, in Munich. He wrote a Horn Concerto in C minor (op.8), Nocturne (op.7) and Empfindungen am Meere (op.12) for Horn and Piano, and 17 Konzertetüden and Übungen für Naturhorn (2 books).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

About this article

Strauss, Franz (Joseph)

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article