Robert Fuchs

[Alan Howe]

And so to another fine composer...

Robert Fuchs (15 February 1847 – 19 February 1927) was an Austrian composer and music teacher. As Professor of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, Fuchs taught many notable composers, while he was himself a highly regarded composer in his lifetime.

Biography

He was born in Frauental an der Laßnitz in Styria in 1847 as the youngest of thirteen children. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Felix Otto Dessoff and Joseph Hellmesberger among others. He eventually secured a teaching position there and was appointed Professor of music theory in 1875. He retained the position until 1912. He died in Vienna at the age of eighty.
He was the brother of Johann Nepomuk Fuchs, who was also a composer and conductor, primarily of operas.
Robert Fuchs taught many notable composers, including George Enescu, Gustav Mahler, Hugo Wolf, Jean Sibelius, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Erich Korngold, Franz Schmidt, Franz Schreker, Richard Heuberger, Robert Stolz, Leo Fall, Petar Krstic, Erkki Melartin, and Leo Ascher.

Notability

"Unfailingly tuneful and enjoyable, Robert Fuchs's piano trios are an easily accessible way to get to know a composer whom Brahms greatly admired," noted the magazine Gramophone. "In his time Fuchs was very highly regarded, with one critic famously pointing to Fuchsisms in Mahler's Second Symphony."
That his compositions did not become better known was largely because he did little to promote them, living a quiet life in Vienna and refusing to arrange concerts, even when the opportunity arose, in other cities. He certainly had his admirers, among them Brahms, who almost never praised the works of other composers. But with regard to Fuchs, Brahms wrote, "Fuchs is a splendid musician, everything is so fine and so skillful, so charmingly invented, that one is always pleased." Rarely, if ever, did another composer receive this kind of an accolade from Brahms. Famous contemporary conductors, including Arthur Nikisch, Felix Weingartner and Hans Richter, championed his works when they had the opportunity but with few exceptions, it was his chamber music which was considered his finest work.
In his lifetime, his best known works were his five serenades; their popularity was so great that Fuchs acquired the nickname "Serenaden-Fuchs" (roughly, "Serenading Fox").
Johannes Moser and Paul Rivinius recorded his Sonata No.2 in E♭ Minor, Op. 83 for Violoncello and Piano in 2006 for Hanssler Classic.

List of compositions

Orchestral

Symphony No.1 in C major, Op.37
Symphony No.2 in E♭ major, Op.45
Symphony No.3 in E major, Op.79
Serenade for string orchestra No.1 in D major, Op.9 (The American Symphony Orchestra gave the US premiere of the Serenade No. 1 (1874) on November 15, 2009.
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

Operas

Die Königsbraut, in 3 acts, Op.46 (1889) (librettist: Ignaz Schnitzer) premiered in Vienna[3]
Die Teufelsglocke, in 3 acts (w/o Op.) (1891) (librettist: Bernhard Buchbinder)

Choral works

Mass in G, Op. 108
Mass in D minor, Op. 116
Mass in F, without Opus number

Chamber

Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in E♭ major, Op.102
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
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
Twenty Duos, Op. 55
Phantasiestücke, Op. 105 (16 duos)
Twelve Duets, violin and viola, Op. 60
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 A major, Op. 77
Violin Sonata No.5 in E major, Op. 95
Violin Sonata No.6 in G minor, Op.103
Ten Fantasy Pieces for violin and piano, Op. 74
Viola Sonata in D minor, Op. 86
Six Fantasies for viola and piano, Op. 117
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 Sonata, B♭ Major, Op.97[4]
Three Pieces for Double Bass and Piano, Op.96[5]

Solo 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
Twelve Waltzes, Op.110
Dewdrops (Tautropfen), Thirteen Pieces for Piano, Op. 112

Harp

Harp Fantasy, Op. 85

[Alan Howe]

For those interested primarily in orchestral music, try his wonderful Piano Concerto (Hyperion for a good, standard reading, c/w the Kiel PC; cpo for a more expansive performance, especially in the slow movement) or the 3rd Symphony (Botstein's excellent recording, only available as a download). Otherwise, most of his best stuff is chamber music and it is all of an unfailingly high standard...

[Latvian]

A fine composer, indeed! I love his First Symphony -- lots of character and quite involving. The other two are lovely as well.

[eschiss1]

have heard part of one of his masses (I forget if it was a live or virtual performance, was some while ago and it was sent to me online) and it sounded fine. Some care needs to be exercised as sometimes works of Richard Fuchs, who composed a lot of choral music, are attributed to him (perhaps by librarians who have never heard of Richard Fuchs- Joseph Kaspar Raff anyone?) but Robert Fuchs did still write, it seems, a reasonable amount of vocal and choral music at least some of which might be fine also. (I also favor his solo and duo sonatas, what I've heard of them; but I think my favorite work of his might be his 4th string quartet, especially as the Minguet Quartet plays it! )

[Mark Thomas]

Didn't we establish that there area  couple of "student" symphonies, too?

[eschiss1]

Well, one in B minor is mentioned as having been performed in a source I've seen, and I gather another is believed to have existed but I don't recall offhand if they exist in any form even in the Austrian National Library (which in my opinion has the largest collection of Robert Fuchs manuscripts etc.)

[Peter1953]

I like to mention the 3 Piano Sonatas opp. 19, 88 & 109, played by Daniel Blumenthal and released on two MP discs. Wonderful works, especially Nos. 2&3. Warmly recommended!

[eschiss1]

I vaguely recall asking if they'd be made available again on Naxos and at the moment I gather the sonatas and some other releases in which Blumenthal participated will not, but I may be and hope I am mistaken? I have the cello sonatas disc and the piano sonatas also and am glad I heard them before they went NLA.
The slow movement of piano sonata no.3 makes me think of some Schubert sonatas- maybe the slow movement of the one that used to be called Phantasie (D894?) Just the mood, I think- well, maybe an almost-quote, but- mainly the mood... (I think all 3 sonatas are at IMSLP if some pianist wants to have a go. I hope someone will. Likewise 3 of the string quartets - the 4th wasn't published until 1925, unfortunately for copyright porpoises.)
(I still haven't heard the first two piano trios- except for the first movement of no.2 in B-flat, which I made a MIDI of after borrowing the score, and enjoy very much (did the same with the whole of quartet 3 in C before the Minguet recording of the quartets was announced, and thought likewise...). The third trio- with viola- can be downloaded for free at IMSLP. Though I know a recording by the Gould Trio exists of the first two.)
(Likewise have only heard the last of the 6 violin sonatas I think - maybe one of the others as archived on Concertzender, not sure - a lovely and memorable piece I think, though, the 6th. I think William Newman's writing in The Sonata Since Beethoven pointed me over way of this composer, and I'm glad of it... )

[Paul Barasi]

Hans Rott was one of the notable composers taught by Robert Fuchs. He was quoted by Mahler's mum as saying Rott's work was better than Gustav's.

[eschiss1]

Slight correction: the US premiere of the Serenade no.1 was given*, not in 2009 by the American Symphony Orchestra, but much earlier, in 1877 by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leopold Damrosch. That makes more sense (well, sort of.), doesn't it? They have the marked parts in the NY Phil digital archives and everything, and the date is listed (as "Serenade", not serenade no.1, so it could be serenade no.2 which was also published by then- but the parts are rather good corroborative evidence...) in an online list of NY Phil US premieres...

*I will admit I am not 100% certain of this

[adriano]

Fuchs was also Franz Schreker's teacher.
His three Symphonies ara available on 2 THOROPHON CDs (issued 1995-6), coupled with the "Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen" Overture and "Andante Grazioso und Capriccio" for Strings. The Mährische Philharmonie is conducted by Manfred Müssauer. Catalog numbers CHT 2268 and 2260. It's incredible how Fuchs' pupils became much better composers than he!

[mbhaub]

Why incredible? Isn't that the way it should be? That a student should outdo a teacher is the way it's supposed to be, at least the examples of it are plenty. Hans Swarowski was a great teacher, but a mediocre conductor himself. Thanks to him we had Abbado, Mehta, and plenty of others. Gustav Meier in Michigan also has turned out many fine conductors. Dorothy Delay at Julliard was not a violin virtuoso, but several generations of superb concert violinists learned from her. Like they say, those who can, do. Those who can't teach.
Then there are those teachers who can't teach. Like George Szell. Look at the long list of students chosen for his academy and only one, James Levine, seems to have made it to the top. Even Reiner at Curtis had only one student who approached him - Bernstein.

[Alan Howe]

Hans Swarowski was a great teacher, but a mediocre conductor himself.

I disagree profoundly. His Ring cycle is superb. Anyway, back to Fuchs...

[eschiss1]

If one's going to evaluate Fuchs' music, please let it not be on the basis of those recordings of his symphonies (I like them well enough, but if pressed, probably will have to agree, faute de mieux- and in the case of no.2, it's no longer a case of that, either).  One can hear another recording of his 2nd symphony in the Downloads section of this site, or listen to e.g. much better performances and recordings of his string quartets on MDG, in my opinion...

[adriano]

I also consider Swarowski an excellent conductor! Conductor Ralf Weikert (a pupil of HS), who is a friend of mine, can ascertain this with more proofs that I have :-)