Late RomanticRichard Strauss
Richard Strauss was born in Munich, Germany.
Richard Strauss’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1864👶 Birth
Born in Munich on 11 June, son of the horn player Franz Strauss
- 1870🎼 Workage 6
Composes his first pieces at 6
- 1875🌍 Meanwhile
The Palais Garnier opera house opens in Paris
- 1885🎩 Careerage 21
Assistant to the conductor Hans von Bülow in Meiningen
- 1889🎼 Workage 25
Premiere of Don Juan: fame
- 1889🌍 Meanwhile
The Eiffel Tower opens for the World’s Fair
- 1894❤️ Private lifeage 30
Marries the soprano Pauline de Ahna
- 1895🎼 Workage 31
Till Eulenspiegel
- 1898🎩 Careerage 34
Conductor at the Berlin Court Opera
- 1922🌍 Meanwhile
Public radio broadcasting begins (BBC, Radio Tour Eiffel)
- 1948🌍 Meanwhile
The long-playing record (LP) goes on sale
- 1949🕯️ Deathage 85
Dies in Garmisch on 8 September
Listen to the music
Press the big button to listen. Close your eyes: how does it make you feel?
How does this music feel to you?
Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Richard Strauss was born in Munich, Germany. His dad played the horn in a big orchestra. At six Richard was already composing! Careful: he is not related to Johann Strauss, the waltz king.
He became a conductor and composed “tone poems”, music that tells stories without words. In Till Eulenspiegel we follow the pranks of a little rascal. The opening of Also sprach Zarathustra, which imitates the sunrise, became famous thanks to a space film.
He also wrote operas, like Der Rosenkavalier, full of waltzes. In An Alpine Symphony he tells the climb up a mountain with a wind machine and a thunder machine to imitate the storm!
At eighty-four he was still composing beautiful songs.
Richard Strauss’s instruments
Tap an instrument to hear it!
Cards to flip
Are you an expert on Richard Strauss?
Answer the questions and win stars!
Same era · Late Romantic
1857 – 1934Late RomanticEdward Elgar
Edward Elgar was born in England.
1860 – 1911Late RomanticGustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was born in Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic.
1865 – 1957Late RomanticJean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was born in Finland, a country of forests and thousands of lakes.
1867 – 1944Late RomanticAmy Beach
Amy Beach was born in the United States.
1872 – 1958Late RomanticRalph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in an English village.
1873 – 1943Late RomanticSergueï Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in Russia.