Robert Fuchs (1847-1927) is far more known even now as a teacher than as a composer. His pupils included, after all, Gustav Mahler, Erich Korngold, Hugo Wolf, Jean Sibelius, Alexander v Zemlinsky, Franz Schmidt, Franz Schreker, and (more obscure) Erkki Melartin.
(Biographical notes, filched from Manfred Muessauer's notes for his
recording, Thorofon CTH2260, of Fuchs' 3rd symphony. Get it.)
Robert Fuchs
was born on February 15, 1847, the youngest of 13 children. After training
as a teacher in Graz, he studied under Hellmesberger and others in Vienna.
After two years at conservatory, he presented in 1867 a symphony (not one
of the canonical three) as his examination piece. This symphony was
performed by among others Arthur Nikisch, a once-famous conductor whose
recordings are now being resurrected.
In 1874 he composed the first of the five serenades (D major, op. 9, string orch.) on which his reputation rested for long thereafter. The nickname Serenaden-Fuchs stuck. The next year the Conservatory appointed him as a professor (harmony, later general theory). It was between then and 1912 that he taught most if not all of his pupils. (One, Richard Heuberger, though now almost-forgotten, wrote a work which can- ironically?- be heard on a CD with one of only two existing recordings of Fuchs' 3rd serenade.) He was also an organist at the Hofkapelle (and a fantasy for organ by him may be the first work of his to have been recorded).
Brahms praised his first piano sonata (ref. William Newman, The
Sonata Since Beethoven) and first symphony. His opera The King's Bride
was not so lucky. Neither was his third symphony (Brahms' not praising this
being understandable, though, since it was in 1907; still, Bernard Shaw
should not have been the
Fuchs' music is distinctive in a low-key way, and can be mistaken for
derivative of his predecessors Schubert and Brahms, and sometimes strongly
hints at the music of his pupil Mahler. I am convinced that it is
worth not only a listen but some commitment, and have not regretted my
own, for his best music sings in a way that I am convinced is important.
Others are more than entitled to disagree.
To get down to cases, Fuchs wrote 3 symphonies, 4 string quartets, a
piano concerto (given in 1880 in Vienna, but I know little more about it), 3
piano sonatas, 2 cello sonatas, a viola sonata, a double-bass sonata, 6 violin
sonatas, piano trios, string trios and terzetti (trios for 2 violins and viola). He
also wrote operas, the infamous serenades, organ works, fantasy pieces, and
much other music, including duets for 2 violins and for violin and viola. (The
sonatas mentioned are all for instrument with piano.) Rather little of his
music has been recorded as I write (I will try to prepare a good
discography)- one organ fantasy, violin duets, violin & viola duets, one violin
sonata, the complete cello works twice, some viola works including the
sonata on a little-known label, a piano quartet, one symphony, one serenade
twice and the clarinet quintet (quatrice!), along with the three piano sonatas
and some other music. Thankfully (not predictably) generally good reviews
have greeted these recordings; since the virtues of the music are
considerable but only apparent after the sort of immersion a critic can
usually ill-afford, this surprised me somewhat.
(The following section may be omitted in a later version of this essay.)
Some of Fuchs' works are harder to find in libraries than others. So for
instance Lincoln Center Library in New York City, Sibley Library in Rochester
New York, some University of California Libraries and one Austrian Library
have some of Fuchs' never-recorded string quartets in score and/or parts;
almost no other libraries do. The Fuchs "cause" has been immeasurably
served by the printin, by not unknown publishing houses (Amadeus, Walter
Wollenweber), of modern reprints of some of his works. That these are
probably having the intended effect is attested to by the (incredibly
coincidental) appearance of two recordings of his cello sonatas soon after
modern reprints of the works were published.