(b Lachen, 27 May 1822; d Frankfurt, ?24/25 June 1882). German composer and teacher. Through the influence and encouragement of Liszt, whom he met in 1845 and for whom he worked at Weimar (1850-55), he joined the New German School, becoming a lifelong friend of Bülow and composing prolifically in nearly every form and genre. His attempt at fusing past and present methods (contrapuntal techniques with programmes) often led to an unattractive mixture of styles, while his penchant for salon-like music made him susceptible to triviality. His skilled instrumentation was praised and his programme symphonies on rustic subjects (e.g. no. 7, ‘In den Alpen’, 1875; no. 10, ‘Zur Herbstzeit’, 1879) had a progressive influence. During his lifetime he enjoyed great fame as a modern master and won esteem as teacher and administrator at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt (from 1877), where his pupils included Edward MacDowell and Alexander Ritter.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.