Oscar Straus

Austrian composer
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/biography/Oscar-Straus
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Quick Facts
Born:
March 6, 1870, Vienna, Austria
Died:
Jan. 11, 1954, Bad Ischl (aged 83)

Oscar Straus (born March 6, 1870, Vienna, Austria—died Jan. 11, 1954, Bad Ischl) was an Austrian composer known for his operetta The Chocolate Soldier.

Straus studied in Vienna and with Max Bruch in Berlin and became a theatre conductor in Austria and Germany. He lived in Berlin until 1927 and in 1939 became a French citizen. He was in New York City and Hollywood between 1940 and 1948 and then returned to Europe. Der tapfere Soldat (1908; The Chocolate Soldier) was based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Arms and the Man. Among his other operettas were Ein Walzertraum (1907; A Waltz Dream) and Rund um die Liebe (1914; All Around Love). He also composed the music for the motion picture La Ronde (1950).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.