Ewald Straesser

Ewald Straesser (Sträßer) (27 June 1867 – 4 April 1933)^[1] was a German composer.

Straesser was born in Burscheid, near Cologne. He was a student of Franz Wüllner at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and later counted Georg von Albrecht^[2] among his own students, also Erwin Schulhoff (teaching him instrumentation/orchestration)^[3] At the Hochschule he succeeded Joseph Haas as professor of composition in 1921.^[4]

He died in 1933 in Stuttgart. Wilhelm Furtwängler,^[5] Hermann Abendroth^[6] and other conductors and ensembles featured works by Straesser in their concerts. The conductor Karl Panzner (1866–1923)^[7] championed Straesser's symphonies early on^[8] (and premiered his 5th symphony.)^[9]

Major works by Straesser include:

• 5 string quartets (Nos. 1 and 2, pub. 1901; no.3, pub.1913; no.4, published 1920; no.5, pub.1927)
• other chamber works (including a piano sonata (Kleine sonate), violin sonata, piano quintet, clarinet quintet^[10] and piano trio)
• 6 symphonies (at least 3 unpublished)
• concertos for piano, violin, and cello (1901, UK premiere 1903)^[11] (This last possibly lost. The piano concerto has been broadcast.)

There is an Ewald-Sträßer-Weg (Way/Street) in Burscheid.^[12]