Johann Joseph Fux (pronounced “Fyooks” !) was an Austrian composer of Baroque music, born in the Austrian duchy of Styria, in 1660.
Fux was employed by royal patrons including Holy Roman Emperors Leopold I, Joseph I, and Charles VI.
Here is Fux’s Overture in D minor:
Next are Sonata K.366, Sonata K.375, Sonata K.377:
His “Missa Corporis Christi:”
Fux was not only an excellent composer, he also wrote a study of contrapuntal theory entitled, Gradus ad Parnassum:
[amazon asin=0393002772&template=image&chan=default]
Gradus ad Parnassum, published in 1725, was used by many major Classical composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, and Franz Joseph Haydn and is still used as a textbook in some music programs in the world. I know some people who have used it to study for their GSCE’s here in the UK, so it’s still a relevant book.
Mozart, who studied Fux’s work.
When Fux died on the 13th of February, 1741, he died the last of the great Baroque composers, as the style had become old-fashioned as the new Classical style of music erupted on the scene.
[Heads up, if you search for him on the Internet by his surname, you’ll encounter various hard-core pornographic sites, so beware.]
Fux has almost no airplay on the radio to my knowledge (and I’m always listening to Baroque radio) and I think this could be because people are unsure how to pronounce his surname.
Obviously, his music is well worth listening to! Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a lovely day 🙂
[amazon asin=B002K15FNO&template=image&chan=default]
It’s amazing that porn will come up in the search results for almost anything, so I can’t even imagine what would result from googling poor J.J. Anyway, I’m always happy to get a post full of Baroque music!
I’m a distant relative of this composer.
Immigrant ancestors to America have changed the spelling of the surname to FOUX.
It is sad and disturbing that the original surname would get pornographic responses when googled. Therefore, diminishing whatever recognition of his achievements..