Richard Strauss

Prominent German composer Richard Strauss was at a creative peak during the 1930s, when the Nazis occupied much of Germany. Several Nazi officials, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, sought to manipulate his artistic power to their advantage. Due to strong arm tactics, Strauss eventually aligned with the emerging superpower and wrote compositions for the Nazi party. Because he was not a Nazi sympathizer, his work from this period was sub-par. After the defeat of the Nazis Strauss went on to have a successful career and became known as a prominent composer. Strauss's innovations in orchestration featured subtle flourishes set within an uncanny, harmonic style.