Richard Georg Strauss (* June 11, 1864 in Munich; † September 8, 1949 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria) was a German composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became known above all for his orchestral program music (tone poems), song writing and operas. He is thus considered one of the composers of the late romantic period. Strauss was also an important conductor and theater director as well as a proponent for a reform of the copyright law.