Hans Pfitzner

Hans Erich Pfitzner (May 5, 1869 – May 22, 1949) was a German composer and self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the opera Palestrina, loosely based on the life of the great sixteenth-century composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Born in Moscow, Pfitzner spent most of his life in Germany, working as conductor, pianist, and teacher as well as composer. Pfitzner was the son of a professional violinist and received lessons from his father when he was quite young.