GOTZ, HERMANN

born Dec. 7, 1840, Knigsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia] died Dec. 3, 1876, Hottingen, near Zrich, Switz. composer whose only enduring work is his comic opera based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. In 1863 Gtz became organist at Winterthur, Switz., and about that time formed a lasting friendship with Johannes Brahms. From 1870 he lived at Zrich, where he was music critic. His opera Der widerspnstigen Zhmung (1874; The Taming of the Shrew) achieved immediate success for its spontaneous style and lighthearted characterization. His other works include a less successful opera, Francesca da Rimini (1877; completed by Ernst Frank), chamber and choral works, an overture, a piano concerto, and a symphony.