Composer. An outstanding figure of the Classical period. Although he has sometimes been called "The Swedish Mozart", he was German by birth and his music was influenced by the "Sturm und Drang" ("Storm and Stress") movement, a precursor of Romanticism. Kraus's turbulent Symphony in C Minor (1783) is his best known work. Its dedicatee, Franz Joseph Haydn, predicted it would be "regarded as a masterpiece for centuries to come". Kraus was born in Miltenberg, near Frankfurt, and studied at Mannheim and other German cities. He was attracted to the writings of Goethe and Klopstock and at 19 he completed his boldly original Requiem (1775), which illustrated his belief that "church music should be mostly for the heart". At the urging of a Swedish friend he moved to Stockholm in 1778, and after the success of his music drama "Prosperpina" (1781) he was appointed conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera. King Gustav III was so impressed with Kraus he sent him on a four-year study tour of Europe (1782 to 1786), during which he met Haydn, Gluck, Salieri, and Albrechtsberger; all proclaimed him a genius. He also wrote most of his instrumental music around this time. Upon his return he became educational director of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, pushing through a progressive curriculum that had a significant effect on the nation's cultural scene, and in 1788 he succeeded to the post of Royal Kapellmeister. In March 1792 Kraus was present at the masked ball where Gustav was assassinated, and he composed a "Funeral Symphony" and a Requiem in honor of the monarch who had been so instrumental in his career. He died of tuberculosis nine months later, at 36. A torchlit procession accompanied his coffin to the Stockholm suburb of Tivoli, where he was laid to rest in a grave of honor. His present memorial was erected in 1845. Following many years of neglect, Kraus's posthumous reputation rebounded in the 20th Century and he now occupies a high place among Classical masters, especially in Sweden and Germany. He produced approximately 200 compositions, among them 14 symphonies (at least seven more are lost), five operas, a fine Flute Quintet in D Major (1784), 16 string quartets, keyboard sonatas, religious and ceremonial music, and a large number of songs. The symphonies were the subject of an award-winning set of recordings in 1999.