The Dutch-born American pianist, teacher, and composer, Louis Victor (Franz) Saar, attended high school and university in Strassburg, graduating with a degree in history and literature in 1885. From 1886 to 1889 he studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music in Munich, where his principal teachers were Josef Rheinberger and Bussmeyer. He continued his studies in Vienna, Leipzig, and Berlin, including one winter with Johannes Brahms. His compositions earned him the Mendelssohn prize in Berlin (1891) and the Tonkünstlerpreis in Vienna (1892).
