1. Otto. 1841–1918, Austrian architect, whose emphasis on function and structure in such buildings as the Post Office Savings Bank, Vienna (1904–06), influenced the development of modern architecture
2. (Wilhelm) Richard (ˈrɪçart). 1813–83, German romantic composer noted chiefly for his invention of the music drama. His cycle of four such dramas The Ring of the Nibelung was produced at his own theatre in Bayreuth in 1876. His other operas include Tannhäuser (1845; revised 1861), Tristan and Isolde (1865), and Parsifal (1882)