His work was part of the music event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
[1] Heiss was born in Darmstadt and studied composition first in Frankfurt with Bernhard Sekles in 1921, and then in Vienna with Josef Matthias Hauer from 1924 to 1926.
After leaving Hauer's tutelage he returned to his native city to study the piano and compose.
He then moved to Berlin where he unsuccessfully sought performances of his works.
During the war he composed music for the Luftwaffe and for other military groups (Dubinsky 2001).