Queer Places:
Große Schiffgasse 21, Vienna, Austria
Bismarckallee 32a, Berlin-Grunewald, Germany
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY
Friedrich-Max "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January
29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer.[1] One
of the most noted violin masters of his day, and regarded as one of the
greatest violinists of all time, he was known for his sweet tone and
expressive phrasing.
Like many great violinists of his generation, he produced a characteristic
sound which was immediately recognizable as his own. Although it derived in
many respects from the Franco-Belgian school, his style is nonetheless
reminiscent of the gemütlich (cozy)
lifestyle of pre-war Vienna. When in 1921 Fritz Kreisler finally returned
to a concert hall in London, it is likely that
Victor Beigel helped orchestrate
the triumphant event. One of John
Borie's last commissions was to design in 1924 a country estate for
Kreisler on the outskirts of Berlin: a mansion set among "several lush acres,"
which also featured "a hothouse, an Italian rose garden... a graceful lawn,
and a grotto complete with marble seats and bench."
Kreisler was born in Vienna,
the son of Anna Reches[note
1] and Samuel Kreisler, a doctor.[2][3] Of
Jewish heritage, he was however baptised at
the age of 12. He studied at the Vienna
Conservatory under Anton
Bruckner, Jakob Dont and Joseph
Hellmesberger Jr., and in Paris, where his teachers included Léo
Delibes, Lambert
Massart and Jules
Massenet. While in Paris, he won the "Premier Grand Prix de Rome" gold
medal at the age of 12, competing against 40 other players, all of whom were
at least 20 years of age.[4]
He made his United States debut at the Steinway
Hall in New York
City on November 10, 1888, and his first tour of the United States in
1888–1889 with Moriz
Rosenthal. He then returned to Austria and applied for a position in the Vienna
Philharmonic, but was turned down by the concertmaster Arnold
Rosé. As a result, he left music to study medicine. He spent a brief time
in the army before returning
to the violin in 1899, when he gave a concert with the Berlin
Philharmonic conducted by Arthur
Nikisch. It was this concert and a series of American tours from 1901 to
1903 that brought him real acclaim. Kreisler was also an excellent pianist,
and his piano playing is preserved on Ampico reproducing piano
rolls. In 1910, Kreisler gave the premiere of Sir Edward
Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work commissioned by and dedicated to him. He
served briefly in the Austrian Army in World
War I before being honourably discharged after he was wounded. He arrived
in New York on
November 24, 1914,[5] and
spent the remainder of the war in America. He returned to Europe in 1924,
living first in Berlin, then moving to France in 1938. Shortly thereafter, at
the outbreak of World War
II, he settled once again in the United States, becoming a naturalized
citizen in 1943. He lived there for the rest of his life, giving his last
public concert in 1947, and broadcasting performances for a few years after
that. On April 26, 1941, he was involved in a serious traffic accident. Struck
by a truck while crossing a street in New York, he suffered a fractured skull
and was in a coma for over a week.[6]
In his later years, he suffered from not only some hearing loss but also sight
deterioration due to cataracts.[7]
Kreisler died of a heart condition aggravated by old age in New York City in
1962.[1] He
was interred in a private mausoleum in Woodlawn
Cemetery, The Bronx,
New York City.
My published books:
BACK TO HOME PAGE
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Kreisler
- Anesko, Michael. Henry James and Queer Filiation . Springer
International Publishing. Edizione del Kindle.