The world of musical art has several dozen names of true geniuses. Their talent and contribution to the development of art forever left a mark in history and gave the world a lot of musical masterpieces, which today are called classics. A worthy place among the great musicians is occupied by the Austrian violinist and composer Kreisler Fritz. He became famous not only for his virtuoso mastery of the violin, but also for the creation of stunning pieces that are now replayed by contemporaries and included in the golden collection of masterpieces of classical music.
Biography
Kreisler Fritz was born in Vienna in 1875. My father worked as a doctor and was known as a passionate music lover among acquaintances. Perhaps this addiction was the reason for the future choice of his son.
From the age of four, Kreisler Fritz studied violin and quite rapidly succeeded in it. Thanks to his brilliant abilities and contrary to the rules at the age of seven, the young violinist was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory. It was there that his first public appearance took place. Among his teachers were the prominent composer and organist of the time, Anton Bruckner, and the famous violinist and conductor Joseph Helmesberger. Three years later, Fritz graduated from the conservatory with a gold medal, and as a reward he received a violin made by the famous Italian master Amati, the teacher of the great Antonio Stradivari.
In 1885, the young violinist entered the Paris Conservatory. There he honed his musical prowess in the lessons of Joseph Massard and Leo Delibes. Upon reaching 12 years, he passed the final exam, received the Grand Prix and decided to start an independent musical career.
America
In 1889, Kreisler Fritz went on a joint concert tour of the United States with pianist Moritz Rosenthal. But expectations of an enthusiastic welcome were hasty. The American public reacted rather restrained to the work of the young violinist. Later, in 1900, Fritz made another attempt to tour the States. This time he received a warm welcome, and even received proposals for cooperation, but the violinist was in no hurry to cross the ocean. The European public was more dear and sympathetic to him.
Confession
In 1893 and 1896, Kreisler Fritz gave concerts in Russia. Sergey Rachmaninov also performed with him. In 1899, he soloed at the Berlin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the then-famous conductor Arthur Nikish. Fritz received a real triumph at London concerts in 1904, then he was awarded the gold medal of the London Philharmonic Society. And the outstanding British composer Edward Elgar dedicated a violin concerto to Kreisler, which was repeated in 1910 by Fritz himself.
The Austrian violinist, despite conflicting responses and criticism, nevertheless remained popular and demanded until a deep age, until due to progressive blindness and deafness he did not have to end his musical career.
Creation
Kreisler Fritz is considered one of the largest violinists of the first half of the last century. He had a special style of play, which combined technical impeccability, and the elegance of sound, and lively rhythm, and precise phrasing. Of course, he adopted some technical “maneuvers” from his predecessor colleagues, investing in them the warmth of his own soul and virtuosity. For example, the reception of vibrato (alternating change in pitch, timbre or strength of sound), borrowed from the Polish composer Henryk Wieniawski, has become one of the distinguishing features of his work.
In addition to the genius of a violinist, Kreisler possessed the talent of a composer. The operettas Sissi and Apple Tree Flowers, the string quartet and works for violin, or cadence, composed by him for the concerts of Beethoven, Brahms and the Tartini Sonata Devil Trills, are rightly considered his masterpieces.
No less charming and virtuoso are the waltzes "Flour of Love", "Chinese Tambourine", "Joy of Love" and "Wonderful Rosemary". Even today they sound in the interpretation of contemporaries, and the public always greets them with a storm of applause. The listeners are particularly sympathetic to the play “The Little Vienna March”.
Hoaxes
Kreisler Fritz is also known as a musician-hoaxer. In 1905-1910, he published Classical Manuscripts. These were pieces for violin and piano, which the composer presented as processing works by Cooperin, Pugnani, Francker and Boccherini - composers of the 17-18th centuries. Critics in their ignorance more than once noted the magnificent style of these treatments, the exact adherence of the author to the texts of the originals. It was only in 1935 that Fritz himself admitted that all these plays were his own compositions, and not musical imitations of his predecessors.
However, there was a flip side to such hoaxes. So, the works "Flour of Love" and "Joy of Love" at one time Kreisler gave out for the stylization of old waltzes. They were subjected to annihilating criticism, opposed to transcriptions as examples of true music. But Fritz's self-disclosure shocked skeptics and detractors.
Collection
Kreisler Fritz had a small collection of antique violins created by prominent violin masters (e.g. Antonio Stradivari, Carlo Bergonzi). Later, these tools began to bear the name of the owner - the great Kreisler.
The collection of violins was useful to Fritz not only at numerous performances and in creative research. There is a known case when the violinist had to donate the violin of Guarneri (Del Gesu) to the Library of Congress to pay off tax arrears in the USA . In his late years, Fritz sold his entire antique collection, leaving only a violin by Jean-Baptiste Wiillaume.
Interesting Facts
- In 1896, he tried to enter the Vienna Palace Opera Orchestra, but the competition did not pass: the weakness of reading from the sheet prevented.
- When the First World War began, Kreisler was called to the front, but he was soon injured and was demobilized. Due to the turbulent situation, the violinist was forced to leave for the United States. But after 10 years of longing for his native Europe made him return. He first lived in Berlin, then moved to France.
- In 1938, due to the intensification of Nazi sentiment, Kreisler Fritz had to again leave for the States and accept American citizenship. In 1941, an Austrian violinist was hit by a truck, but he quickly recovered from the disaster. However, later the consequences of the injury made themselves felt and forced to leave a musical career.
- The genius of the violin - Kreisler Fritz - had a lively cheerful disposition. Once he visited an antique store to brag about his violin and offer to buy it. In response, the owner called the police and said that the stranger illegally turned out to be a tool of the "great Kreisler". To prove his identity and innocence, the virtuoso violinist had to play the violin.
PS
Kreisler Fritz died in New York at the age of 86. He was afraid that they would soon forget about him, and the glory of his works would fade and sink into oblivion. However, like most geniuses, critics appreciated the talent of a virtuoso violinist and composer much later. And today he deserves an honorable place in the list of musical geniuses, whose play and works are examples of immortal classical music.