23 Facts About Fritz Kreisler

1.

Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer.

2.

Fritz Kreisler studied at the Vienna Conservatory between 1882 and 1885 under Anton Bruckner, Jakob Dont and Joseph Hellmesberger Jr.

3.

Fritz Kreisler was graduated from Paris Conservatory with a degree of "Premier Prix" gold medal at the age of 12, competing against 40 other players, all of whom were at least 20 years of age.

4.

Fritz Kreisler then returned to Austria and applied for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic, but was turned down by the concertmaster Arnold Rose.

5.

Fritz Kreisler 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.

6.

Fritz Kreisler was an excellent pianist, and his piano playing is preserved on Ampico reproducing piano rolls.

7.

In 1910, Fritz Kreisler gave the premiere of Sir Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work commissioned by and dedicated to him.

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Antonio Stradivari
8.

Fritz Kreisler served briefly in the Austrian Army in World War I before being honourably discharged after he was wounded.

9.

Fritz Kreisler arrived in New York on November 24,1914, and spent the remainder of the war in America.

10.

Fritz Kreisler returned to Europe in 1924, living first in Berlin, then moving to France in 1938.

11.

Fritz Kreisler lived there for the rest of his life, giving his last public concert in 1947, and broadcasting performances for a few years after that.

12.

Fritz Kreisler died of a heart condition aggravated by old age in New York City in 1962.

13.

Fritz Kreisler was interred in a private mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx, New York City.

14.

Fritz Kreisler wrote a number of pieces for the violin, including solos for encores, such as "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud".

15.

Some of Fritz Kreisler's compositions were pastiches ostensibly in the style of other composers.

16.

When critics complained, Fritz Kreisler replied that they had already deemed the compositions worthy: "The name changes, the value remains", he said.

17.

Fritz Kreisler wrote the music for the 1936 movie The King Steps Out directed by Josef von Sternberg, based on the early years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

18.

Fritz Kreisler performed and recorded his own version of the first movement of Paganini's D major Violin Concerto.

19.

Fritz Kreisler owned several antique violins made by luthiers Antonio Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi, most of which eventually came to bear his name.

20.

Fritz Kreisler owned a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin of 1860, which he often used as his second violin, and which he often loaned to the young prodigy Josef Hassid.

21.

On recordings, Fritz Kreisler's style resembles that of his younger contemporary Mischa Elman, with a tendency toward expansive tempi, a continuous and varied vibrato, expressive phrasing, and a melodic approach to passage-work.

22.

The Australian manufacturer of electronics and consumer goods Kriesler supposedly took its name after Fritz Kreisler but had intentionally misspelled the name as to avoid possible juristical actions from other parties.

23.

Fritz Kreisler's recordings have been reasonably well represented on both LP and CD reissues.