Fritz Kreisler had the distinction of being known as ‘king of the violin’ among a generation that included eminent performers such as Mischa Elman, Efrem Zimbalist, and Jascha HEIFETZ. Kreisler’s legacy includes classic recordings of the Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Beethoven concertos, as well as sonatas performed with the pianist Sergey RACHMANINOV.
Kreisler was born in Vienna, on February 2, 1875. He began studying the violin at age four, and at age seven entered the Vienna Conservatory. He graduated two years later (the youngest person ever to do so), with a gold medal. Kreisler then moved to the Paris Conservatory where, in 1887, at age 12, he shared the premier prix (first prize). At age 14, Kreisler embarked on an extended tour of the U.S., with the eminent virtuoso Moriz Rosenthal as his accompanist. His Boston and New York debuts were received without fanfare, however. He returned to Vienna to complete his academic education, and for a while contemplated a career in medicine. Eventually, he decided to pursue music, and his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1899 launched his international performing career.
In 1910, Kreisler performed the premiere of Edward ELGAR’S Violin Concerto, an event that marked his growing international prominence; by 1914, he was considered the preeminent violinist of his generation. At its peak, his performing schedule encompassed 200 concerts a year, prompting his friend and colleague, Rachmaninov, to joke that ‘Fritz gives so many concerts he does not need to practice.’ Indeed, an enduring aspect of the Kreisler legend is his open indifference toward practicing and his ‘divine carelessness for all matters technical,’ in the words of the violin teacher Carl Flesch. Anecdotes abound about Kreisler’s tendency to warm up not prior to a concert, but during its first ten minutes.
With the onset of World War I, Kreisler was mobilised for military service with the Austrian army, and was later wounded on the Russian front. Following his discharge he moved to the U.S., the homeland of his wife, Harriet Lies. By 1917, anti-German feeling had grown so great in the U.S. that Kreisler was forced to cease concert appearances there. After World War I, he based himself in Berlin for a number of years, but left Germany when Hitler annexed Austria in 1938. Kreisler took up permanent residence in the United States in 1939, and later became a U.S. citizen.
Kreisler’s cadenzas for the major violin concertos have become standards. He also composed a number of operettas and works for violin and a string quartet. His graceful Liebeslied and Liebesfreud embody the charm of old Vienna. He also wrote some pastiche works, such as the Praeludium and Allegro, Chanson Louis XLLL, and Pavane, which he originally presented as newly discovered manuscripts by 18th-century composers. In 1919, he achieved success on Broadway with his operetta, Apple Blossoms.
A calamitous accident occurred in New York City in 1941, when Kreisler was hit by a truck on Madison Avenue and lapsed into a prolonged coma. The resulting physical trauma damaged both his hearing and eyesight, but he courageously returned to the concert stage a year later. Kreisler performed his final Carnegie Hall concert in 1947, and spent his last 15 years in quiet retirement. He died in New York City on January 29, 1962.
Kreisler is remembered for the irresistibly personal quality of his playing, which combined power and sincerity with charm and elegance. His moving interpretations of the violin repertoire have been preserved on historic recordings between 1904 and 1946. They remain touchstones of the violinist’s art.
Rachel Vetter Huang
SEE ALSO:
CHAMBER MUSIC; MENUHIN, YEHUDI.
FURTHER READING
Lochner, Louis P. Fritz Kreisler (St Clair Shores, MI: Scholarly Press, 1977);
Sachs, Harvey. Virtuoso (London: Thames and Hudson, 1982).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Fritz Kreisler Plays Kreisler; Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos; Mozart and Bach concertos.