Fritz Kreisler

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Lore & Background

Kreisler was born in Vienna, the son of Anna and Samuel Kreisler, a doctor. Of Jewish descent, he was baptized at age 12. At seven, he entered the Vienna Conservatory, studying under Anton Bruckner, Jakob Dont, and Joseph Hellmesberger Jr. He studied composition and violin at the Paris Conservatory between 1885 and 1887, with teachers including Léo Delibes, Lambert Massart, and Jules Massenet. He graduated with the highest 'Premier Prix' in violin at age 12, competing against 40 other players, most at least 20. He made his US debut at Steinway Hall in New York City on November 10, 1888, and toured the US in 1888–1889 with Moriz Rosenthal. After being turned down for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic by concertmaster Arnold Rosé, he left music to study medicine and spent a brief time in the army. He returned to the violin in 1899 with a Berlin Philharmonic concert conducted by Arthur Nikisch, which brought real acclaim. In 1901, he met Harriet Lies, a New York-born divorcée and Vassar graduate; they married a year later, repeating the ceremony three more times due to legal technicalities. They had no children and were married for 60 years. In 1910, he gave the premiere of Sir Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto, commissioned by and dedicated to him. He served briefly in the Austrian Army in World War I before being honourably discharged after being wounded. He arrived in New York on November 24, 1914, and spent the remainder of the war in America. He returned to Europe in 1924, living in Berlin, then moving to France in 1938. At the outbreak of World War II, he settled again in the US, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1943. On April 26, 1941, he was struck by a truck while crossing a street in New York, suffering a fractured skull and a coma for over a week. In later years, he suffered hearing loss and sight deterioration due to cataracts. He died in New York City in 1962 of a heart condition aggravated by old age, and was interred in a private mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx.

Reader's Guide

Kreisler's significance lies in his distinctive violin style—marked by portamento, rubato, and a sweet tone—that made him one of the most recognizable virtuosi of his era. His compositions, including encore pieces like 'Liebesleid' and 'Liebesfreud,' remain staples. He also created musical forgeries, attributing his own works to earlier composers such as Gaetano Pugnani, Giuseppe Tartini, and Antonio Vivaldi, later revealing them in 1935. When critics complained, he replied, 'The name changes, the value remains.' He wrote operettas including 'Apple Blossoms' (1919) and 'Sissy' (1932), a string quartet, and cadenzas for Brahms's, Paganini's, and Beethoven's violin concertos—his Beethoven cadenzas are the most often played today. He wrote the music for the 1936 film 'The King Steps Out.' He performed and recorded his own version of Paganini's D major Violin Concerto, rescored and reharmonized. He owned antique violins by Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi, and a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin of 1860. In 1952, he donated his Giuseppe Guarneri to the Library of Congress. He recorded extensively for Victor/RCA Victor and His Master's Voice, with final recordings in 1950. His style resembles that of Mischa Elman, with expansive tempi, continuous vibrato, and expressive phrasing.

Did You Know?

• Kreisler graduated from the Paris Conservatory with the highest 'Premier Prix' in violin at age 12, competing against 40 other players, most of whom were at least 20.
• He was turned down for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic by concertmaster Arnold Rosé, which led him to briefly study medicine.
• Kreisler and his wife Harriet repeated their wedding ceremony three more times because of legal technicalities.
• On April 26, 1941, he was struck by a truck in New York, suffered a fractured skull, and was in a coma for over a week.
• He created musical forgeries attributed to composers like Pugnani and Tartini, later revealing them in 1935 and saying, 'The name changes, the value remains.'