Fritz Kreisler

3/4/15Block- 1 Austin, Avery, Jason, Navjot, Stephen,

Sikna

Composition

Complete Title: Pareludium & Allegro

Date finished or premiered: 1910C. Period in which it was composed: Baroque

ComposerFull name: Friedrich “Fritz” KreislerBorn-Died1. Dates: February 2, 1875 January 29, 1962 2. Cities Vienna, Austria New York Nationality; AmericanCities of residence: New York, Vienna, Berlin

Composer’s backgroundSummary of personal history and events

1. Mother was Anna & father was Samuel (who was a doctor) both were Jewish and baptized Kreisler at age 13. 2. He spent a brief time in the Austrian Army in WW1 discharge in the Austrian Army3. He was involved in 2 traffic accidents struck by a truck he

4. Later became deaf & blind

5. Kreisler and his wife were conceit to Catholicism received into church by the Arcnishop himself

Overview of entire musical career

1. Received violin lessons from joseph hellmesburger at age 7.

2. Accomplished pianist mortiz Rosenthal on a 6 month tour of the OSA in 1888

3. 1898, he performed with the Vienna philharmonic

4. Had concert tours to Scandlarriry Russia and Turkey 5. At age 12 was awarded the prenker Prix from the conservatory in Paris

Composer’s significance

Historical significance 1. Kreisler is known for composing many violin solos, including ones for encores 2. Kreisler also wrote many pieces inder the names of other more famous composers such as Gaetano Pugnani, Giuseppe Tartini, and Antonio Vivaldi 3. He revealed to have written them in 1935, and when critics voiced their complaints, he replied with letting them know that the pieces have all been accepted and deemed worthy, and that the composer has changed, but the value remains the same. 4. He's also written a few operettas, a string quartet, and cadenzas 5. Kreisler premiered the Elgar Violin Concerto

Composer’s output

55 operas22 symphonies

1. 60 original compositions, over half of which are for violin and piano, was augmented by numerous arrangements and transcriptions of works by Tartini, Corelli, Paganini, Poldini, Paderewski, Schumann, Granados 2. His repertory contained practically everything of value written for the violin after the 17th century. Kreisler was able, in his own compositions, to make an invaluable contribution to the literature, which could come only from an exceptional realization of the possibilities of his instrument and an inborn gift for beautiful melody. 3. Universally acknowledged as one of the greatest and best loved violinists of all time, the results were some of the most popular violin pieces in the world. 4. There are approximately 200 pieces in the Fritz Kreisler catalog.

Compositional techniques used in THIS PIECE

A. Form: PraeludiumB. Meter(s): 4/4 AND 3/4 Tempo (i) Allegro & Allegro Molto Moderate C. Key(s): G AND CD. Orchestration/instrumentation: Orchestra and a soloist E. Style/texture: classical

Meaning/ significance of title

The name “Praeludium & Allegro” was meant as homage to a Baroque Itallian Virtuoso. Was originally attributed to Pugnani

:A piece or movement that serves as an introduction to another section or composition and establishes the key, such as one that precedes a fugue, opens a suite, or precedes a church service.

A Praeludium is An Allegro is:

Allegro is defined as a quickness of tempo

Performance difficulties

A. Individual

1. Stephen- 16th note double stops & the shifting of the last page of the solo2. Avery- dynamics/ following the conductor

3. Austin- 155- the end4. Navjot-155-end5. Sikna- 155-1606. Jason- The 2nd violin solo 7. Kintrell-B. Section and/ or Ensemble 1. 1st violins- Dynamics 2. 2nd Violins- 155-end3. Solo- Stephen (read above)

Illustrate relationships and connect this work or the composer’s output with other artistic or historical events occurring at the same time1. Kreisler was found to be an extremely talented violinist from a very age by his father, his first teacher, and surpassed him very quickly. He was so talented, that was accepted to the Vienna Conservatory at the age of 7, the first below the age of 10 to do so

2. Kreisler's name was quickly spread to many others in the field of music, his first formal debut was with singer Carlotta Patti, and was paid with a box of candy

3. Kreisler had a variety of teachers for the violin, and eventually, the piano, and regarded as a pure genius in both

4. It could be theorized that his tendency to impersonate more famous composers when writing music stemmed from generalized disdain from the music community and put down as a player, not a composer, due to the massive amount of awards and achievements he earned earlier in life causing jealousy or other feelings of dislike.

5. Various people he's met: Paderewski, (played for) the Austrian Ambassador and the Sultan, Hans Richter, Johannes Brahms, Ernst Posselt, Scotti (Metropolitan Opera Star), etc.

Additional Comments

1. “During the sixty years of his world preeminence in the concert field Kreisler developed from the boy prodigy he had been (he had won the highest honors at both the Vienna and the Paris Conservatories before he was 14!) into the most popular and highly rated artist on his instrument since Paganini. At the same time his artistic and intellectual interests were not confined alone to music. He wrote in and spoke seven languages. He collected rare manuscripts and primitive paintings as well as violins. He was made Commander of the Legion of Honor in France. He received the Beethoven Gold Medal in London. he was entertained by royalty. Indeed, he was universally honored as one of the rare outstanding citizens of the world. Yet through it all, Kreisler remained ever a modest and humble man. His great interest in life, his warm-heartedness toward his fellow man, found its way into his music. His audiences, who were enormous and completely infatuated with him, instinctively recognized these qualities in their idol. Fortunately for us, we still have his music. Through it he still speaks. And each composition seems to say,"From me to you, with love," - Fritz Kreisler.” I found this entertaining.

2. “Kreisler was one of the greatest masters of the violin. His brilliant technique was ably matched by his remarkable tone, both of which he always placed in the service of the composer. He was the owner of the great Guarneri "del Gesu" violin of 1733 and of instruments by other masters. He gathered a rich collection of invaluable MSS; in 1949 he donated the original scores of Brahms's Violin Concerto and Chausson's "Poème for Violin and Orchestra" to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. He wrote some of the most popular violin pieces in the world, among them "Caprice viennois," "Tambourin chinois," "Schön Rosmarin," and "Liebesfreud." He also published a number of pieces in the classical vein, which he ascribed to various composers (Vivaldi, Pugnani, Couperin, Padre Martini, Dittersdorf, Francoeur, Stamitz, and others). In 1935 he reluctantly admitted that these pieces were his own, with the exception of the first 8 bars from the "Couperin" "Chanson Louis XIII," taken from a traditional melody; he explained his motive in doing so as the necessity of building up well-rounded programs for his concerts that would contain virtuoso pieces by established composers, rather than a series of compositions under his own, as yet unknown name. He also wrote the operettas "Apple Blossoms" (N.Y., Oct. 7, 1919) and "Sissy" (Vienna, Dec. 23, 1932), published numerous arrangements of early and modern music (Corelli's "La Folia," Tartini's "The Devil's Trill," Dvorák's "Slavonic Dances," Granados's "Spanish Dance," Albéniz's "Tango" et al.), and prepared cadenzas for the Beethoven and Brahms violin concertos. He published a book of reminiscences of World War I, FOUR WEEKS IN THE TRENCHES: THE WAR STORY OF A VIOLINIST (Boston, 1915).” I found that it is very interesting that he necame so big at such a young age.

3. “Kreisler owned several antique violins crafted by luthiers Antonio Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi, most of which eventually came to bear his name. Many of his violins were made by Dr. Morris Spriggs of San Francisco. He also owned a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin of 1860, which he often used as his second violin, and which he often” I think its cool he owned so many interments.

4. During the next fifteen years, Kreisler performed in hundredsof concerts all over the world. In 1932, his second comicopera,, Sissy, premiered in Vienna. When the Nazis, a Germanpolitical movement led by Adolf Hitler that promoted racismand the expansion of state power, annexed Austria in 1938,Kreisler was again drafted into military service; but he became aFrench citizen and, with his wife, escaped to the United States asa refugee just weeks after World War II began in September 1939.(Kreisler became a U.S. citizen in 1943.) In 1941, Kreisler was seriouslyinjured when he was hit by an egg-deliverytruck on a Manhattan street, but he recovered and continued to performuntil his retirement in 1950. Kreisler and his wife were togetherfor sixty years. Kreisler died on January 29, 1962. His wife, Harriet,survived him by only sixteen months.

5. “In 1910, the Victor Phonograph Company signedKreisler to an exclusive contract, making him one of the firstmusicians to have his performances captured in the newmedium of sound recordings. He was the first classical violinistto have his performances widely disseminated via recordings,and as a result, his talents became widely known to audienceswho were unable to attend live performances.”

Sources: minimum of two Wikipeadia.com http://www.mrclancy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Fritz-Kreisler.pdfhttp://2012choral.carlfischer.com/fischer/composers/kreislerbio.htmlsheilascorner.com