KREISLER, FRITZ

KREISLER, FRITZ (1875–1962), violinist and composer. Born in Vienna and a child prodigy, Kreisler gained admission to the Musikverein Konservatorium at the age of seven. His principal teachers were Hellmesberger (violin) and Bruckner (theory). He first performed when he was nine and was awarded the Konservatorium's gold medal at ten. Later he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Massart and Delibes. Kreisler's rise to fame was interrupted by medical and art studies and a period of military service. His debut with the Berlin Philharmonic (1899) launched his international career. He was presented with the Philharmonic Society's gold medal (1904) and gave the premiere of Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work dedicated to him (1910). At the outbreak of World War I he joined his former regiment, but upon being quickly wounded he was discharged and went to the U.S. He returned to Europe in 1924, living first in Berlin, then in France. In 1939 he settled permanently in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1943. Kreisler was one of the greatest masters of the violin. His remarkable sweet and expressive tone, graceful phrasing, and vitality of rhythm match his brilliant technique. He developed personal methods of bowing, fingering, and vibrato. Among the works he wrote as a gifted composer are a string quartet, operettas, short compositions (such as Caprice viennois, Liebeslied, and Liebes freud), and a series of pieces he attributed to lesser known 18th-century composers but which were in fact his own. He also prepared cadenzas for the Beethoven and Brahms violin concertos and published music arrangements. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grove Music Online; MGG2; Baker's Biographical Dictionary (1997); Amy Biancolli, Fritz Kreisler: Love's Sorrow, Love's Joy (1998); C.R. Scheidemantle, "The Violin of Fritz Kreisler: An Analysis and Performance Guide" (doctoral diss., 1999); (Naama Ramot (2nd ed.)