Fritz Kreisler

Friedrich “Fritz” Kreisler was one of the most beloved violinists of the early 20th century. Born in Vienna in 1875, he trained in Vienna and Paris, and became an international star while he was still in his teens. His glowing tone and effortless phrasing won him the respect of Rachmaninoff, who made a series of recordings with Kreisler, and Elgar, whose Violin Concerto was dedicated to, and premiered by, Kreisler in 1910. Kreisler’s own compositions include the operetta Sissy (1932) and a stormy String Quartet (1919). But he’s best remembered for the many tuneful miniatures that he composed for his own use, often as recital encores. Some—such as the Praeludium and Allegro (1910), and the Three Old Viennese Dances “Liebesfreud,” “Liebesleid,” and “Schön Rosmarin” (1905)—he originally passed off as rediscovered works by earlier composers. Others, including the Marche miniature viennoise of 1925, were published under his own name. Kreisler emigrated to the USA in 1938. Since his death in 1962, the charm of his compositions has proved irresistible to generations of violinists.