Fritz Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austria-born Am… Read Full Bio ↴Fritz Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austria-born American violinist and composer; one of the most famous violinists of his day. He is noted for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. He produced a characteristic sound, which was immediately recognizable as his own. Although he was a violinist of the Franco-Belgian school, his tone and phrasing are nonetheless reminiscent of the gemütlich lifestyle of pre-war Vienna.
Kreisler was born in Vienna to a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother; he was baptised at age twelve. He studied at the Vienna conservatory and in Paris, where his teachers included Léo Delibes, Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr., Joseph Massart, and Jules Massenet. He made his United States debut at Steinway Hall in New York on November 10, 1888, and his first tour of the United States in 1888/1889 with Moriz Rosenthal, then returned to Austria and applied for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic. He was turned down by the concertmaster Arnold Rose. Hearing a recording of the Rose Quartet it is easy to hear why-Rose was sparing in his use of vibrato, and Kreisler would not have blended successfully with the orchestra's violin section. As a result, he left music to study first medicine, then painting. He spent a brief time in the army before returning to the violin in 1899, giving a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Arthur Nikisch. It was this concert and a series of American tours from 1901 to 1903 that brought him real acclaim.
In 1910, Kreisler gave the premiere of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work dedicated to him. He briefly served in the Austrian Army in World War I before being honourably discharged after he was wounded. He spent the remaining years of the war in America. He returned to Europe in 1924, living first in Berlin, then moving to France in 1938. Shortly thereafter, at the outbreak of World War II, he settled once again in the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1943. He lived in that country for the rest of his life. He gave his last public concert in 1947 and broadcast performances for a few years after that. Towards the end of his life, he was in an auto accident and spent his last days blind and deaf from that accident, but he "radiated a gentleness and refinement not unlike his music," according to Archbishop Fulton Sheen who visited him frequently during that time. Kreisler and his wife were converts to Catholicism. He died in New York City in 1962.
Kreisler wrote a number of pieces for the violin, including solos for encores, such as "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud". Some of Kreisler's compositions were pastiches in the style of other composers, originally ascribed to earlier composers such as Gaetano Pugnani, Giuseppe Tartini, and Antonio Vivaldi. When Kreisler revealed in 1935 that they were actually by him and critics complained, Kreisler answered that critics had already deemed the compositions worthy: "The name changes, the value remains" he said. He also wrote operettas including Apple Blossoms in 1919, a string quartet and cadenzas, including ones for the Brahms D major violin concerto, the Paganini D major violin concerto, and the Beethoven D major violin concerto. His cadenza for the Beethoven concerto is the one most often employed by violinists today.
Kreisler owned several antique violins by luthiers Antonio Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi, most of which eventually came to bear his name.
Kreisler's playing style is extremely personal. To modern ears, his performance persona resembles Mischa Elman with a tendency towards expansive tempi, a very luxuriant vibrato and remarkably expressive phrasing, even in superficially virtuosic passage work. Kreisler employs considerable use of portamento and rubato. However considerable performance contrasts exist between Kreisler and Mischa Elman on the shared standard repertoire with the concerto of Felix Mendelssohn serving as one example.
Kreisler was born in Vienna to a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother; he was baptised at age twelve. He studied at the Vienna conservatory and in Paris, where his teachers included Léo Delibes, Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr., Joseph Massart, and Jules Massenet. He made his United States debut at Steinway Hall in New York on November 10, 1888, and his first tour of the United States in 1888/1889 with Moriz Rosenthal, then returned to Austria and applied for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic. He was turned down by the concertmaster Arnold Rose. Hearing a recording of the Rose Quartet it is easy to hear why-Rose was sparing in his use of vibrato, and Kreisler would not have blended successfully with the orchestra's violin section. As a result, he left music to study first medicine, then painting. He spent a brief time in the army before returning to the violin in 1899, giving a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Arthur Nikisch. It was this concert and a series of American tours from 1901 to 1903 that brought him real acclaim.
In 1910, Kreisler gave the premiere of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto, a work dedicated to him. He briefly served in the Austrian Army in World War I before being honourably discharged after he was wounded. He spent the remaining years of the war in America. He returned to Europe in 1924, living first in Berlin, then moving to France in 1938. Shortly thereafter, at the outbreak of World War II, he settled once again in the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1943. He lived in that country for the rest of his life. He gave his last public concert in 1947 and broadcast performances for a few years after that. Towards the end of his life, he was in an auto accident and spent his last days blind and deaf from that accident, but he "radiated a gentleness and refinement not unlike his music," according to Archbishop Fulton Sheen who visited him frequently during that time. Kreisler and his wife were converts to Catholicism. He died in New York City in 1962.
Kreisler wrote a number of pieces for the violin, including solos for encores, such as "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud". Some of Kreisler's compositions were pastiches in the style of other composers, originally ascribed to earlier composers such as Gaetano Pugnani, Giuseppe Tartini, and Antonio Vivaldi. When Kreisler revealed in 1935 that they were actually by him and critics complained, Kreisler answered that critics had already deemed the compositions worthy: "The name changes, the value remains" he said. He also wrote operettas including Apple Blossoms in 1919, a string quartet and cadenzas, including ones for the Brahms D major violin concerto, the Paganini D major violin concerto, and the Beethoven D major violin concerto. His cadenza for the Beethoven concerto is the one most often employed by violinists today.
Kreisler owned several antique violins by luthiers Antonio Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi, most of which eventually came to bear his name.
Kreisler's playing style is extremely personal. To modern ears, his performance persona resembles Mischa Elman with a tendency towards expansive tempi, a very luxuriant vibrato and remarkably expressive phrasing, even in superficially virtuosic passage work. Kreisler employs considerable use of portamento and rubato. However considerable performance contrasts exist between Kreisler and Mischa Elman on the shared standard repertoire with the concerto of Felix Mendelssohn serving as one example.
Humoresque
Fritz Kreisler Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Humoresque' by these artists:
Art Tatum Please forgive this platitude But I like your attitude You…
Jack White Strains of humoresque divine You thrill and fill this heart …
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
JeePeeBock
J.P.Bock
La façon de jouer de Kreisler me prend littérallement aux tripes et les larmes me
viennent aux yeux. Tous les jours je peux l'écouter, sans me lasser jamais.
Seuls les tous grands sont capables de nous mettre dans état d'exaltation et de
plénitude. Merci mille fois cher Fritz Kreisler.
Green Rabbid Rabbit
With a bow. It's a length of pernambuco wood bent by gathered horsehair which is secured to an ebony nut that rides upon a worm screw to adjust the tension.
Oh? Were you speaking figuratively?
Then in that case, the answer is with great care and practice, decades of practice.
Cherry Pink
Love how Fritz Kreisler didn't really keep tempo in his execution, but played instead with a tremendous amount of feeling.
j gunther
If you tap your foot steadily to it you see he comes back to the beat. He lengthens some notes and shortens others but the tempo really stays the same. That is impossible to do unless you just have the instinct probably
Zdenka Mlinaric
I've listened to many versions here on YT and I like this one very much. It's soft and whole, it sings and whispers. To my soul...
mrfixzit101
Love Fritz. And itzhoc, and Isaac Stern
Pierre Comte
Cette musique me transperce le cœur. Je suis rendu à l’âge de 92 ans et depuis que je suis tout petit quand on jouait cette belle musique sur nos anciens radios, cela me touche encore profondément.
hello i’m dead
le son est véritablement capable de te faire pleurer!!!🫶🫶🫶
John
I could listen to this all day and it would never get old. A timeless masterpiece played by a legend.
DOROTHY RIESS
My father, Roy Wallace Young, American concert violinist, was same age as Kreisler and often played Dvorak Humoresque. Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I listen.
Art Palmer
Sounds to me like a berceuse playing in the mind of a tearful, old person. Kreisler's violin strings makes my heartstrings vibrate with a sweet sadness my head won't give up.
Yvonne Bryant
Absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. I could listen for hours.