1875–1962 · Late Romantic
Fritz Kreisler
1 work
Kreisler was born in Vienna in 1875 and died in New York in 1962. He was known above all as a violinist, with a sweet tone, expressive phrasing, and generous use of portamento (a slide from one note to the next) and rubato (bending the pulse). He gave the first performance of Elgar's Violin Concerto in 1910, a work dedicated to him, and settled in the United States during the Second World War, becoming a citizen in 1943. His own pieces are short encore items such as Liebesleid and Liebesfreud, plus operettas such as Apple Blossoms (1919).
For years he published pieces under the names of earlier composers, among them Pugnani, Tartini and Vivaldi. In February 1935 he admitted that he had written them himself, defending the practice with the words "The name changes, the value remains". The Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani was the first of these "Classical Manuscripts". Gaetano Pugnani (1731 to 1798) was a violinist remembered mainly as a performer, which made him a safe name for a fake.
Sources disagree on the first publication, 1905 or 1910 (Schott, London). The work is in E minor, for violin and piano, and takes about five minutes.
What to listen for
- The Praeludium opens with Bs and Es placed in different octaves and registers, a passage that tests the violinist's intonation.
- The Allegro includes a string-crossing section over a sustained pedal point, a long-held note under the moving music.
- The ending, a series of triumphant chords in the violin.
- Baroque shapes (a prelude followed by a quick movement) played with a Romantic violin sound, portamento and all.
Sources: Fritz Kreisler (Wikipedia), Praeludium and Allegro (Wikipedia), IMSLP: Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani (Kreisler), 7 of Fritz Kreisler's Best Violin Forgeries (Interlude)
