Great Violin Players of the Past: No 2 Fritz Kreisler

 Fritz Kreisler 1875-1962 No 2 in my canon of great violin players is the Austrian, Fritz Kreisler. A child prodigy, Kreisler graduated at age 10! from the Vienna Conservatory. One of the key aspects of his style was a very warm vibrato.  He was the first violinist to make lots of recordings which helped to make him very popular and very famous. He was a 'secret' composer. For encores he sometimes played pieces that he had written himself but he passed them off as works by obscure unknown composers. It seems he was a bit shy about introducing pieces he had penned himself.

He joined the Austrian Army during WW 1 and was injured and discharged. I love Kreisler's  pieces and whenever I hear them I imagine I am in a Viennese Coffee House eating delicious cake as there is a real feeling of lighthearted café music about many of his encores. Here is one I love to play myself; Liebesleid which is in waltz time. Listen to Kreisler himself playing Liebesleid here  http://www.viewpure.com/AqQ2_2qd-5Y?start=0&end=0 and a more recent video version by the German violinist David Garrett.

http://www.viewpure.com/Wh2PkYxCHZQ?start=0&end=0

Vibrato is a technique where you warm up the sound by making  your finger quiver or shake on the string. 

Check out this version played by Joshua Bell on the WAMA Strings Spotify List https://open.spotify.com/track/4PAwFMCI2N0tPqAoX0lBnt?si=nR20gjaISD2ihI8Zs16P4Q