Joseph Fuchs
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fuchs was one of the most important American violin
ists and teachers of the 20th century, and the brother of Lillian Fuchs
.
Born in New York
, he graduated in 1918 from the Institute of Musical Art in New York where he studied with Franz Kneisel
. In 1926 he was appointed concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra
, but resigned in 1940 to pursue a solo career. After a successful New York
début in 1943, he became co-founder of the Musicians’ Guild, a chamber music
organization which he directed there until 1956.
He toured extensively in Europe, appearing at the 1953 and 1954 Prades festivals, and in South America, the USSR, Israel and Japan; he also played as a soloist with every important orchestra in the USA. Joseph Fuchs performed a series of recitals with pianist Artur Balsam in 1956 for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston.
A Ford Foundation grant in 1960 enabled him to commission Walter Piston
’s Second Violin Concerto
, the première of which he gave that year in Pittsburgh. Fuchs also gave the first performances of concertos by Lopatnikoff (1944–5), Ben Weber (1954) and Mario Peragallo (1955); of Martinů’s Madrigaly for violin and viola
, dedicated to Fuchs and his sister Lillian (1947); of the revised version of Vaughan Williams
’s Violin Sonata, with Artur Balsam (1969); and of the posthumous American première of Martinů’s Sonata for two violins and piano (1974).
Fuchs became a violin professor at the Juilliard School of Music in 1946, and in 1971 he received the Artist Teacher’s Award from the American String Teachers’ Association.
Fuchs died in Manhattan
in 1997.
He played the ‘Cádiz Stradivarius
’ violin of 1722. His style of playing was vigorous and large-scaled, with a masterful technique and a rich, warm tone. A clear example of all this may be heard in his recording of Stravinsky's Duo Concertant (Decca, with Leo Smit).
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ists and teachers of the 20th century, and the brother of Lillian Fuchs
Lillian Fuchs
Lillian Fuchs , an American violist, teacher and composer, is considered to be among the finest instrumentalists of her time. She hailed from a musically talented family: her brothers, Joseph Fuchs, a violinist, and Harry Fuchs, a cellist, performed with her on numerous commercial recordings...
.
Born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he graduated in 1918 from the Institute of Musical Art in New York where he studied with Franz Kneisel
Franz Kneisel
Franz Kneisel was an American violinist and teacher of Romanian birth.Born in Bucharest, the son of a German bandmaster, he learned to play the flute, clarinet and trumpet, as well as the violin...
. In 1926 he was appointed concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, but resigned in 1940 to pursue a solo career. After a successful New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
début in 1943, he became co-founder of the Musicians’ Guild, a chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
organization which he directed there until 1956.
He toured extensively in Europe, appearing at the 1953 and 1954 Prades festivals, and in South America, the USSR, Israel and Japan; he also played as a soloist with every important orchestra in the USA. Joseph Fuchs performed a series of recitals with pianist Artur Balsam in 1956 for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston.
A Ford Foundation grant in 1960 enabled him to commission Walter Piston
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
’s Second Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto No. 2 (Piston)
Walter Piston's Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra was written between 1959 and 1960 on commission from the Ford Foundation and violinist Joseph Fuchs and dedicated to him...
, the première of which he gave that year in Pittsburgh. Fuchs also gave the first performances of concertos by Lopatnikoff (1944–5), Ben Weber (1954) and Mario Peragallo (1955); of Martinů’s Madrigaly for violin and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, dedicated to Fuchs and his sister Lillian (1947); of the revised version of Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
’s Violin Sonata, with Artur Balsam (1969); and of the posthumous American première of Martinů’s Sonata for two violins and piano (1974).
Fuchs became a violin professor at the Juilliard School of Music in 1946, and in 1971 he received the Artist Teacher’s Award from the American String Teachers’ Association.
Fuchs died in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1997.
He played the ‘Cádiz Stradivarius
Cádiz Stradivarius
The Cádiz Stradivarius of 1722 is an antique violin fabricated by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. The instrument is named after the city Cádiz, Spain where it resided for eighty years. In 1946 it was acquired by American violinist Joseph Fuchs, and is currently owned by a private...
’ violin of 1722. His style of playing was vigorous and large-scaled, with a masterful technique and a rich, warm tone. A clear example of all this may be heard in his recording of Stravinsky's Duo Concertant (Decca, with Leo Smit).
Sources
- J. Creighton: Discopaedia of the Violin, 1889–1971 (Toronto, 1974), 226ff
- D. Rooney and R.D. Lawrence: ‘Joseph Fuchs’, The Strad, xcix (1988), 896–904
- M. Campbell: Obituary, The Independent (18 March 1997)
External links
- Joseph Fuchs, 97, a Violinist and Teacher Obituary in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, March 17, 1997