Emma Fischer 1876 - 1964

[giles.enders]

Baroness Emma Gabriele Marie Freiin von Fischer  (Emma Fischer) Born 2.5.1876 Vienna  Died  12.12.1964  Vienna

Austrian pianist composer and piano teacher.  She studied under Emma Klenner, Julius Epstein and Robert Fuchs. Her compositional output would appear to have been small.  She seems to have been proud of the fact that she overcharged her pupils for lessons.

Orchestral

Piano Concerto in B flat major

Chamber

Piano Quintet
Violin Sonata in F major  1907
Violin Sonata in C major  1924

Piano

Andante and Scherzo for piano, four hands  Op.1
Romance, Impromptu and Etude  Op.2
Song without words Op.3
Variations on a theme in B minor 1905

Opera

Trutzepink  fairy tale opera

There are also some songs

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have never heard of her. Is any of her music extant?

[eschiss1]

I'll see if I can find anything about that. The biographical tidbit is a remark of Schenker's - see here. "Schenker first describes her, when she visited his home on January 9, 1921, as "a strangely naive old (unmarried) lady, who makes no bones about charging her pupils, male and female, exorbitantly, because she 'can nonetheless put a little money aside'." " (There's a lot at that website that may be of some interest- depending, of course ...)

[Wheesht]

The book "210 Österreichische Komponistinnen" - (210 Austrian Woman Composers) by Eva Marx and Gerlinde Haas, Salzburg 2001 , has 12 February rather than 12 December 1964 as her death date.

She was a lifelong promoter of other women's work, often putting her own works last in the process. Her musical career ran on parallel lines at the beginning, as a concert pianist, composer and music pedagogue, but the last aspect became more and more important as she needed the income. In 1959 she wrote a letter to the AKM (Austrian Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers) asking for financial support. She was also engaged in many clubs and organisations and in 1956 took over the presidency of the "Club der Wiener Musikerinnen". Some of her works (including novellas and poems in manuscript) are extant in the archives of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde", some printed works are at the Austrian National Library.

The list of compositions is not complete and is based on findings up to 2001:

Her fairy tale opera Trutzepink (libretto by the composer) was completed in the late 1940s, but had been in gestation for decades before. In 1947 she was encouraged by state officials and friends to approach various theatres in Vienna for a performance, but despite all recommendations, it was neither printed nor performed, mainly because of the high costs involved.

The autograph of this youth opera in six tableaux is in the archive of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.

The Piano Concerto is in B-flat major and was first performed in Vienna on 15 January 1911, at the Konzertverein
There is also a Piano Quintet

Violin Sonata  F major 1907 First performance: London, Lyceum Club - where it won a prize
Violin Sonata in C major  First performance: Vienna 1924

Piano

Andantino and Scherzo for piano, four hands  Op.1 Published: Leipzig, Bosworth & Co. 1905
Drei Klavierstücke: Romance, Impromptu and Etude  Op.2 Publ.: Leipzig, Rather 1914
Drei Vortragsstücke Op. 3 (1. Song without words, 2. Bluette, 3. Hampelmann, Gavotte). Publ. Vienna, Goll 1920
Variations on an original theme in B minor. First performance Vienna 1905

[giles.enders]

Thank you for this extra information.  Do you know of the whereabouts of the piano concerto and who performed it at it's premier?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you, Giles. That was the very question I was going to ask.

[Wheesht]

I have no idea of the whereabouts of the piano concerto, but I have found out that Emma von Fischer played the solo part herself and that the orchestra was conducted by Martin Spörr:

http://www.wienersymphoniker.at/konzert/pid/000000e9h58h0000ffc2

It might be an idea to contact them for more details. I'll have look at digitised newspapers from the Austrian National Library to find reviews.

[Wheesht]

I have finally remembered to try and find out where the score of the piano concerto is and have not had much success. The archive of the "Wiener Konzertverein" is no longer extant, but the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde" in Vienna have an autograph score of an arrangement for two pianos.