Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
Encyclopedia
Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler (July 16, 1863 - August 20, 1927) was an Austria
n-born U.S. pianist.
. She emigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 4 in 1867. The family settled in Chicago, Illinois where they later changed their name to Bloomfield. She was the sister of Maurice Bloomfield
and the aunt of Leonard Bloomfield
.
At the age of six, before receiving any musical instruction, she began picking out tunes on the piano. her first teachers were in Chicago; Bernard Ziehn and Carl Wolfsohn. In 1877, Annette Essipova, then on tour in the United States
, heard her play and advised that she become a pupil of Theodor Leschetizky
.
Blumenfeld (as she then was) made her debut at the age of 11 in February 1875. In 1878, she returned to Austria to study in Vienna
, under Theodor Leschetizky
. While in Austria, she changed her name from Blumenfeld to Bloomfield. She returned to Chicago in 1883.
Bloomfield performed in concert in Chicago in April 1884. In January 1885, she debuted in New York City. Around the turn of the century, Bloomfield made piano rolls of various piano compositions, Chopin's Waltz
No. 11 in G minor
being among them.
Bloomfeld married the attorney Sigmund Zeisler
in 1885. In 1888, she returned to Vienna to study with Leschetizky. She also began to tour in Europe and the United States, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
.
The Zeislers had three sons: Leonard, Paul and Ernest.
Her last performance was in February 1925 in Chicago. She played the Beethoven
Andante Favori
and concertos by Chopin and Schumann. Zeisler died in Chicago on August 20, 1927.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born U.S. pianist.
Biography
Zeisler was born Fannie Blumenfeld on July 16, 1863, in Bielitz, Austrian SilesiaAustrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia , officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Empire, from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. She emigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 4 in 1867. The family settled in Chicago, Illinois where they later changed their name to Bloomfield. She was the sister of Maurice Bloomfield
Maurice Bloomfield
Maurice Bloomfield, Ph. D., LL.D. was an American philologist and Sanskrit scholar.-Biography:Bloomfield was born in Bielitz , in what was at that time Austrian Silesia...
and the aunt of Leonard Bloomfield
Leonard Bloomfield
Leonard Bloomfield was an American linguist who led the development of structural linguistics in the United States during the 1930s and the 1940s. His influential textbook Language, published in 1933, presented a comprehensive description of American structural linguistics...
.
At the age of six, before receiving any musical instruction, she began picking out tunes on the piano. her first teachers were in Chicago; Bernard Ziehn and Carl Wolfsohn. In 1877, Annette Essipova, then on tour in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, heard her play and advised that she become a pupil of Theodor Leschetizky
Teodor Leszetycki
Theodor Leschetizky was a Polish pianist, professor and composer.-Life:Theodor Leschetizky was born on the estate of the family of Count Potocki in Łańcut. His father was a gifted pianist and music teacher of Viennese birth. His mother Therèse Ulmann was a gifted singer of German origin...
.
Blumenfeld (as she then was) made her debut at the age of 11 in February 1875. In 1878, she returned to Austria to study in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, under Theodor Leschetizky
Teodor Leszetycki
Theodor Leschetizky was a Polish pianist, professor and composer.-Life:Theodor Leschetizky was born on the estate of the family of Count Potocki in Łańcut. His father was a gifted pianist and music teacher of Viennese birth. His mother Therèse Ulmann was a gifted singer of German origin...
. While in Austria, she changed her name from Blumenfeld to Bloomfield. She returned to Chicago in 1883.
Bloomfield performed in concert in Chicago in April 1884. In January 1885, she debuted in New York City. Around the turn of the century, Bloomfield made piano rolls of various piano compositions, Chopin's Waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
No. 11 in G minor
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....
being among them.
Bloomfeld married the attorney Sigmund Zeisler
Sigmund Zeisler
Sigmund Zeisler was a German-Jewish U.S. attorney born in Austria and known for his defense of radicals in Chicago in the 1880s. His wife was the famed concert pianist Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler.-Childhood, marriage and legal education:...
in 1885. In 1888, she returned to Vienna to study with Leschetizky. She also began to tour in Europe and the United States, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
.
The Zeislers had three sons: Leonard, Paul and Ernest.
Her last performance was in February 1925 in Chicago. She played the Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
Andante Favori
Andante Favori
The Andante favori is a work for piano solo by Ludwig van Beethoven. In catalogues of Beethoven's works, it is designated as WoO 57.-Composition and reception:...
and concertos by Chopin and Schumann. Zeisler died in Chicago on August 20, 1927.
Interviews
- Great pianists on piano playing from James Francis Cooke (published in 1917 republished by DoverDoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
1999)
Discography
- Caswell Collection, Vol. 3: Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler ASIN: B00005B7H6
- The Genesis Recordings of Legendary Pianists, Vol. 1 ASIN: B00000J89K
External links
- Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler and Sigmund Zeisler Papers Newberry Library Chicago
- Jewish Encyclopedia article