Fritz Spiegl
Encyclopedia
Fritz Spiegl was born at Zurndorf
, Austria
, the son of an agricultural merchant and his Jewish wife. He became a musician
, journalist
, broadcaster
, humorist and collector
who lived and worked in England
from 1939.
Born near Haydn's birthplace, and on Mozart's birthday, Spiegl was also a distant relative of the composer Gustav Mahler
. In 1939, Fritz and his sister, neither of whom spoke English or knew anything of music, were sent separately to England as Kindertransport
refugees. He was one of three children taken in by the Secretary of State for War
Captain David Margesson and his American wife.
The Margessons taught Fritz English and sent him to Magdalen College School
. At 15 years of age, Spiegl invented a model aeroplane which had another riding piggy-back upon it. The two were rigged together with a series of pulleys and elastic bands and, to his delight, the contraption could fly a short distance. The results were published in model aeroplane magazine. Thereafter Spiegl was hooked on the printed media.
border in the village of Zurndorf, Burgenland
, Austria
, where his father was a businessman manufacturing among other things carbonated water
. Spiegl attended the Gymnasium
in Eisenstadt
but, as the family were Jewish, they soon found themselves being persecuted by the Nazis
in the wake of the Anschluss
of 1938. All their property having been confiscated, Fritz's parents succeeded in leaving the country in 1939, eventually escaping to Bolivia
while sending Fritz and his older sister Hanny (born 1923) to England, where, in Northamptonshire
, they received a warm welcome.
Every Saturday, for eight years, Spiegl would discuss such matters as the use of the word "lie", the flagrant misuses of parliamentary language, the prevalence of tautology
in popular speech and the verb "jubilize" as it was employed during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. He would even meditate on the habit of young doctors wrapping their stethoscopes in a U round their necks rather than in a Y configuration, as depicted by the Telegraph
cartoonist Matt
.
Reading every national newspaper every day, he continued to accumulate knowledge and anecdotes throughout his life. His sure-footed negotiation through the linguistic jungle in an accented English made him immediately recognisable on the television or radio; this was all the more remarkable since he had arrived in Britain shortly before the Second World War speaking no English, and was later stricken by impaired hearing.
A native speaker
of German
, Fritz Spiegl did not speak a word of English when he moved to England as a 13 year-old—a fact which has often been regarded as the trigger for his preoccupation with language phenomena such as, say, malapropism
s and for the biting yet humorous linguistic purism of his later years. As one commentator remarked, Spiegl
On arrival in Britain, Spiegl was sent to a public school, where he learned little beyond "rugger, plane-spotting and a bit of Latin". Eventually he went to London
to work for an advertising agency. But he soon switched to music, taught himself to play the flute
, enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music
and, within a short time, became principal flautist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
, a position he kept for more than a decade. Ear damage appears to have played a part in his exit from professional playing, as in later years he would occasionally refer to having been "invalided out by the brass section".
However, during that time he also pursued other interests and began his association with the BBC
, aiming to be a popularizer of classical music. A resident of Liverpool
, he organised annual Nuts in May concerts, featuring a Liszt Twist and other parody
items. This approach helped draw new young audiences into concert halls. Less attracted to pop music
, Spiegl once called the Beatles phenomenon
"the greatest confidence trick
since the Virgin Birth
". However, he used to be tolerant towards journalists who, up to his death, often misspelt his name Spiegel, Spiegle, Speigl, Speigel, or Speigle.
Fritz Spiegl died suddenly during a Sunday lunch with some friends and his wife, Ingrid Frances Spiegl in Liverpool.
, based on "Johnny Todd", a Liverpool sea shanty
. He also composed the original theme for the Z Cars spin-off series Softly, Softly
; the song was also released as a single on Andrew Loog Oldham
's Immediate
record label in 1966. His BBC Radio 4
UK Theme
, in which national songs from each of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom
are ingeniously combined, sometimes in counterpoint
with each other, and was heard on Radio 4 at the beginning of each morning's broadcasting until April 2006, when, to the disgust of many, it was dropped.
Zurndorf
Zurndorf is a town in the district of Neusiedl am See in Burgenland in Austria.- People :* Andreas Grailich* Hans Niessl, born here* Ignaz Aurelius Fessler, born here* Fritz Spiegl, born here...
, Austria
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...
, the son of an agricultural merchant and his Jewish wife. He became a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, humorist and collector
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
who lived and worked in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from 1939.
Born near Haydn's birthplace, and on Mozart's birthday, Spiegl was also a distant relative of the composer Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
. In 1939, Fritz and his sister, neither of whom spoke English or knew anything of music, were sent separately to England as Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
refugees. He was one of three children taken in by the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
Captain David Margesson and his American wife.
The Margessons taught Fritz English and sent him to Magdalen College School
Magdalen College School, Oxford
Magdalen College School is an independent school for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain in Oxford, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford by William Waynflete in 1480....
. At 15 years of age, Spiegl invented a model aeroplane which had another riding piggy-back upon it. The two were rigged together with a series of pulleys and elastic bands and, to his delight, the contraption could fly a short distance. The results were published in model aeroplane magazine. Thereafter Spiegl was hooked on the printed media.
Early life
Spiegl was born near the HungarianHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
border in the village of Zurndorf, Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
, Austria
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...
, where his father was a businessman manufacturing among other things carbonated water
Carbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
. Spiegl attended the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Eisenstadt
Eisenstadt
- Politics :The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Andrea Fraunschiel ÖVP.The district council is composed as follows :* ÖVP: 17 seats* SPÖ: 8 seats* Austrian Green Party: 2 seats* FPÖ: 2 seats- Castles and palaces :...
but, as the family were Jewish, they soon found themselves being persecuted by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in the wake of the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of 1938. All their property having been confiscated, Fritz's parents succeeded in leaving the country in 1939, eventually escaping to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
while sending Fritz and his older sister Hanny (born 1923) to England, where, in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, they received a warm welcome.
Every Saturday, for eight years, Spiegl would discuss such matters as the use of the word "lie", the flagrant misuses of parliamentary language, the prevalence of tautology
Tautology (rhetoric)
Tautology is an unnecessary or unessential repetition of meaning, using different and dissimilar words that effectively say the same thing...
in popular speech and the verb "jubilize" as it was employed during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. He would even meditate on the habit of young doctors wrapping their stethoscopes in a U round their necks rather than in a Y configuration, as depicted by the Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
cartoonist Matt
Matt Pritchett
Matthew Pritchett MBE has been the pocket cartoonist on the Daily Telegraph newspaper since 1988.Pritchett studied graphics at St. Martins School of Art. Unable to get work as a film cameraman, he worked as a waiter in a pizza restaurant, drawing cartoons in his spare time...
.
Reading every national newspaper every day, he continued to accumulate knowledge and anecdotes throughout his life. His sure-footed negotiation through the linguistic jungle in an accented English made him immediately recognisable on the television or radio; this was all the more remarkable since he had arrived in Britain shortly before the Second World War speaking no English, and was later stricken by impaired hearing.
A native speaker
Native Speaker
Native Speaker is Chang-Rae Lee’s first novel. In Native Speaker, he creates a man named Henry Park who tries to assimilate into American society and become a “native speaker.”-Plot summary:...
of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Fritz Spiegl did not speak a word of English when he moved to England as a 13 year-old—a fact which has often been regarded as the trigger for his preoccupation with language phenomena such as, say, malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
s and for the biting yet humorous linguistic purism of his later years. As one commentator remarked, Spiegl
...soon knew a great deal more about the language than most English people do. And cared more too. One can understand this. It's galling, when you've taken the trouble to learn that "an alibi" is not the same as "an excuse", to find that the natives themselves seem to have forgotten the difference.
On arrival in Britain, Spiegl was sent to a public school, where he learned little beyond "rugger, plane-spotting and a bit of Latin". Eventually he went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to work for an advertising agency. But he soon switched to music, taught himself to play the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
and, within a short time, became principal flautist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
, a position he kept for more than a decade. Ear damage appears to have played a part in his exit from professional playing, as in later years he would occasionally refer to having been "invalided out by the brass section".
However, during that time he also pursued other interests and began his association with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, aiming to be a popularizer of classical music. A resident of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, he organised annual Nuts in May concerts, featuring a Liszt Twist and other parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
items. This approach helped draw new young audiences into concert halls. Less attracted to pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, Spiegl once called the Beatles phenomenon
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
"the greatest confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
since the Virgin Birth
Virgin Birth
The virgin birth of Jesus is a tenet of Christianity and Islam which holds that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin. The term "virgin birth" is commonly used, rather than "virgin conception", due to the tradition that Joseph "knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn...
". However, he used to be tolerant towards journalists who, up to his death, often misspelt his name Spiegel, Spiegle, Speigl, Speigel, or Speigle.
Fritz Spiegl died suddenly during a Sunday lunch with some friends and his wife, Ingrid Frances Spiegl in Liverpool.
Compositions
As a composer, Spiegl scored a popular success with the original theme from the TV series Z-CarsZ-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, based on "Johnny Todd", a Liverpool sea shanty
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
. He also composed the original theme for the Z Cars spin-off series Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
; the song was also released as a single on Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
's Immediate
Immediate
Immediate may refer to:* Immediacy * Immediate Records, a British record label* The Immediate, an Irish rock group* Immediate Music, a music composition company...
record label in 1966. His BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
UK Theme
Radio 4 UK Theme
The BBC Radio 4 UK Theme is an orchestral arrangement of traditional British airs composed by Fritz Spiegl which was played every morning on BBC Radio 4 between 23 November 1978 and 23 April 2006....
, in which national songs from each of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
are ingeniously combined, sometimes in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
with each other, and was heard on Radio 4 at the beginning of each morning's broadcasting until April 2006, when, to the disgust of many, it was dropped.
Selected books
- How to Talk Proper in Liverpool (Lern Yerself Scouse S.) (1966)
- Keep Taking the Tabloids. What the Papers Say and How They Say It (1983)
- The Joy of Words. A Bedside Book for English Lovers (1986)
- Fritz Spiegl's Book of Musical Blunders and other Musical Curiosities (1996) Robson Books Ltd. ISBN 1-86105-075-5
- The Lives, Wives and Loves of the Great Composers (1997) Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-7145-2917-6
- An Illustrated Everyday History of Liverpool and Merseyside (1998)
- MuSick Notes: A Medical Songbook (2001)
- Contradictionary: Of Confusibles, Lookalikes and Soundalikes (published posthumously in 2003)
External links
- Obituary in the Daily Telegraph
- Dennis Barker Fritz Spiegl: Witty musical polymath and broadcaster The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
25 March 2003