Hans Kreissig
Encyclopedia
Hans Kreissig was a German
-born American
pianist
, music teacher
, and conductor
. He is noted for establishing the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
in 1900 and for serving as its first music director
.
and conducting with Arthur Sullivan
in London
. Early in his career he was the accompanist for Jules Levy
, a noted English cornet
player. Kreissig first came to the United States
in 1883, with a touring opera
company, and in 1884 he settled in Dallas, Texas
. There he taught piano and organ
, and also directed choir
s at several churches and synagogues. By 1886, he had been appointed conductor of the Dallas Frohsinn, a male chorus; he held that position until 1912. The Frohsinn was a prominent part of Dallas's musical life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: it was featured in local presentations of opera and symphonic music as well as its own concerts, and it made several performance tours throughout Texas
. In addition to the Frohsinn, Kreissig organized and conducted a number of band and orchestra concerts in the 1880s and 1890s, and he later founded the Beethoven Trio and the Phoenix Club (a chamber ensemble). Kreissig's promotion of the arts in Dallas also included fundraising, which he did on foot among the city's merchants.
In 1900, Kreissig formed the original Dallas Symphony Orchestra
, which presented its first concert in May of that year. He conducted one more concert, in 1901, after which the orchestra suspended operations. Although the DSO has since evolved in numerous fundamental ways, including temporary name changes and several multiyear periods of dormancy, the present organization still traces its origins to Kreissig's 1900 ensemble, as it is stated in the notes accompanying DSO 100, a commemorative CD
issued by the Dallas Symphony in 2000.
Following Kreissig's 1912 retirement from the leadership of the Frohsinn, he taught piano privately in Dallas until his death in 1929.
settlement La Reunion
, in 1893. They had one son, Alfred Kreissig, and a daughter, Daisy Kreissig Jacoby.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, music teacher
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
, and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He is noted for establishing the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra. It performs its concerts in the Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States....
in 1900 and for serving as its first music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
.
Career
Hans Kreissig was born in Germany, the son of Gustav and Marie Kreissig. His early musical training was in Germany; this was followed by several years studying compositionMusical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
and conducting with Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
in 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...
. Early in his career he was the accompanist for Jules Levy
Jules Levy
Jules Levy was a cornetist, teacher, and composer.Born in London, England, he reportedly began his study of the cornet with only its mouthpiece; his family could not afford the instrument itself. After immigrating to the United States, he began a significant musical career as a cornet soloist and...
, a noted English cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
player. Kreissig first came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1883, with a touring opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
company, and in 1884 he settled in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. There he taught piano and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, and also directed choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s at several churches and synagogues. By 1886, he had been appointed conductor of the Dallas Frohsinn, a male chorus; he held that position until 1912. The Frohsinn was a prominent part of Dallas's musical life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: it was featured in local presentations of opera and symphonic music as well as its own concerts, and it made several performance tours throughout Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In addition to the Frohsinn, Kreissig organized and conducted a number of band and orchestra concerts in the 1880s and 1890s, and he later founded the Beethoven Trio and the Phoenix Club (a chamber ensemble). Kreissig's promotion of the arts in Dallas also included fundraising, which he did on foot among the city's merchants.
In 1900, Kreissig formed the original Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra. It performs its concerts in the Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States....
, which presented its first concert in May of that year. He conducted one more concert, in 1901, after which the orchestra suspended operations. Although the DSO has since evolved in numerous fundamental ways, including temporary name changes and several multiyear periods of dormancy, the present organization still traces its origins to Kreissig's 1900 ensemble, as it is stated in the notes accompanying DSO 100, a commemorative CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
issued by the Dallas Symphony in 2000.
Following Kreissig's 1912 retirement from the leadership of the Frohsinn, he taught piano privately in Dallas until his death in 1929.
Personal life
Kreissig married Louise Cretien, a native of the Texas FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
settlement La Reunion
La Reunion (Dallas)
La Réunion was a socialist utopian community formed in 1855 by French, Belgian, and Swiss colonists near the forks of the Trinity River in Texas, USA. The Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas is about three miles east of the colony site. The founders of the community were inspired by the utopian...
, in 1893. They had one son, Alfred Kreissig, and a daughter, Daisy Kreissig Jacoby.
Sources
- Albrecht, Theodore. "Kreissig, Hans" in The Handbook of Texas Music, ed. Roy Barkley et al. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003. ISBN 0-87611-194-0.
- DSO 100: Celebrating the Century with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (liner notes). Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 2000.
- "Large Crowd Says Good-Bye to Symphony" by John Rosenfield, Jr. Dallas Morning News, 14 April 1930.
- "Mrs. Kreissig, 90, Lifetime Resident, Dies." Dallas Morning News, 26 August 1960.
- "Music Shows Rapid Development in Dallas During Last Few Decades." Dallas Morning News, 6 August 1922.
- "Present Orchestra Stands as Monument to Late Walter Fried." Dallas Morning News, 20 November 1927.
- Texas Death Certificate
- United States Censuses, 1920 and 1930. Accessed via heritagequestonline.com.
- Vital Records - Dallas County, TX - Deaths 1982. Accessed via ftp.rootsweb.com.