Arthur Friedheim facts for kids
Arthur Friedheim (born October 26, 1859 – died October 19, 1932) was a talented concert pianist and composer from Russia. He was one of the most important students of the famous composer Franz Liszt. Interestingly, one of Friedheim's own students was Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn, who was the mother of the well-known 20th-century piano star Van Cliburn.
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Arthur Friedheim's Early Life and Training
Friedheim was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1859. He started studying music seriously when he was just eight years old. Later, he spent a year learning from another famous pianist, Anton Rubinstein. However, Friedheim felt that Rubinstein's teaching style was not very organized. Because of this, he decided to study with Franz Liszt instead.
Becoming a Student of Franz Liszt
At first, Liszt wasn't very impressed with Friedheim's piano playing, even though he admitted Friedheim had a unique style. Some people believe Liszt might have been hesitant because Friedheim had studied with Rubinstein, whom Liszt might not have liked very much. Friedheim had to play for Liszt several times before he was finally accepted as a student in 1880.
Their friendship grew strong, and Liszt even made Friedheim his secretary. Friedheim started to copy some of Liszt's unique habits and ways of performing. Another musician, Ferruccio Busoni, noticed this when he heard Friedheim play in Vienna in 1883. Busoni wrote that Friedheim had long hair and a serious look. When he played, he would bow so deeply that his hair covered his face, then he'd throw his head back to fix it. He would also make a big fuss sitting down and look around until the audience was quiet. Busoni found it funny to watch Friedheim during parts where the orchestra played loudly, as he would check his nails, look at the audience, and wave his hands in the air. Despite these observations, Busoni respected Friedheim's knowledge of Liszt's playing style.
Friedheim's Career as a Conductor and Teacher
Friedheim also gained experience leading orchestras in theaters and opera houses in Germany. From 1891 to 1895, he taught and performed in the United States. After that, he spent some time in London and taught at the Manchester College of Music until 1904. He then conducted in Munich, Germany, from 1908 to 1911.
In 1915, Friedheim moved back to the United States, where he taught at the New York School of Music and Arts. In 1921, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to become a professor at the Canadian Academy of Music. He was even offered the chance to conduct the famous New York Philharmonic orchestra twice, in 1898 and 1911. He was a good conductor, but he turned down the offers both times because he preferred to focus on playing the piano. Arthur Friedheim passed away in New York City in 1932.
Arthur Friedheim's Musical Works
Friedheim was known for his amazing piano skills. People especially admired how clear and calm his performances of Liszt's music were. Unfortunately, only a few of his gramophone recordings still exist, so we only have a small idea of how great his playing truly was. He made three recordings for Columbia around 1912.
One of his recordings is quite interesting: a version of the funeral march from Chopin's Second Piano Sonata. Friedheim played up to a certain point and then simply stopped because there wasn't enough room left on the record! He seemed okay with recording only about two-thirds of the piece. He also recorded many piano rolls for different systems like Welte, Hupfeld, and Duo-Art.
Friedheim also wrote a book about Liszt, based on his memories, which was put together by his student Theodore Bullock and called Life and Liszt. Besides editing the works of Frédéric Chopin, Friedheim composed many of his own pieces. However, not many of them were published, and many of his original handwritten music sheets are now lost. He wrote several operas, including The Last Days of Pompeii, Alexander and Thais, and Die Tanzerin. He also started two other operas, The Christians and Giulia Gonzaga, but didn't finish them. His other works include two piano concertos, an orchestral piece called A Hero of our Times, a symphonic poem named Transitions, and a march titled E pluribus unum.
See also
In Spanish: Arthur Friedheim para niños
