Felix Otto Dessoff (14 January 1835 – 28 October 1892) was a German conductor and composer .
22-488: Dessoff is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Felix Otto Dessoff (1835–1892), German conductor and composer Margarete Dessoff (1874–1944), German choral conductor, singer, and voice teacher See also [ edit ] Dessoff Choirs , is an independent chorus based in New York City [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
44-741: A singer and actress, who had been engaged the preceding years at the Kassel court theatre with Gustav Mahler . Their son Mitja (1899–1936) would become a noted pianist in his own right. Nikisch later became conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , and from 1893 to 1895 director of the Royal Opera in Budapest. In 1895 he succeeded Carl Reinecke as director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. In
66-525: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Felix Otto Dessoff Dessoff was born to a Jewish family in Leipzig ; his father was a cloth merchant. His musical talent was recognized by Franz Liszt , who then advised his family on his musical training. As a student at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1851–54, Dessoff studied composition, piano and conducting with some of
88-644: The Badische Staatskapelle in Karlsruhe , Germany, succeeding Hermann Levi . In October, 1876 (circa the 11th), Brahms wrote to Dessoff hinting that he would like him conduct the first performance of his long-awaited Symphony no. 1 , saying "It was always a secret, fond wish of mine to hear the thing for the first time in the small town which has a good friend, good conductor, and good orchestra". Dessoff was, according to Styra Avins, "overjoyed at Brahms's veiled request," and on November 4, 1876
110-702: The Leipzig Conservatory from 1902 and there taught a class in conducting. In 1921 Nikisch conducted several concerts at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In some of these concerts his son, the pianist Mitja Nikisch, then 22, was the soloist. He was a pioneer in several ways. In April 1912 he took the London Symphony Orchestra to the United States , a first for a European orchestra. On 10 November 1913, Nikisch made one of
132-629: The earliest recordings of a complete symphony, Beethoven's 5th , with the Berlin Philharmonic, a performance later reissued on LP and CD by DGG and other modern labels. He also made a series of early recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, some of which display the portamento characteristic of early-20th century playing. Nikisch died in Leipzig in 1922, and was buried there. Immediately after his death,
154-410: The surname Dessoff . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dessoff&oldid=925487716 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
176-794: The beginning of the 1870/71 season it began playing in the newly built Goldener Saal in the Musikverein building in Vienna, which has proved to be the ideal venue, with its acoustical characteristics influencing the orchestra's style and sound." In Vienna, beginning in 1861 Dessoff also taught composition at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (the forerunner of the Vienna Conservatory ). His students included Arthur Nikisch and Felix Mottl . See: List of music students by teacher: C to F#Felix Otto Dessoff . Although he composed into
198-507: The early 1860s, he gave up composing when his career as a conductor blossomed. During Dessoff's tenure with the Vienna Philharmonic, "Brahms was invited to dinner in his home after every Sunday concert - Frau Frederike [Dessoff's wife] was a good cook.". In 1875, Dessoff was "pushed out of his position in Vienna through intrigue" according to Styra Avins, but immediately found a new position as conductor (Hofkapellmeister) of
220-444: The fame and excellence of the Vienna Philharmonic resulted from Dessoff's "energy and sense of purpose." Dr Clemens Hellsberg , the president of the Vienna Philharmonic, specifies that during Dessoff's tenure with that orchestra its "repertoire was consistently enlarged, important organizational principles (music archives, rules of procedure) were introduced and the orchestra moved to its third new home [in which it still performs]. At
242-514: The foremost teachers of the day, including Ignaz Moscheles for piano and Moritz Hauptmann and Julius Rietz for composition. On November 16, 1853, a symphony of his was performed by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra ; the following day he met Johannes Brahms , with whom he formed a lasting friendship and artistic relationship. It was as a conductor that he primarily established his reputation. His first conducting post
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#1732776456646264-616: The one to whom Dessoff's Op. 7 is dedicated!'" He composed a string quintet for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos, Op. 10, several Lieder (songs) and a choral book. He died in Frankfurt in 1892, aged 57. His daughter, Margarete Dessoff , founded the Dessoff Choirs when she stayed on in New York City during a family visit there. Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 1855 – 23 January 1922)
286-572: The premiere took place with Brahms in attendance at the rehearsals and concert. In 1880, Dessoff was appointed to the newly created position of "First Kapellmeister" (Ersten Kapellmeisters) at the Frankfurt Opera; he inaugurated the newly completed opera house (now known as the Alte Oper ) on 20 October 1880 with a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni . Dessoff's close friendship with Brahms can be seen in an exchange of letters between
308-417: The quartet title—if need be then, we'll take the blows together should the public find it not to their liking." Much gratified, Dessoff wrote back in a free and bantering way of the sort Brahms himself often penned, "...you will be relieved to see your name on the title page of the quartet preserved for posterity. When people have forgotten your German Requiem , people will then say, 'Brahms? Oh yes, he's
330-705: The same year he became principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic , and held both positions until his death. His successor at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra was his scholar and first violinist Albert Heinig. Nikisch was also a popular guest conductor with the Vienna Philharmonic and Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, and conducted the Ring Cycle of Richard Wagner at Covent Garden in London. Nikisch also served as director of
352-739: The square where he had lived was renamed Nikischplatz , and in 1971 the city created the Arthur Nikisch Prize for young conductors. His legacy is as one of the founders of modern conducting, with deep analysis of the score , a simple beat , and a charisma that let him bring out the full sonority of the orchestra and plumb the depths of the music. Nikisch's conducting style was greatly admired by Leopold Stokowski , Arturo Toscanini , Sir Adrian Boult , Fritz Reiner , Ervin Nyiregyházi , and many others, including George Szell , who called Nikisch "an orchestral wizard." Reiner said, "It
374-414: The two in 1878 when Dessoff wished to dedicate what is probably his best known work, his String Quartet in F, Op. 7. Although it met with success in its premiere, Dessoff was still not sure it was worth publishing and sent the score to Brahms asking for his candid opinion and offering to dedicate to him. Brahms wrote back praising the work and said, "...you would do me a great honor by writing my name over
396-499: Was [Nikisch] who told me that I should never wave my arms in conducting, and that I should use my eyes to give cues." Henry Wood wrote, "I remember... his marvellous way of listening so intently to every phrase he directed.... When rehearsing a melody, he invariably sang it to the orchestra with great emotional feeling – and then would say: 'Now play it as you feel it.' No conductor that I have heard has ever surpassed his emotional feeling and dramatic intensity." Arthur Nikisch had
418-467: Was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner , Tchaikovsky , Beethoven and Liszt . Johannes Brahms praised Nikisch's performance of his Fourth Symphony as "quite exemplary, it's impossible to hear it any better." Arthur Augustinus Adalbertus Nikisch
440-609: Was at Actien Theater in Chemnitz . After that, he was successively director of music in Altenburg, Düsseldorf , Kassel, Aachen and Magdeburg. In 1860 he was offered a position with the Vienna Court Opera . In 1860, the Vienna Philharmonic elected Otto Dessoff to be its subscription conductor, a position he held until 1875. The Vienna-based music critic, newspaper editor, and biographer Max Kalbeck wrote in 1908 that
462-552: Was born in Mosonszentmiklós , Hungary , to a Hungarian father and a mother from Moravia . Nikisch was considered a musical prodigy from a young age; he made a public piano performance at the age of eight. In 1866, he began his studies at the Vienna Conservatory . There he studied under the composer Felix Otto Dessoff , the conductor Johann von Herbeck , and the violinist Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr. and won prizes for composition and performance on violin and piano. He
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#1732776456646484-619: Was engaged as a violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic , and also played in the Bayreuth Festival orchestra in its inaugural season of 1876. He achieved most of his fame as a conductor. In 1878 he moved to Leipzig and became second conductor of the Leipzig Opera ; in 1879 he was promoted to principal conductor. He gave the premiere of Anton Bruckner 's Symphony No. 7 with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1884. On 1 July 1885 Nikisch married Amélie Heussner (1862–1938),
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