Franz Schmidt
born Pressburg [Bratislava], Dec 22, 1874; died Perchtoldsdorf, Feb 11, 1939
Documents associated with this person:
Austrian composer, pianist, cellist, and conductor.
Career Summary
Schmidt studied piano with Leschetizky; he then studied music theory with Robert Fuchs and cello with Udel and Hellmesberger at the Vienna Conservatory. He himself taught music theory, composition, piano, and cello at the Conservatory, later Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst, from 1902 to 1937, being heavily involved in the transformation of the Akademie into a Hochschule in 1924, and serving as the latter institution's Director 1925-27, then succeeding Josef Marx as its Rector 1927-30.
As a composer, he wrote two operas, Notre Dame (1904) and Friedigundis (1921), the oratorio Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln (1937), four symphonies, two piano concertos, and much chamber music and organ music.
Among his many writings is "Die Fachhochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst und ihre Entwicklung" (The Technical Highschool for Music and Performing Arts and its Evolution), unpublished (1928--printed in Nemeth).
Correspondence with Schenker
One draft of a letter from Schenker to Schmidt, apparently from 1932, survives as OC 30/12, 13-17. Two letters from Schmidt to Moriz Violin, one from 1903, the other undated, survive as OJ 70/34.
Sources:
- MGG
- NGDM2
- Tittel, Ernst, Die Wiener Musik Hochschule (Vienna: Lafite, 1967)
- Nemeth, Carl, Franz Schmidt (Vienna: Amalthea, 1957)