Franz Mittler (April 14, 1893 in Vienna – December 28, 1970 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n (and later on an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

)

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, musician, and

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

Life and work

Mittler was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. His maternal grandmother financed his earliest musical education which started out under Mr. Deutsch and later Oscar Stock (

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

). His first public performance took place in 1902 when he performed the Schubert Sonatina in D D. 384 with the then 7-year-old

Clara Haskil Clara Haskil (7 January 1895 – 7 December 1960) was a Romanian classical pianist, renowned as an interpreter of the classical and early romantic repertoire. She was particularly noted for her performances and recordings of Mozart. She was also ...

. In 1904 he moved from the violin to the pursuit of piano where his teacher became

Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky, pl, Teodor Leszetycki; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915 was an Austrian-Polish pianist, professor, and composer born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land of ...

. He studied theory with Joseph Labor (also teacher of

Julius Bittner Julius Bittner (born Vienna, 9 April 1874; died Vienna, 9 January 1939) was an Austrian composer. Life The son of a judge, Bittner also initially pursued a career in law. Until 1920 he was a judge in Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel, in Lower Austria. ...

and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

), later composition with

Richard Heuberger Richard Franz Joseph Heuberger (18 June 1850 in Graz, Austria – 28 October 1914 in Vienna, Austria) was an Austrian composer of operas and operettas, a music critic, and teacher. Heuberger was born in Graz, the son of a bandage manufacturer. He ...

and Karl Prohaska. From these teachers, Mittler attained his neo-Brahmsian style. Further studies included Fritz Steinbach and Carl Friedberg at the Vienna University and the Conservatory in Cologne. He also studied with

Heinrich Schenker Heinrich Schenker (19 June 1868 – 14 January 1935) was a Galician-born Austrian music theorist whose writings have had a profound influence on subsequent musical analysis. His approach, now termed Schenkerian analysis, was most fully exp ...

. In 1913 Mittler volunteered for a one-year stint in the Imperial and Royal Austrian Army in the supply and logistics division. As sub-lieutenant his military duties included the supervision of a bread-baking unit during all of World War I. During that time he came near the Russian front in Poland, and was stationed in Serbia. After the war, Mittler also studied singing (with a Romanian mezzo by the name of Mme. Munteanu) and later, still, guitar, before he returned to the violin again. He composed several smaller works during the pre-war years in Vienna, including his Schumannesque "Phantasiestück opus 5 for Piano, and a Richard Strauss influenced cycle of "Four Songs opus 6 for Medium Voice and Piano". Universal published Mittler's "Marienbildchen opus 7 No. 1 for Soprano and Piano" which a contemporary review called "a charming small idyll, foull of modern harmonic piquanteries", hinting at a harmonic style roughly reflecting that of Gustav Mahler. His First String Quartet from 1909 also falls into that time, and it shows the great talent and ability of the then 16-year-old Mittler. The parts and score to String Quartet Nos. 1 and 3, his Cello Sonata (1910), as well as his Op. 3 Piano Trio were recently published by Edition Silvertrust (2008-9). Around 1940, Mittler was one of the four pianists who organized the

First Piano Quartet The First Piano Quartet was a quartet of pianists first organized in the United States in 1941. Its founding members were Vladimir Padwa, George Robert, Adam Garner, and Henry Holt. The quartet was originally conceived of as a radio group, with ...

. He stayed with the group until the 1950s. His daughter, Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, is a music teacher and pianist.

Notable works

* ''String Quartet No. 1'' (1909) * ''Sonata in G Major for Violin & Piano'' (1910) * ''Piano Trio, Op. 3'' (1911) * ''String Quartet No. 3'' (1915–18) * ''Three Character Pieces for Piano'' (1912–26) * ''Chaconne for Solo Violin, Op. 10'' (1926)

Sources

*''Franz Mittler - Austro-Hungarian Composer, Musician, and Humorous Poet'' by

Diana Mittler-Battipaglia Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

, Volume 8 Austrian Culture ( Harry Zahn, General Editor),

Peter Lang Publishing Peter Lang is an academic publisher specializing in the humanities and social sciences. It has its headquarters in Pieterlen and Bern, Switzerland, with offices in Brussels, Frankfurt am Main, New York City, Dublin, Oxford, Vienna, and Warsaw. ...

(New York - Vienna, 1992)

External links

Edition Silvertrust Website with discussion of and soundbites from String Quartet Nos.1 & 3, Piano Trio Op.3 & Cello Sonata

Franz Mittler
biography and works on the UE website (publisher)

* ttp://www.brix.de/bibliothek/literatur/schuettelreime/sammlung.html Brix.de - Sammlung von SchüttelreimenCollection of Mittler's limericks and spoonerisms
Chamber Music You Didn’t Know You Love ( 3 )
by Jens F. Laurson for

WETA-FM WETA (90.9 FM) is a non-commercial, public FM radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C., broadcasting a classical music format. Its studios are located in Arlington, Virginia and its broadcast tower is located near Arlington at (). WE ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mittler, Franz 1893 births 1970 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Expressionist music Austrian classical composers American classical composers American male classical composers Jewish classical composers Musicians from Vienna American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Pupils of Heinrich Schenker Austrian emigrants to the United States