Hans von buelow orchestra and military band

Johann Friedrich Ludwig “Fritz” Scheel (7 November 1852 – 13 March 1907) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

music conductor and the first musical director of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

. He was born in Fackenburg, in present-day

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

. He emigrated to the United States in early 1893, and conducted concerts in New York City. He was hired to conduct the Trocadero Orchestra at the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago, and later assembled a symphony orchestra in San Francisco. In 1900, Scheel became the first conductor and music director of the newly formed

. He conducted rehearsals in German, and played mostly German music. After its first season, he fired half the musicians and replaced them with

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

players. He was known for his concerts of military music, and one of his trademarks was military attire. Scheel continued as the Philadelphia Orchestra's music director until his death at age 54, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1907. He is buried in

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

. A bas-relief portrait in bronze memorial tablet was created by Philadelphia sculptor

Charles Grafly Charles Allan Grafly, Jr. (December 3, 1862 – May 5, 1929) was an American sculptor, and teacher. Instructor of Sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years, his students included Paul Manship, Albin Polasek, and Walker H ...

, having been commissioned by the Women's Committee for the

as a tribute to Scheel in 1908.
The Civic Club Bulletin
' (March 1908) p. 5.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Biography-West Laurel Hill Cemetery web site
* 1852 births 1907 deaths People from Ostholstein German male conductors (music) Musicians from Philadelphia 19th-century German conductors (music) Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States American conductors (music) Music directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra American male conductors (music) 19th-century American musicians Classical musicians from Pennsylvania {{germany-conductor-stub