Gabriele Wietrowetz (or Wietrowitz; 13 January 1866 – 6 April 1937) was an Austrian concert violinist and academic. She appeared in many countries in Europe, and led a string quartet in England.

Life

Wietrowetz was born in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

, daughter of Matthias Wietrowetz, from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, and his wife Katharina, who was of Italian origin. Her father was a cornet player in a military band. From the age of five she had violin lessons from her father. In the 1870s the family moved to

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

, where she was taught by Anton Geyer and Ferdinand Caspar at the ''Schule des Steiermärkischen Musikvereins'' (School of the Styrian Music Association)."Wietrowetz, Wietrowitz, Gabriele"
Sophie Drinker institut. Retrieved 27 October 2021."Wietrowetz (Wietrowitz), Gabriele (1866–1937), Violinistin und Lehrerin"
''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon''. Retrieved 27 October 2021. She obtained a scholarship from the state of Styria, and from 1882 to 1885 she studied at the '' Akademische Hochschule für Musik'' in Berlin with Joseph Joachim and

Emanuel Wirth Emanuel Wirth (18 October 18425 January 1923) was a German violinist and violist. Wirth was born in Žlutice (German: Luditz) in western Bohemia. As Joseph Joachim's assistant at the Hochschule für Musik (Berlin), he taught violin and viola. ...

. In the following years she made concert tours, visiting many European countries. Her repertoire included violin concertos by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

, Louis Spohr (Op. 47),

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

, Brahms, Max Bruch (Op. 44) and Joachim (Op. 11). Her London debut was in August 1892 at

the Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...

; a reviewer in '' The Athenaeum'' wrote: "An extremely favourable impression was made.... United to a fine broad tone and almost faultless technique, Fräulein Wietrowetz possesses a remarkably bright vivacious style...." She remained in England for several months, appearing with the pianist

Fanny Davies Fanny Davies (27 June 1861 - 1 September 1934) was a British pianist who was particularly admired in Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, and the early schools, but was also a very early London performer of the works of Debussy and Scriabin. In England ...

and giving other concerts. During the following years she spent several months each year in Britain, performing mainly in London. In 1897 she took over, as first violin, the

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

Emily Shinner Emily Shinner (7 July 1862 – 17 July 1901) was an English concert violinist and academic, and founder of a string quartet. Life She was born in Cheltenham in 1862. Her father, Arthur Shinner, was head of the Cheltenham Original Brewery and a ...

, appearing in England with the quartet until 1901. From 1901 to 1912 Wietrowetz had a teaching post at the ''Hochschule für Musik'' in Berlin; during this time she gave concerts only during vacation periods. She afterwards formed a string quartet with new members, which performed until 1923, and she continued to appear in chamber music concerts after the quartet broke up. She died in Berlin in 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wietrowetz, Gabriele 1866 births 1937 deaths Musicians from Ljubljana 19th-century classical violinists 20th-century classical violinists Austrian classical violinists Women classical violinists Austrian women violinists Musicians from Austria-Hungary