Emma von Fischeraus modern

Gabriele Marie Freiin von Fischer (* 2 May 1876 in Vienna; † 12 February 1964 in Vienna) was an Austrian composer and music teacher.

Life

Emma von Fischer was born as the daughter of Friedrich Freiherr von Fischer (1826-1907), a field marshal lieutenant and head of the Imperial and Royal War College in Vienna. War School in Vienna, and Marie von Fischer (1846-1930).

Fischer received piano lessons from Emma Klement from an early age. She later became a private pupil of Julius Epstein, who taught at the conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, as well as Paul Weingarten, Cyrill Wolf and Robert Fuchs. In 1907, she passed the state examination in piano and music theory.

She made her debut as a pianist at the age of 19 at the Vienna Musikverein, where she performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Fischer was committed to the performance of works by female composers and performed at concerts organised by various Viennese women’s associations, including the ‘Verein für erweiterte Frauenbildung’ and the ‘Neuer Frauen-Klub’.

Her first composition to go to print appeared in 1905, and her works were subsequently presented in London (première in 1907) and Vienna (performance in 1908 with variations on her own theme), where they impressed the critics. However, the First World War prevented further public performances and the perception of her works remained limited to a small circle, even though some of her compositions were broadcast on ‘Radio Wien’.

Fischer’s musical career was varied and included concert performances, compositional activities and teaching. The latter became increasingly important as she was dependent on this income. Her late work, the fairytale opera ‘Trutzepink’, was completed in the 1940s, but was neither printed nor performed.

In addition to her musical work, Fischer was active as an essayist and critic and was involved in various organisations. In 1952, she was awarded the title ‘Professor’ in recognition of her achievements as a composer and music teacher. From 1917 she was the first secretary of the ‘Österreichischer Musikpädagogenverein’ and in 1956 took over the management of the ‘Club Wiener Musikerinnen’, which was dissolved in 1939 for political reasons and reactivated in 1947.

Source biografiA: http://biografia.sabiado.at/fischer-emma-von/