Fritz Cassirer

Background

Cassirer was born into a Jewish family in Breslau. His father, Julius Cassirer, was one of nine children. Julius was distantly related to his wife, Julcher (Julie) neé Cassirer, through a common great-grandfather.

Education

Fritz Cassirer studied music with Hans Pfitzner and Gustav Holländer, after which he was appointed to conducting posts in a succession of German opera houses: Lübeck, Posen, Saarbrücken and Elberfeld.

Career

He was one of the early proponents of the music of Frederick Delius, and conducted the premiere of Delius"s first opera. Cassirer, like Haym, became a strong advocate of Delius"s music He conducted the première of Delius"s opera Koanga at Elberfeld in 1904, helped Delius choose the Nietzsche text for his secular choral work, A Mass of Life and organised the premiere of another Delius opera, A Village Romeo and Juliet at the Berlin Komische Oper in 1907.

While in London he conducted concerts, at one of which, with Thomas Beecham"s New Symphony Orchestra, he presented Delius"s Appalachia.

Beecham, who had hitherto known nothing of Delius"s music, expressed his "wonderment" and was from then on a lifelong devotee of the composer"s works. Beecham praised Cassirer for having "naturally good if slightly fastidious taste".

After turning down an offer to appear at the Manhattan Opera House, New York, Cassirer retired to Munich, and devoted himself to philosophical and literary studies. He died in Berlin at the age of 55.

Membership

Cassirer was a member of the Komische Oper company that visited London in 1907, playing Offenbach"s The Tales of Hoffmann.

Connections

colleague:

Hans Haym

Cousin:

Friedrich Wilhelm Cassirer