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The American violist, teacher and composer, Lillian Fuchs, was born into a Jewish musical family. Her brothers were violinist Joseph Fuchs and cellist Harry Fuchs. She began her musical studies as a pianist, later studying violin with her father and afterwards with Louis Svećenski and Franz Kneisel (former concert-master of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and first violinist of the Kneisel Quartet) at the Institute of Musical Art, now the Juilliard School , winning several awards on graduation. She also studied music composition with Percy Goetschius at that institution
Lillian Fuchs made her New York début on the violin in 1926, but soon switched to viola at the urging of Franz Kneisel (she was once heard to say, much to the great surprise of the auditors present, that it had never been her idea to play the viola, as she considered the instrument to be too big for her!). She thereafter was a founding member of the Perolé Quartet, playing viola with this ensemble from 1925 to 1945. She collaborated with the Budapest and Amadeus String Quartets and often appeared in performance with her brothers Joseph, a violinist and Harry, a cellist. Later, she formed the Lillian Fuchs Trio with her twin daughters. She played in a number of chamber groups, notably the Musicians Guild, and appeared as a soloist with major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Casals Festival Orchestra. In 1947, Bohuslav Martinů composed and dedicated his 'Madrigals' for violin and viola to Lillian and Joseph Fuchs after hearing them perform the W.A. Mozart Duos at Town Hall in New York City. She is considered to be among the finest instrumentalists of her time. She was "one of the best string players in America," Harold C. Schonberg wrote in The New York Times in 1962,
Lillian Fuchs performed many standard and non-standard pieces in the viola repertoire, including significant 20th century works. Fuchs was known for her warm, beautiful tone, expert musicianship and technical mastery. She owned a fine instrument made by Matteo Goffriller (1659-1742) and was the lifelong custodian of another lovely viola, darker in tone, by Gasparo da Salò (1540-1609). She played with a bow made by the English bow maker, John Dodd (1752-1839), which sold in May 2014 for $22,800 at Tarisio Auctions. Dodd bows are often shorter than other viola bows, a quality Fuchs prized for the greater control it permitted and also for its sheer practicality, since she was of diminutive stature. She used a gut 'A' string, considering it a sacrilege to use a metal 'A' string on an old Italian instrument. Both of her violas were about 16 inches in size, and both were also passed on to Lillian's granddaughter, Jeanne Abby Mallow.
Lillian Fuchs enjoyed a distinguished teaching career at the Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard School, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Blue Hill Music School, which she founded with her brother Joseph. Martha Strongin Katz, James Wendell Griffith, Geraldine Walther, Lawrence Dutton and Yizhak Schotten were her students. Her books of etudes for the viola (Twelve Caprices for Viola, Fifteen Characteristic Studies for Viola, and Sixteen Fantasy Etudes) are in standard use today in universities and music schools around the world, and were much appreciated by the great Scottish violist, William Primrose. She also composed a Sonata Pastorale for solo viola.
A renowned teacher of viola, Lillian Fuchs was also an important teacher of chamber music, counting among her pupils Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, Dorothy DeLay, Rosemary Glyde, and many others. Her influence can be seen in her two daughters, Barbara Stein Mallow, cellist, Carol Stein Amado (deceased), violinist, her granddaughter, Jeanne Abby Mallow, violist and violinist, and grandson, David Amado, conductor.
Most of her vinyl recordings are now collector's items. Many can be found on EBay, but are otherwise unavailable commercially. DoReMi Records re-released in 2005 a CD version of her 1950's recordings of the J.S. Bach Cello Suites (BWV 1007-1012) and Biddulph Recordings re-released them again in 2021. Her interpretation of the sixth suite (originally written for a five stringed instrument, the viola pomposa) made such an impression on Pablo Casals, that after a private performance, he (as told by Miss Fuchs) said to her that it sounded better on the viola than on the cello. She was the first to perform and record the J.S. Bach Suites for the viola. She used her Matteo Goffriller viola in recording all 6 suites. The microphone was placed under her instrument due to the amazing resonance. |
