Oscar Fetrás

Oscar Fetrás
Birth name	Oscar Fetrás
Born	February 16, 1854(1854-02-16)
Died	January 10, 1931(1931-01-10) (aged 76)
Genres	Classical
Occupations	Composer, musician
Instruments	Piano

Oscar Fetrás (16 February 1854, Hamburg – 10 January 1931, Hamburg) was a German composer of popular dance music, military marches, piano pieces and arrangements.

He had over 200 compositions to his name. His best known work is his waltz "Mondnacht auf der Alster" Op. 60 which is still immensely popular to the present day.

Biography

He was born Otto Kaufmann Faster. Early in his career he worked for Ferdinand Laeisz, founder of the Flying P-Liner. Once he became widely regarded as being on the same level as the revered Viennese waltz kings, he departed to conduct his own orchestra.

At the age of 26 his compositions attracted the attention of a Hamburg publisher and he adopted the name Fetrás. He was essentially of German descent and his musical talent came from his father, who was from Prague.

He soon rose to the position of conductor of the Uhlenhorster Färhaus which was the most famous restaurant with ballrooms in Hamburg for which he composed his second most famous, but now forgotten work, Uhlenhorster Kinder. He was regarded as the most talented light music composer that Northern Germany ever produced and right from the start modelled his own composing on that of his idol, Johann Strauss Jr.

It is interesting to note that it might have been Franz von Blon who was at that time the conductor of the Stadttheater Orchestra who introduced Moonlight on the Alster at the inaugural concert for the ball season in 1888. It was a sensation anyway and earned Fetrás the title of 'The Hamburg Waltz King'. Soon he was invited to tour Germany, Austria and France with his orchestra. He became personally acquainted with Johann Strauss. In 1904 he won a prize for his composition Frühlingsluft and later he wrote the excellent potpourri Reiche Mädchen (a reworking of Johann Strauss’s 1897 operetta Der Göttin der Vernunft. The complete Die Göttin der Vernunft operetta has been released (2011) by Naxos Records, whilst the Reiche Mädchen Potpourri has been recorded by Marco Polo on their two CD production of Johann Strauss operetta potpourris. Fetrás remained well known and respected and though definitely a second rank composer in the Viennese style, he produced some 300 works.

Legacy

In 1943, the Uhlenhorster Färhaus was destroyed by Allied bombing and with it the original score of his most famous work Moonlight on the Alster Op.60. The waltzes and music of Fetrás appear to have disappeared from the mainstream repertoire since WWII. The reason for this is primarily that many outlets of music publishers and music parts libraries which issued his material were destroyed during the bombing of Hamburg in World War II leaving currently no publisher actively issuing his material as well as destroying significant amounts of historic musical material. A current project aims to draw his compositions together via the IMSLP and make them more widely available once again.

In Hamburg-Rahlstedt the street Fetrasweg is named after him.

Works

• Op. 10 Goldschmieds Tochterlein – walzer
• Op. 11 Bankett – march
• Op. 12 Schon Lenchen – polka francaise
• Op. 13 Hand in Hand – lanciers
• Op. 14 Lustig voran! – march
• Op. 15 In dem gold'nen Faschingszeit – walzer
• Op. 16 Traulich beisammen – gavotte
• Op. 17 Fruhling im Herzen – walzer
• Op. 18 Ihn nach! – polka schnell
• Op. 19 Luftschlosser – walzer
• Op. 20 Flottes Carre – lanciers
• Op. 21 Rosamundchen – polka francaise
• Op. 22 Carmen – walzer nach Motiven aus Bizet's opera
• Op. 23 Nachtschwarmer – walzer
• Op. 24 An die Gewehre! – march
• Op. 25 Die Schaferin – rheinische polka
• Op. 26 Das Blonde Gretchen – walzer
• Op. 27 Maskentrubel – polka francaise
• Op. 28 Elekrisch – polka schnell
• Op. 29 Balduin Dahl-Marsch – march
• Op. 30 La Mascotte – walzer nach Motiven aus Audran's opera
• Op. 31 Im Morgengrauen – walzer
• Op. 32 Le Petit blue – march
• Op. 33 Vis a Vis – lanciers
• Op. 34 Rip-Rip Valse – walzer nach Motiven aus Planquette
• Op. 35 Spanisher – walzer
• Op. 36 Blumenpyramiden – walzer
• Op. 37 Wintergarten – quadrille
• Op. 38 Zigeunerblut – march
• Op. 39 Kostumefest – quadrille
• Op. 40 Uhlenhorster Kinder – walzer
• Op. 41 Nur fest! – march
• Op. 42 Irma – walzer nach Motiven aus Audran's opera
• Op. 43 Fensterpromenaden – walzer
• Op. 44 Dunkle Rose – polka-mazurka
• Op. 45 Dir zu Lieb! – polka francaise
• Op. 47 Tosti-Leider – walzer
• Op. 48 Husarenliebchen – marsch-polka
• Op. 49 Derby – quadrille
• Op. 50 Veilchen am Wege – walzer
• Op. 51 Frisch gewagt – march
• Op. 52 Bei Nacht und Nebel – walzer
• Op. 53 Emmeline – polka francaise
• Op. 54 Stelldichein – march
• Op. 55 Lieb und Lied – walzer
• Op. 57 Jeanette – polka francaise
• Op. 58 Barcelona – march
• Op. 59 Erwischt! – polka schnell
• Op. 60 Mondnacht auf der Alster – walzer
• Op. 61 Bunte Reihe – lanciers
• Op. 62 Train – march
• Op. 63 Marias Traum – walzer
• Op. 64 Quadrille im militar stil – quadrille
• Op. 65 Fifi – march
• Op. 66 En tete a tete – lanciers
• Op. 67 Trinket, scherzet! – walzer
• Op. 68 Margaretha – polka-mazurka
• Op. 69 Maskenscherze – quadrille
• Op. 70 Auf rosigem Pfad – walzer
• Op. 71 Geschichten aus dem Sachsenwald – walzer
• Op. 72 Leichtes Element – polka francaise
• Op. 73 Nervos – polka schnell
• Op. 74 Schalagat – quadrille
• Op. 75 BlaueAugen – blauer Himmel – walzer
• Op. 76 Wissmann – march
• Op. 77 Eichhornchen – polka schnell
• Op. 78 Der Gladiator – march
• Op. 79 Spielmanns Lieder – walzer
• Op. 80 Strand-Idyllen – walzer
• Op. 82 Dimitri – march
• Op. 83 Fidele – march
• Op. 112 Marchen aus der Quellental – walzer
• Op. 122 Die Konigsmaid – walzer
• Op. 126 Redaktionsgeheinmisse – walzer
• Op. 128 La Barcarolle – walzer nach Motiven aus Offenbach's opera
• Op. 137 Carmen – march nach Motiven aus Bizet
• Op. 139 Tirol in Lied und Tanz
• Op. 140 Carmen – quadrille nach Motiven aus Bizet's opera
• Op. 145 Prisca – walzer (Rupprecht)
• Op. 146 Funkenspache – polka schnell
• Op. 147 Flunkermichel – polka francaise
• Op. 148 Scheiden und Meiden (Les Adieux) – walzer
• Op. 149 Sommernacht am Rhein – walzer
• Op. 150 Frohsin auf den Bergen – walzer
• Op. 152 Im 7 Himmel – potpourri
• Op. 153 Leibeschafft Rat – overture
• Op. 154 Freikugeln – march
• Op. 157 Melodien-Parade – marsch-potpourri
• Op. 163 Offenbach – quadrille nach Motiven von Offenbach
• Op. 164 Offenbach – walzer
• Op. 165 Wenn die Füsschen sie heben – walzer nach Motiven aus Die keusche Susanne von Jean Gilbert
• Op. 166 Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne – march nach Motiven aus Die keusche Susanne von Jean Gilbert
• Op. 167 Hahnen-Rheinländer (Die Keusche Suzanne – Gilbert) / Kätchen-Rheinländer (Tieck) – polka francaise
• Op. 168 Die Keusche Susanne – potpourri (Gilbert)
• Op. 169 Onegin-Klänge – walzer nach Motiven aus Tchaikovsky's opera
• Op. 170 Margeuritentag – walzer
• Op. 171 Operetten-Revue – potpourri
• Op. 174 Willst du Lieve lernen? – walzer nach Motiven aus Marine-Gust'l von Georg Jarno
• Op. 175 Spanisch-Polnisch – march
• Op. 176 Auf hoher See – march nach Motiven aus Marine-Gust'l von Jarno
• Op. 177 Die Keusche Susanne – quadrille nach Motiven aus Die keusche Susanne von Jean Gilbert
• Op. 178 Die Marine-Gust'l – potpourri (Georg Jarno)
• Op. 179 Truthahn-Tanz – trot de dindon
• Op. 180 Blumenfest – overture
• Op. 188 Skizzen aus Russland – divertissement
• Op. 189 Die Wandervigel – march
• Op. 191 Polo-Spiele – intermezzo
• Op. 192 Mia Cara – tango
• Op. 193 Walzerflut oder 100 Jahre in 15 Minuten – chronologishe walzer-suite
• Op. 194 Die Lustigen Marionetten – intermezzo
• Op. 195 Juchhei, Tirolerbub – march
• Op. 196 Souvenir de Chopin – fantasie
• Op. 197 Froh im Kreise – Deutchses volksleider potpourri
• Op. 199 O Deutschland hoch in Ehren – march
• Op. 200 Hurra Hurra die Uhlanen sind da – Kriegsmarsch 1914
• Op. 201 Hindenburg – march
• Op. 202 Kinderleider – march
• Op. 203 Verkaufte Braut – march nach Motiven aus Smetana's opera
• Op. 204 Andreas Hofer – march
• Op. 205 Nachruf an Schubert – potpourri
• Op. 206 Nachruf an Mendelssohn – potpourri
• Op. 207 Alpensanger – potpourri
• Op. 208 Holzschutanz – Charakterstück – potpourri
• Op. 209 Kinstlerlaue – intermezzo
• Op. 210 Hoffnungssterne – walzer
• Op. 211 Von Buhne zu Buhne – opera fantasie
• Op. 212 Erinnerung an Josef Gung'l – potpourri
• Op. 213 Aus Deutschlands Liederhain – potpourri
• Op. 215 Lumbye-Fantasie – divertissement (Hans Christian Lumbye)
• Op. 216 Nymphe und Faun – walzer nach Motiven von Delibes
• Op. 218 Minutenspiele – potpourri
• Op. 219 Sang und Tanz von Bohmerland – potpourri
• Op. 222 Russische Volksklange – potpourri
• Op. 223 Tanzlust auf der Alm – Ländler

Sources and references

• Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, Freiburg-Tiengen: Blasmusikverlag Schulz, 1988
• La musica en la radio: radio Ciudad Real EAJ 65 y sus discos de pizarra Coordinador: francisco Alia Miranda Cuenca: Ediciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 2000, p. 321-356
• The heritage encyclopedia of band music: composers and their music Edited by Paul E. Bierley. William H. Rehrig, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians London: Macmillan, 1980
• Kurschners Deutscher Musiker-Kalender 1954 Zweite Ausgabe des Deutschen Musiker-Lexikons erausgeber: Hedwig und E.H. Mueller von Asow, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1954
• Sohlman's musiklexikon Gosta Morin, Carl Allan Moberg. Einar Sundstrom Stockholm: Sohlman Forlag, 1951
• Dizionario universale dei musicisti: Supplemento Schmidl, Carlo. Milan: Sonzogno, 1938
• Kurzgefasstes Tonkunstler Lexikon: fur Musiker und Freunde der Musik Begründet von Paul Frank. Neu bearbeitet und erganzt von Wilhelm Altmann. Regensburg: Gustave Bosse, 1936
• Deutsches Musiker-Lexikon Herausgegeben von Erich H. Muller. Dresden: Wilhelm Limpert, 1929

External links

• Oscar Fetrás' biography Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain
• Oscar Festras biography Hamburg Stadtwiki
• Free scores by Oscar Fetrás at the International Music Score Library Project

Persondata
Name	Fetrás, Oscar
Alternative names	Oskar Fetrás, Oscar Fetras, Oskar Fetras, Otto Kaufmann Faster
Short description	German composer
Date of birth	16 February 1854
Place of birth	Hamburg
Date of death	10 January 1931
Place of death	Hamburg