Felix Fox

Felix Fox (born May 25, 1876,[1] Breslau, Germany[2] – d. March 24, 1947, Boston, Massachusetts)[3][4] was a German-born concert pianist and educator.

Fox studied piano with Carl Reinecke in Leipzig, and Hungarian-French pianist Isidor Philipp in Paris, and studied music theory with Salomon Jadassohn. Fox graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig where he made his debut in 1896.[5] He made his Paris debut in 1897, his Boston debut in 1898, and his London debut in 1907. Fox performed concerts with the New York Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dannreuther String Quartet, as soloist with the Griller Quartet,[6] violinist Albert Spalding,[7] the Boston Festival Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra,[8] and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[9][10]

Fox moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1897, and in 1898 co-founded the Fox-Buonamici School of Pianoforte Playing with pianist Carlo Buonamici at 403 Marlborough Street in Boston's Back Bay. After Buonamici's death, in 1920,[11] the school became the Felix Fox School of Pianoforte Playing. The school was closed in 1935.[12][13] Among Fox's students were the composer Miriam Gideon and pianist and educator Harrison Potter. Potter went on to teach at the Fox-Buonamici School. Fox also taught piano at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in the 1920s.[14][15]

Fox composed a number of songs and works for solo piano and also made transcriptions of works by composer and pianist Edward MacDowell.[16] In 1917, Fox published "The Boston Music Company Digest Of Piano Pieces: For The Left Hand Alone," reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, LLC, in 2010.

In 1932, Fox began work on the operetta, The King Fishers in collaboration with noted Broadway tenor and lyricist George Mitchell. The King Fishers was copyrighted in 1933[17] and received its premiere by Boston's Repertory Theatre in 1934.[18]

In 1935, Fox was named a Chevalier in the Legion of Honour for his service to French Music.[19][20]

Fox married Mary Vincent Pratt in 1910; they had two children.[21]

References

  1. ^ Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, New York, 1984
  2. ^ International Who's Who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: "A contemporary biographical dictionary and a record of the world's musical activity," by César Saerchinger, page 200, Current Literature Publishing Company, 1918
  3. ^ New York Times obituary, "Felix Fox, Concert Pianist had been soloist with Symphony orchestras," March 26, 1947, page 25
  4. ^ Chronology of Western Classical Music, By Charles J. Hall, page 892, Taylor & Francis, 2002, ISBN 0-415-94216-0
  5. ^ Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, New York, 1984
  6. ^ Boston Globe article, "Felix Fox Will Play With Griller Quartet," December 27, 1939, page 18
  7. ^ Boston Globe advertisement, "Concert in Aid for the Widows of Italian Reservists," March 26, 1916, page 59
  8. ^ Boston Globe, "Tonight's Pops Program," May 24, 1941, page 11
  9. ^ International Who's Who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: "A contemporary biographical dictionary and a record of the world's musical activity," by César Saerchinger, page 200, Current Literature Publishing Company, 1918
  10. ^ New York Times obituary, "Felix Fox, Concert pianist had been soloist with Symphony orchestras," March 26, 1947, page 25
  11. ^ "Throng at Funeral of Carlo Buonamici". The Boston Daily Globe. October 4, 1920. p. 2.
  12. ^ From "A Handbook of American Private Schools," by Hesperides, Sargent's Handbook Series, orig. published 1916 by Hesperides. Republished by Read Books, 2007, page 218; Source: Google Books Search
  13. ^ Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schimer Books, New York, 1984
  14. ^ Catalogue of Phillips Academy. The Andover Press. 1922. p. 54.
  15. ^ Roepper, Charles (October 19, 1918). "Expect War Conditions to Eradicate 'Exclusiveness' from Boston's Music this Season". Musical America. 28 (25).
  16. ^ Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schimer Books, New York, 1984
  17. ^ Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Part 1 Group 3, Dramatic Compositions and Motion Pictures. Library of Congress. 1933. p. 108.
  18. ^ "Wrote text and music of "The King Fishers"". The Boston Daily Globe. February 25, 1934. p. 42.
  19. ^ "Fox Named Chevalier of Legion of Honor". The Boston Daily Globe. July 7, 1935. pp. A-3.
  20. ^ New York Times obituary, "Felix Fox, Concert pianist had been soloist with Symphony orchestras," March 26, 1947, page 25
  21. ^ International Who's Who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: "A contemporary biographical dictionary and a record of the world's musical activity," by César Saerchinger, page 200, Current Literature Publishing Company, 1918