Carl Wilhelm Drescher
{{Short description|Austrian violinist and composer}}
Carl (or Karl) Wilhelm Drescher (12 December 1850 – 8 December 1925) was an Austrian violinist and composer. In Vienna he founded and led a successful salon orchestra, which followed the tradition of the Strauss orchestra.
Career
Drescher was born in Vienna, son of Johann Wilhelm Drescher, a painter, and his wife Anna. As a boy he was in the chorus of the Vienna Court Opera; he later studied singing and violin at the Vienna Conservatory. Aged 16 he was a first violin with the orchestra of Philipp Fahrbach Sr., and from 1868 he played in the Strauss orchestra.{{ÖBL2|Karl-Wilhelm|Drescher|1850|1925|title=Drescher, Karl Wilhelm (1850–1925), Musiker|volume=1|year=1956|page=200}}[https://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_D/Drescher_Familie.xml "Drescher, Familie"] Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon Online. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
From 1869 to 1872 he did military service; afterwards he returned to the Strauss orchestra. Later he was a first violinist in the salon orchestra of Carl Margold, which played classical music and dance music. Drescher was in the orchestra of the Ringtheater at its opening in 1874.[https://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_M/Margold_Carl.xml "Margold, Carl (Karl)"] Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon Online. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
From September 1874, he led his own salon orchestra, Capelle Amusement, which followed the tradition of the Strauss orchestra. It became very popular, playing in many venues in Vienna, and also playing in Baden-Baden, Berlin and London. In 1900 Drescher was awarded the Salvatormedaille.
He retired in 1920, but made a last appearance in 1925 as conductor at the celebration of 40 years since the composition of the "Fiakerlied", a popular Viennese song. Drescher died in 1925, and was buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery.
References
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External links
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- {{IMSLP|Drescher, Carl Wilhelm}}
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Category:Musicians from Vienna
Category:19th-century Austrian male musicians
Category:Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery
Category:Violinists from Austria-Hungary
Category:Composers from Austria-Hungary