Franz Drdla
Serenade in A Major for Violin & Piano
Franz Drdla (1868-1944) was born in Moravia, then part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire and today part of the Czech Republic. He studied violin and composition first at the Prague Conservatory and later in Vienna. His composition teacher in Vienna was Anton Bruckner, however, Drdla's music shows none of his teacher's influence. A well-known concert violinist, Drdla achieved international fame composing lighter music in the late romantic style. These works generally mixed popular Bohemian (Czech) or Hungarian melodies and presented them a la Viennoise.
Drdla's Serenade in A Major is perhaps his best know short work for violin and piano. Dating from 1911, it became known as the Kubelik Serenade because it was first championed by the famous Czech virtuoso Jan Kubelik. Subsequently many famous violinists such as Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler often performed the work in public.
Parts: $10.95
