Niecks, Frederick (actually, Friedrich)

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Niecks, Frederick (actually, Friedrich)

Niecks, Frederick (actually, Friedrich), German-English writer on music; b. Düsseldorf, Feb. 3, 1845; d. Edinburgh, June 24, 1924. He studied the violin under Langhans, Grunewald, and Auer, and piano and composition with J. Tausch, making his debut (as a violinist) at Düsseldorf in 1857. He was a member of the orch. there until 1867, the last years as concertmaster. In 1868 he became organist at Dumfries, Scotland, and viola player in a quartet with A.C. Mackenzie. After teaching at the Univ. of Leipzig (1877–78) and travels in Italy, he won a position in London as critic for the Monthly Musical Record and Musical Times; in 1891, was appointed Reid Prof. of Music at Edinburgh Univ. In 1901 Niecks founded the Music Education Society. He was made a Mus.Doc. (honoris causa) by Dublin Univ. in 1898; LL.D. by Edinburgh Univ. After his retirement in 1914, he lived in Edinburgh.

Writings

(all publ. in London unless otherwise given): A Concise Dictionary of Musical Terms (2nd ed., 1884; 5th ed., rev. and enl., 1900); Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician (1888; 3rd ed., 1902); Musical Education and Culture (Edinburgh, 1892); Programme Music in the Last Four Centuries (1907); Robert Schumann (ed. by C. Niecks; 1925).

—Nicolas Slomnisky/Laura Kaun/Dennis McIntire