Wasielewski, Wilhelm Joseph von
Wasielewski, Wilhelm Joseph von
Wasielewski, Wilhelm Joseph von, eminent German violinist, conductor, and music scholar; b. Gross-Leesen, near Danzig, June 17, 1822; d. Sondershausen, Dec. 13, 1896. He studied with Mendelssohn, Hauptmann, and David at the Leipzig Cons. (1843-46). He played in the Gewandhaus Orch. (until 1850), then went to Düsseldorf, where he was concertmaster under Schumann (1850-52). After serving as choral conductor in Bonn (1852-55), he settled in Dresden as a writer, in which capacity he greatly distinguished himself. In 1869 he became town music director in Bonn, remaining in that position until 1884, when he went to Sondershausen, where he settled as a teacher of music history at the Cons.
Writings
Robert Schumann (Dresden, 1858; 2nd ed., rev. and aug., 1906 by Waldemar von Wasielewski; Eng. tr., 1871); Die Violine und ihre Meister (Leipzig, 1869; 3rd ed., aug., 1893; 5thed., rev, 1910 by Waldemar von Wasielewski; 8th ed., 1927); Die Violine im XVII. Jahrhundert und die Anfange der Instrumentalkomposition (Bonn, 1874); Geschichte der Instrumental-Musik im XVI. Jahrhundert (Berlin, 1878); Schumanniana (Bonn, 1883); Ludwig van Beethoven (Berlin, 1888); Das Violoncell und seine Geschichte (Leipzig, 1889; 3rd ed., rev and aug., 1925, by Waldemar von Wasielewski; Eng. tr., 1894); Carl Reinecke (Leipzig, 1892); Aus 70 Jahren: Lebenserinnerungen (Stuttgart, 1897).
Bibliography
R. Federhofer-Königs, W.J. v.W. (1822-1896) im Spiegel seiner Korrespondenz (Tutzing, 1975).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire