Fanny (Franziska Christiane) Wittgenstein (born Figdor)
April 7, 1814 | Kittsee – October 21, 1890 | Vienna
Patron of the violinist Joseph Joachim
The name Fanny Wittgenstein is usually missing from biographies of the “child prodigy” and greatest violinist of the 19th century, Joseph Joachim. He himself knew how much he owed her. Why are women repeatedly erased from the historical record?
In early November 1839, a young Jewish woman from Vienna arrived in Saxony with her newlywed husband. Fanny and Hermann Wittgenstein were baptized at the Kreuzkirche in Dresden before continuing their journey to Leipzig. At the baptism, they were given additional baptismal names: Christian and Christiane. Fanny Wittgenstein was a self-assured woman who, over the next 14 years, not only gave birth to her eleven children in Leipzig-Gohlis but also managed the household and social affairs. Fanny was very musical, played the piano exceptionally well, and ensured that her children were taught by prominent musicians from the conservatory. She raises her children with consistency but ensures they receive a comprehensive and diverse education.
Fanny’s young cousin Joseph Joachim began learning to play the violin at the age of four. During a visit, Fanny was impressed by her cousin’s great talent – and persuaded his parents to send him to the renowned violin teacher Böhme in Vienna, where their mutual grandparents, the Figdors, also lived.
The Wittgensteins experienced Leipzig as the capital of music at the time. The city’s musical life was flourishing, thanks to the young Gewandhaus conductor Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, as well as the young musical couple Clara and Robert Schumann. When Mendelssohn founded the Conservatory of Music in Leipzig in April 1843, Fanny Wittgenstein was certain: Joseph Joachim must come here to complete his studies. Fanny manages to bring Joseph – now nearly 12 years old – to Leipzig, where he becomes part of the Wittgenstein family, which by then already includes three young children. At the age of sixteen, Joseph Joachim becomes second concertmaster at the theater and the Gewandhaus. …
After 1850, the Wittgenstein family lived in Austria. Here, too, Fanny Wittgenstein was a patron of musicians and visual artists, including Joseph Joachim and his friend Johannes Brahms. Fanny Wittgenstein outlived her husband by 12 years and died in Vienna in 1890.
NOTE: *) Due to the exhibition format, the biographical information above had to be abbreviated. Exhibition visitors have the opportunity to read an expanded version of the biographical information in the exhibition brochures provided. The entire, very extensive project includes additional biographies, expanded content, and research … is in progress – also online…