Fränzli Waser
Franz Waser (* 1858 Tschlin ; † December 24, 1895 ) was a Yenish violin player from the Swiss canton of Graubünden .
His ancestors had migrated from central Switzerland via the Bündner Oberland to the Engadine in the first half of the 19th century . Fränzli, as he was called because of his small body size, was blind from birth. Since he could hardly work on the farm, he devoted himself to playing the violin, which he soon mastered with virtuosity. He probably had perfect pitch .
As a schoolboy he played in a spa hotel in St. Moritz . A baroness took him to Milan for musical training . However, the boy was homesick and returned to Tschlin.
His main formation, the Original-Fränzli-Musig, consisted of his brother Franz Anton Waser on the clarinet, Seppli Vegn on the double bass and the violinist Hans Martin Neuhäusler, a clarinetist , a trumpeter, a bass violinist and the Kapellmeister as violinist.
Fränzli Waser shaped the Swiss Länders ' own style , which today is usually perceived as a Grisons specialty under the name Fränzli Music . It is not known whether Waser also composed himself or whether pieces by other composers were played. They did not play for the spa guests, but instead entertained the coachmen and carters in St. Moritz-Bad for 10 francs a night, which was a considerable reward at the time.
Fränzli Waser settled in the hamlet of Chaflur above Strada . After a successful musical career, Franz Waser died at the age of 37 as a result of a hoof hit by a horse. Fränzlis brothers and his descendants then continued to play traditional dances in various formations as Fränzlis until the 1930s.
The tradition of Fränzli Waser is continued today by the Ils Fränzlis da Tschlin group founded by Men Steiner in 1982 .
Web links
- Folk music in Graubünden (PDF) , in: Living Traditions in Switzerland
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Waser, Fränzli |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Waser, Franz (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss violinist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1858 |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 24, 1895 |