Fesca, Alexander Ernst

1820-1849

German composer and pianist, the son of Friedrich Ernst Fesca. He was born in Carlsruhe, and had his career not been cut short at the age of twenty-nine years he might have done really noteworthy things in music. As it was, his compositions are all meritorious, and his songs, especially, achieved a large degree of popularity in Germany. Fesca studied under Wilhelm Bach, Schneider, Rungenhagen and Taubert in Berlin, and made concert tours from 1839 to 1840 through Germany, Austria and Hungary. He was appointed chambermusician to Prince Furstenberg in 1841, and settled the next year in Brunswick, where he died. His compositions include the operas, Marietta, Der Troubador and Ulrich von Hutten, which were light but gave much promise; rondos for piano; piano sextet; variations of II Puritani; nocturnes; grand trio for piano, violin and cello in B flat; music for violoncello; septet in C minor and much piano music, beside the Fesca Album of forty-eight songs.