Willem de Fesch
Willem de Fesch (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪləm də ˈfɛs]; 1687 in Alkmaar – 3 January 1761) was a virtuoso Dutch violinist and composer. The pupil of Karel Rosier, who was a Vice-Kapellmeister at Bonn, de Fesch later married his daughter, Maria Anna Rosier. De Fesch was active in Amsterdam between 1710 and 1725. From 1725 to 1731 he served as Kapellmeister at Antwerp Cathedral. Thereafter he moved to London where he gave concerts and played the violin in Handel's orchestra in 1746. In 1748 and 1749 he conducted at Marylebone Gardens. He apparently made no public appearances after 1750. His works included the oratorios Judith (1732) and Joseph (1746), as well as chamber duets, solo and trio sonatas, concertos and part songs. Both oratorios were thought lost until 1980 when a copy of a manuscript of Joseph was found in London's Royal Academy of Music. De Fesch's music was influenced by the Italians, particularly Vivaldi, as well as Handel. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Alkmaar (municipality in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands), Died January 3, 1761 (London (capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1924
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-31559 | 10-in. | 12/30/1924 | Tu fai la superbetta | Marguerite Sanner | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 74093 | 12-in. | 5/9/1920 | Sonata in D minor : Andante cantabile | Harold Craxton ; J. Salmon | Cello solo, with piano | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fesch, Willem de," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104415.
Fesch, Willem de. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104415.
"Fesch, Willem de." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Willem de Fesch
Discogs: Willem de Fesch
Allmusic: Willem de Fesch
Grove: Willem de Fesch
IMSLP: Willem de Fesch
RISM: Willem de Fesch
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Fesch, Willem de, 1687-1761 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83196131
Wikidata: Willem de Fesch - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q999550
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/82763350
MusicBrainz: Willem de Fesch - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/dbbb0fa5-f58d-428e-9b30-47d3324bf715
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/119539 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/119539
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