1887–1937 · Serbia · 20th century
Evelyn Faltis (1887–1937) was a Czech composer, born in Trutnov and died in Vienna. She studied in Vienna, Dresden and Munich, worked as an accompanist in theatres and became the first woman coach at Bayreuth. The sheet music on the site is her songs for voice and piano.
Evelyn Faltis came into the world on 20 February 1887 in Trutnov, in Bohemia. Her parents, Carl Johann Faltis and Maria Anna Cecilia Magdalena (née Wiesenburg), were Viennese bourgeoisie, and Evelyn was the middle one of their three daughters.
She began studying music in Paris, at the Assomption convent. Her studies later continued in other cities.
Her teachers at the Vienna Music Academy were Robert Fuchs and Eusebius Mandyczewski. She also took lessons at the Dresden Conservatory from Felix Draeseke and Eduard Reuss.
In Munich she also studied with Sophie Menter.
After finishing her studies, Faltis moved to Berlin. She became the first woman coach at Bayreuth.
She played as an accompanist in Nuremberg (Stadttheater am Ring) and in Darmstadt (Hoftheater); from 1924 onwards her place was the Städtische Oper in Berlin.
In 1933 Evelyn Faltis settled in Vienna. She died there of pneumonia on 13 May 1937.
Her output covers orchestra, chamber ensembles, instruments and chorus. The list of works includes a Sonata in B minor for piano, a Fantastic Symphony for orchestra, a Sonata in D minor for violin and piano, and a Fantasy and Double Fugue with "Dies Irae" for organ, published in 1922.
The list includes songs for voice and piano: three songs, Op. 7, and seven songs, Op. 8, both dated 1921, six songs, Op. 10, published in 1921, and two songs, Op. 14, published in 1931. For an eight-part chorus a cappella she wrote "Anrufung" to a text by Hans Ossenbach, Op. 9, published in 1929.
The site holds four of her songs for voice and piano: "Unklarheit", "Zeig mir dein wahres Bild" and "Heimkehr" at the "Intermediate+" level, and "Sprich" at the "Advanced" level. Any of the intermediate songs is a way to begin getting to know her music.