Who was Robert Frisch?
The following description is taken from: R. S. Rockstro, A Treatise on...the Flute, London, 1890
“This highly distinguished German flute-player, was born about the year 1804. While quite a young man he was engaged as solo-flutist in the orchestra of the celebrated Johann Strauss of Vienna, and in that capacity he travelled much on the Continent. In the year 1838, he accompanied Strauss to this country; here he soon became so popular as a solo player that he decided to remain, and therefore resigned his position in Strauss's band. At the first promenade concerts given in London, by Eliason, Musard and Jullien, successively, Frisch was a great attraction, especially to the flute-players, his style of performance being entirely novel, and his music much more interesting than that of Drouet, Nicholson or Richardson. His solos are by far the most difficult that have ever been written for the flute, yet the brilliant passages with which they abound are generally elegant, sometimes extremely so.
“Frisch had such complete mastery over his instrument, and executed the greatest difficulties with such graceful ease, that anyone unacquainted with the technicalities of the flute might have believed that he was playing the very simplest music, had it not been for his singular habit of practising the coming solo, in dumb motion, during the preceding tutti, and his appearing to read every note of his music, which he invariably had before him. His facility in playing the highest notes was simply marvellous; the last few staves of his Reminiscences à Hérold, the first piece that I heard him play, may be cited as an example of the difficulties that he was accustomed to execute. He employed the old-fashioned method of double-tongueing (too-tle), his articulation being the least satisfactory feature in his performance; his tone also left much to be desired, for though in the upper notes it was fairly good and clear, in the middle and lower registers it was of the character technically called "fluffy," besides being decidedly weak. As a player on the piccolo he was perfect, and altogether superior to anyone I ever heard.
“Frisch played on an old-fashioned flute of German make, with numerous keys, including one for b and an extra c'# lever for the little finger of the left hand. In 1840 he began to practise on a flute made on the new system, by Buffet of Paris, but as might have been expected, he soon found that the change in the fingering would have caused the sacrifice of the dexterity which he had acquired on the German model, and he must have been aware that execution was the only point in which he was pre-eminent; he therefore gave up all idea of conquering the new fingering, and sold his French flute.
“About the year 1842 he obtained an appointment as band-master in an English cavalry regiment, and Joseph Richardson succeeded him as soloist at the Promenade concerts. On the expiration of his term of office, Frisch became so reduced in circumstances that he was glad to accept an engagement to play as second to myself at the concerts of the late Mr. John Hullah in St. Martin's Hall. When I last saw him, I think in 1859, he was still using the same old flute on which he had played twenty years previously, but he felt that he was left completely behind, and he expressed his regret that he had not persevered with the new fingering, though, as he said, it was too late to think of it then. Soon afterwards he took another engagement as band-master; went with his regiment to India, and died there.
“As in the case of Ribas, Frisch's name is not mentioned in any Dictionary of Musicians. I have made the most persevering enquiries for further particulars of his career, but having been entirely unsuccessful I have been obliged to depend upon my almost unaided memory for the facts above related.”