Donemus Webwinkel — Fresco, Joan

Joan (Johan, Jonas, John, Joen) Fresco was born on 18 August 1886 in The Hague. There he studied piano, violin and composition at the Conservatory. He continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, taking composition lesson with Friedrich Gernsheim. Soon he founded his own ensemble, and later many different ensembles and orchestras, performing as a ‘Stehgeiger’ in mainly Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 1921 he decided to try his luck in America and moved to New York. He played arrangements for silent movies as a violinist in an orchestra. Later he founded his own orchestra and made the arrangements himself. Apart from a lucrative contract in New York at the prestigious hotel 'The Commodore' and performances in Canada, these years probably did not bring him what he had hoped for. In 1924 he returned to Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Fresco was forced to move back to the Netherlands, where he founded new ensembles and kept performing, albeit in smaller venues. After the German invasion in 1940, a very difficult time began for Fresco. He suffered greatly during the war, but managed to survive. Also, the years following the war were a struggle for him. His attempts to get back to work as a musician and teacher at the age of 60, did not bring him the successes he had known until 1933. Joan Fresco passed away on March 6, 1964 in Amersfoort.
Joan Fresco had been composing since he was a teenager. Even in his very first works he uses a pleasant, easily appealing idiom. His oeuvre includes concert music as well as vocal dance music. He wrote a lot of ‘entertainment music’, which he was able to perform during his countless concerts and performances.
The category 'concert music' includes several orchestral suites, dances, marches, waltzes, tangos, foxtrots, intermezzi, etc., always based on catchy melodies. He wrote parts (piano scores) of many works, but there are also independent piano works that he later orchestrated.
The category ‘vocal dance music’ includes countless popular songs, often on own lyrics, originally with piano accompaniment and orchestrated afterwards more than once.
Joan Fresco received a number of awards. In 1918 as a youngster, he was awarded the Nicolai Prize of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 1938 he received a first prize from the 'Vereeniging Woord- en Toondichters der Lichte Muziek' in Amsterdam for his 4-part orchestral suite Dancing stars. In 1951 Fresco received the first prize from the ‘Onze lichte Muziek’ (Our Light Music) foundation for his song Today I have an appointment. In response to this, composer Lex van Delden wrote in the newspaper ‘Het Parool’: “Everyone who knows the work of this composer will be delighted that this prize, which aims to raise the level of Dutch popular song, has been awarded to Joan Fresco. Because Fresco is one of the few who combines excellent technical mastery with real compositional invention.”