Fiedler, Arthur, 1894-1979, American conductor, b. Brookline, Mass. Fiedler, who ultimately became a grandfatherly American musical icon, studied violin with his father, a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He continued his musical studies in Berlin (1909-15), becoming a violinist (and later a violist) with the Boston Symphony upon his return to the United States. He founded the Boston Sinfonietta in 1924, and in 1929 inaugurated an enormously popular series of free outdoor summer concerts of light American and European music featuring musicians from the Symphony. The following year Fiedler was appointed conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, with whom he performed classical pieces pleasing to general audiences. During the nearly 50 years that he led the group he also appeared as guest conductor with a number of major American symphonies. His spirited style, lively musicality, and the appealingly informal atmosphere in which he presented his concerts made Fiedler his era's great popularizer of light classical music. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

Fiedler, Leslie, 1917-2003, American critic, b. Newark, N.J., grad. New York Univ. (B.A. 1938), Univ. of Wisconsin (Ph.D. 1941). In his best-known and most controversial work, Love and Death in the American Novel (1960), Fiedler uses Freudian analysis to argue the presence of subtle homosexual themes in the work of Twain, Hawthorne, and other writers. His numerous other works include An End to Innocence: Essays on Culture and Politics (1955), Being Busted (1969), The Stranger in Shakespeare (1972), Freaks (1978), What Was Literature? (1982), Fiedler on the Roof (1991), and The Tyranny of the Normal (1996). Fiedler taught throughout his career, at the Univ. of Montana (1941-56) and subsequently at the State Univ. of New York at Buffalo.

(born Dec. 17, 1894, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died July 10, 1979, Brookline, Mass.) U.S. conductor. Son of a distinguished violinist, he was trained in Berlin and joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1915. In the 1920s he began conducting and recording with his own Boston Sinfonietta and various choral groups. In 1929 he organized a series of open-air concerts, which was successful enough to eventually become an institution, the Boston Pops. Thereafter his name was inextricably linked with the Pops, which achieved enormous success under his direction.

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(born Dec. 17, 1894, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died July 10, 1979, Brookline, Mass.) U.S. conductor. Son of a distinguished violinist, he was trained in Berlin and joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1915. In the 1920s he began conducting and recording with his own Boston Sinfonietta and various choral groups. In 1929 he organized a series of open-air concerts, which was successful enough to eventually become an institution, the Boston Pops. Thereafter his name was inextricably linked with the Pops, which achieved enormous success under his direction.

Learn more about Fiedler, Arthur with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Fiedler (German for fiddler) refers to:

• Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler, industrial investor beginning 19th century in Saxony, Germany and Opatówek, Poland
• Arkady Fiedler (1894-1985), Polish writer
• Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979), American conductor
• Bea Fiedler (born 1957), German model
• Bobbi Fiedler (born 1937), American politician
• Christian Fiedler, see Gabor Kiraly
• Conrad Fiedler (1841-1895)
• Edgar Fiedler (d. 2003), American economist
• Ellen Fiedler (born 1958), German athlete
• Franz Fiedler (1885-1956), Austrian photographer
• Fred Fiedler (born 1922), industrial and organizational psychologist
• Fiedler contingency model, a leadership theory developed by Fred Fiedler
• Fritz Fiedler (1899-1972), German automobile engineer
• Jay Fiedler (born 1971), American football player
• Jeff Fiedler, former director of The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps
• Jens Fiedler, German athlete
• John Fiedler, (1925-2005) American voice actor
• Joshua Fiedler, American musician
• Leslie Fiedler (1917-2003), American literary critic
• Margaret Fiedler, London-based American musician
• Max Fiedler (1859-1939), German conductor and composer
• Miroslav Fiedler (born 1926), Czech mathematician
• Richard Fiedler, German scientist who invented the flame thrower

See also

• Fiddler (disambiguation)
• Geiger (German for violinist) related surname