`KREISLER' AN ENGAGING MEMORIAL.(BOOKS)

Byline: RAY BONO

In the early years of this century, three stars flooded the musical universe with unrivaled brilliance. One was Caruso, the portly Italian tenor. One was Paderewski, the lion-locked Polish pianist. And one was Kreisler, the tall, mustached Viennesse violinist.

Of these three, it was the unassuming Kreisler whose artistry was the most enchantingly sustained throughout his long career. And to keep us from not losing sight of that one-time radiance, Amy Biancolli has fashioned her biography, ``Fritz Kreisler: Love's Sorrow, Love's Joy.'' Smartly written, skillfully arranged, it is a perceptive appreciation of a sublimely gifted musician and a much-revered man, the first major work on the artist to appear in almost 50 years.

Kreisler -- always Fritz, never the formal Friedrich -- was born in the Austrian Empire's musically vibrant capital in 1875. Although his uncanny ability on the violin surfaced early, he had an …