Kolisch, Rudolf
Kolisch, Rudolf
Kolisch, Rudolf, Austrian-born American violinist; b. Klamm am Semmering, July 20, 1896; d. Watertown, Mass., Aug. 1, 1978. He began training in childhood. After sustaining an injury to his left hand, he learned to hold his violin with his right hand and the bow with his left. He continued his studies at the Vienna Academy of Music and the Univ. of Vienna (graduated, 1913), and took courses with Šev?cik (violin) andSchreker and Schoenberg (theory and composition). In 1922 he organized the Kolisch Quartet, which systematically presented works by modern composers. It was the first string quartet to perform works from the standard repertoire from memory. In 1935 he went to the U.S.; after his quartet disbanded (1939), he became 1st violin of the Pro Arte Quartet (1942). He taught at the Univ. of Wise. (1944–67), and served as artist-inresidence and head of the chamber music dept. of the New England Cons, of Music in Boston.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire