Kontski, Apollinaire de

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Kontski, Apollinaire de

Kontski, Apollinaire de, Polish violinist and pedagogue, brother of Antoine Kontski and Charles de Kontski; b. Kraków, Oct. 23, 1825; d. Warsaw, June 29, 1879. He studied with his elder brother Charles, and appeared with his brothers as a small child in Russia and later in Germany, frankly exploited by his family for sensational publicity and gain. In 1837 he played for Paganini in Paris. In 1861 he became director of the Warsaw Cons., of which he was a founder, and remained in that post until his death. He publ. some violin music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire