Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
Rudolf Kolisch (1896-1978) was a prominent Viennese-American violinist and string quartet player who played his instrument left-handed as a result of a childhood injury. His Kolisch Quartet gave seminal performances and premieres of chamber music that included compositions by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern. In the late 1930s Kolisch immigrated to the United States, where he became the leader of the Pro Arte Quartet (1944-1967) and professor of music at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the New England Conservatory of Music, and other institutions.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1896 July 20 | Born in Klamm, Austria |
| 1913 | Graduated from Vienna Music Academy and Vienna University |
| 1919 | Studied composition with Arnold Schoenberg |
| 1919-1921 | Played a leading role in Schoenberg's "Verein für Musikalische Privataufführungen" (Society for Private Musical Performances) |
| 1921 | Formed the Neue Wiener Streichquartett (Rudolf Kolisch, Fritz Rothschild, Marcel Dick, Joachim Stutschewsky) |
| 1924 | Arnold Schoenberg married Kolisch's sister Gertrud |
| 1927 | Formed the Kolisch Quartet (Rudolf Kolisch, Felix Khuner, Eugene Lehner, Benar Heifetz) |
| 1935 April | Kolisch Quartet made its American debut performance at the Library of Congress |
| 1940 | The Kolisch Quartet was on tour in the United States and did not return to Europe |
| circa 1941 | Began teaching at the New School for Social Research in New York |
| 1943 | Published his best known article, Tempo and Character in Beethoven's Music |
| 1944-1967 | Served as first violinist of Pro Arte Quartet |
| 1944-1967 | Taught at the University of Wisconsin in Madison |
| 1953-1958 | Taught at the Akademie für Tonkunst and Ferienkurse für neue Musik in Darnstadt, Germany |
| 1967 | Began teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston |
| 1974-1977 | Taught chamber music performance at the annual Schoenberg Seminars in Mödling, Austria |
| 1978 August 1 | Died in Watertown, Massachusetts |