Franz Kneisel

Franz Kneisel (26 January 1865 – 26 March 1926) was an American violinist and teacher of Romanian birth.

Born in Bucharest, the son of a German bandmaster, he learned to play the flute, clarinet and trumpet as well as the violin. After graduating from the Bucharest Conservatory in 1879 he went to Vienna, where he continued his studies with Jakob Grün and Joseph Hellmesberger until 1882; he made his solo début in Vienna at the end of that year. The next season, he became concertmaster at the Hoftheater, and in 1884 went to Berlin to fill the same position in the Bilsesche Kapelle. In October 1885, though barely 20 years old, he was engaged by conductor Wilhelm Gericke as concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For the next 20 years he was concertmaster and assistant conductor, appearing as soloist in many violin concertos and giving the first American performances of the concertos by Brahms and Carl Goldmark, as well as the première of the First Violin Concerto of Gustav Strube. As assistant conductor, he led the BSO in its performances at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Shortly after his arrival in Boston, he formed and led the Kneisel Quartet with other BSO string players. He was elected honorary member of the Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity in 1917.

Kneisel was for many years associated with the Worcester Festival in Massachusetts, first as concertmaster and assistant conductor (1885–96) and then as conductor (1897–1909). In 1905, he moved to New York to become the first head of the violin department of the newly established Institute of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School of Music), where he remained until his death. He also founded Kneisel Hall, a summer school of violin and chamber playing, at his home in Blue Hill, Maine. He was a demanding teacher, requiring much in both technical ability and expressive insight. At the time of his death, his renown as a teacher was such that he was ranked with Leopold Auer. In homage, Romanian composer George Enescu dedicated his Violin Sonata No. 3 in the folk character of Romania to Kneisel’s memory.

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