New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-09
Kneisel Quartet
To Be Dissolved
AT End of Season
Final Concert Will Be
Given April 3, Leader
Announces
Closes Is Years Work
Franz kneisel Says the High
Standard Set Made Bur-
den Too Heavy

After this season the Kneisel Quar-
tct will be no more The concert on
April 3 is to be the last Offering this
organization will ever give. In an an
nounccment yesterday to his subscribe
crs. Franz Kneisel gives the reasons for
, his decision. The announcement says:
"To the patrons Of the Kneisel Quar-
tet: The last concert OF this seasons
series by the Kneisel Quartet in New
York, which will occur on April 3, Will
mark the completion of twenty-five
years of the organizations activity IN
New York and of thirty-two years OF
uninterrupted labor in behalf Of cham
! Der music in the United States. The
Retrospect which the occasion invites
! is one Of profound gratitude toward
the public on my part, tinged only with
! the personal sorrow which accompanies
the announcement which ! feel com
PEELED now TO make.
During all the long companionshlp
which has existed between the organ
| izatiOn which | have had the honor TO
| lead and the public | have been met
with only expressions and the acts OF
kindness, encouragement and approval.
What change there has been in the
! relationship between the knelsel quar-
| tet and the public in all this time has
only been in the way Of mutual IN
crease ef appreciation and devotion TO
/ the form Of art which the quartet and
its patrons have been cultlvating.
There is nothing, | am sure, which the
lover of chamber music could have
! done differently at any time from the
l beginning of the Quartet's activities
| till now better calculated to stimulate
and encourage me and my associates to
| strive for the ideals which we set at
! the beginning of our efforts.
THE desire that the high standard
which has been before US from the
beginning should not be permitted 10
suffer depreciation has OF late years
J been a cause of great concern to me,
and the responsibility has become a
burden, so great a burden, indeed, that
have reluctantly come 70 the decision
TO end the career Of the Kneisel Quar-
tet with the last concert of this season.
Devote Time to Teaching
at is my purpose TO devote myself
hereafter largely to teaching, a work
! in which ] am deeply interested and
which ] have pursued during the past
twelve years at the Institute of Must
| cal Art, in addition to my labOrs with
the quartet. ! will now have the OPP
portunity 20 devote my whole strength
and interest to this important task.
! hoping thereby to serve my art as well
as heretofore. With what com
mingled feeling of regret and OF graft
tude.of regret for fond work aban-
doned, of associations broken Gin which
connection ! need only mention my
friend and colleague Of nearly a gen
Grafton. Mr.. Svecenskn and Of graft
tude toward an always kind, consider
ate. faithful and more than spprecia-
/ tive public, find IL impossible TO put
into words. ] must leave II all to the
| imagination, carrying the full appre-
citation in my own heart"
In April, 1907. there was expectation
that the Kneisel Quartet would be dis
| solved Mr. Schroeder. who had been
fourteen years the cello player, had
! indicated a desire TO return to Ger
many; Mr.. kneisel was i'll from over
work and did not relish the idea OF
I going to Europe 70 hunt a violoncello
/ PLAYER. all the less since the death Of
Mr.. Fritz Scheel had left the Phila-
delphia Orchestra without conductor
and the post had been offered to him.
There were days and weeks Of con-
sternation among the friends of the
organization, but the guarantors solved
the question by sending Mr.. kneisel 10
Europe. where he succeeded in finding
Mr.. Willeke. then solo violoncellst Of
the Vienna Opera Orchestra, who came
10 America, and has been member OF
the organization ever since. Mr. Schroe-
DER. who had thought that he wanted
again 10 live in Germany, changed his
mind in a year or two and came back
70 the happier life to which he had be
come accustomed. Since then he has
played chamber music with less dis
tinguished organizations.
Organized Thirty-two Years Ago
. The Kneisel Quartet was organized
in 1855 in Boston after Mr.. Kneisel
had been brought over by Mr.. Gericke
from the Bilse Orchestra, IN Berlin,
where he was cOncertmaster, 20 fill the
same position in the Boston Orchestra.
Major Higginson encouraged the cham
her music proposition and the first as
ISOLATION consisted Of Franz Kneisel.
first violin: +. Fielder. second violin
J.. SvecensM. viola who had also
been brought from Europe by Mr..
Gericke), and Fritz Giese, violoneello.
The first change which took place was
the substitution of Otto Roth for Mr.
Fielder in 1887. Anton Hekking took
Mr.. Giese's place in 1887 and Mr..
schroeder followed Mr.. Hekking in
1891. Karl Ondricek became Mr.. Roth's
successor in 1899. J. Theodoroics
Mr.. Ondricek's in 1892, Mr.. Roentgen
Mr.. Theodorocs a few years ago and
Mr.. Lett Mr.. Roentgen's at the lat
est reorganization. At the beginning
Of the war, in the summer OF 1914 Mr.
Z et1 was held up in Germany for a
mace while Mr. Samuel Gardner took
his place Mrs. Lett, being a sister oil
the wife Of DR.. Dernburg, twas ar
ranged through the latter gentlemans
interest 10 bring him back to America
and since then there has been no
change in the organization. when mas
TODD among the best in the world as
,nroeop.ntivcs of chamber music.