JAVS Fall 2005

- Harry, born after

ly. They were always fuss ing over Joseph. I didn't mind at all. I was delighted to be left alone." It was Kneisel who convinced her to play viola in the Marianne Kneisel Q uarter, an al l-female su·ing quar tet that was short- lived. Fuchs's love was still the violin, bur with her pl aying viola in the Marianne Kneisel Quarter and later in the Perole Q uartet, c. 1927, her viola career became solidified and per manenr. As violis t, she played much cham ber music with well-known musi cians, including Jascha Heifetz and Mischa Elman. The author tells an amusing sro ry ofher reading through the Brahms B-Aat Quartet with Elman. Fuchs noticed that Elman did nor usc a mu te in rhe third movement - rhe one with the big viola solo. When Miss Fuchs asked Elman why he was not using a mute, "Elman was noticeably offended by rl1e quest ion, because he always assumed his ftrsr violin parr to be the most important. Instead of discussing the situation or excusing his failure ro play 'con sordino,' Elman simply gathered up the parts, put them away, and chose another score for the four of them ro read." Musical Art (forerw1ner of the Juilliard School), Franz Kneisel, T he Perole Q uartet, her brother Joseph, her husband Ludwig Stein , and Rosalie and Edgar Levenrritt, great patrons of music whose home on Park Avenue in Manhattan served as the site for Miss Fuchs' legendary weelJy The inAucnces on her musical career were many: rhe Institute of

her in 1908 and Joseph, born in 1900. Both brorhers wou ld pur sue success ful musical careers Hany as a profess ional cel list (he was principal cellist in the Cleveland O rchestra for some years) and Joseph who would become an outstandi ng violin virtu

1950 portrait' by Zajbiff Anderson. Used by permission.

oso, soloist,

as both chamber musician and soloist, her al liances with com posers who wrote some fine viola music for her, nnd her last years. Over the course of this book, the reader is raken from Miss Fuchs's birth on November 18, 1902 (not 1903 as repo rted in the NY Times obitua1y notice) ro Philip and Kate Weiss Fuchs tO her death ar rhe nge of 92 in 1995. Her father was a fu rrier by trade, bur also an an1a teur violinist who gave free violin lessons ro largely poor, Jewish chi l dren in the Bronx. One of his pupils, earmarked early as unusual ly talented, was Sascha Jacobsen who wou ld become a well-known violinist in his generation and flrsr violinist in The Musical Arts Quartet. Lillian had two brothers

concertmaster (Cleveland

O rchestra) , teacher, and chamber musician. The three sibli ngs col laborated on some impressive recordings of chamber works of Beethoven, Mozart, Martinu and orher composers. Lillian's first instrument was the piano, but she soon changed over ro violin. Both Joseph and Lillian studied ar rhe Institute of Musical Art - first with Louis Svecenski and later wirh with Franz Kneisel, renowned Roumanian/Yienncsc violinist, teacher and leader of the Kneisel String Quarter. Li ll ian Fuchs was quoted in her obi tuary as having said , "I just developed quietly because nobody paid any arrcnrion to me, even in my fa mi

JOURNAL QF "'[HE AMERI ' 1\N VIOLA SOCir=:.-....r:..._Y:_______ 56