Eduard Melkus

Eduard Melkus ( born September 1, 1928 in Baden near Vienna) is an Austrian violinist and violist.

Life and work

Eduard Melkus studied violin at Ernst Moravec and 1951-1953 musicology with Erich Schenk, at the University of Vienna. More violin studies followed in Paris at Firmin Touche, in Zurich at Alexander Schaichet and Peter Rybar. He devoted himself immediately after the Second World War the study of historical performance practice and founded in 1952 inspired by Josef Mertin, with Gustav Leonhardt and Karl log the " Schola Antiqua Vienna " from the 1965 " Capella Academica Wien", with which he still occurs, emerged. Melkus was a member of the viola da gamba quartet founded in 1949 in Vienna and also belonged to the inner circle of musicians Alice and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. He worked in his early years with the precursors and variations of the violin, the rebec, the lira da braccio or viola d' amore.

Numerous concerts, LP and CD recordings of more than 200 works of the late 17th through the late 18th century, with its " Capella Academica Wien" or the French harpsichordist Huguette Dreyfus opened to him a worldwide audience.

Eduard Melkus from 1958 until his retirement in 1996, professor of violin, baroque violin, viola and historical performance practice at the Vienna Academy of Music. In addition, he took over in 1982 the management of the Institute for Viennese Sound Style. In 1978 he took over the musical direction of an opera production at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

A particular merit Melkus ' is connected with the study of the development of free embellishment of the music of the early 18th century. In numerous writings and master classes he gave these findings further.

Outside of the historical subject area in 1962, he brought the violin concerto dedicated to him, Op 84 by Egon Wellesz premiered.