Felix Galimir

Felix Galimir ( born May 12, 1910 in Vienna, † November 10, 1999 in New York City ) was an American violinist of Austrian origin, who gained wide importance, especially as a chamber musician and teacher.

Life

Felix Galimir was born to Sephardic Jewish parents in Vienna. He received early music lessons Like its sibling. At twelve, he began his studies at the New Vienna Conservatory with Adolf Bak ( violin ) and Simon Pullman ( Chamber Music ). Together with his sisters Adrienne, Marguerite and Renée he founded in 1927 the Galimir Quartet. This developed - under the special promotion of Simon Pullman - soon to be an excellent, specializing in contemporary music ensemble. After the Conservatory 's degree and attending a summer course at the Carl Flesch in Baden Baden (1929 ), the siblings began with an intense concert activity. She toured throughout Europe and among other things, to Egypt.

Mainly belonged to the repertoire of Galimirs works by composers of the Second Viennese School ( Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton von Webern, etc.), but also those of other contemporary composers. In Pullman's initiative they worked early Alban Berg's Lyric Suite as difficult playable force. For their first album played (1935 ), the quartet Galimir the Grand Prix du Disques received. Previously, Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F major, and Darius Milhaud's String Quartet 7, respectively, under the guidance of the composer have been recorded for the first time on record.

Except as chamber musician Felix Galimir was temporarily but is also involved in various orchestras, so the Volksoper Orchestra, or when, founded by Hermann Scherchen Vienna Concert Orchestra. A definite position with the Vienna Philharmonic failed 1936 - despite reclaimed selection - at the anti-Semitic attitude of orchestra members and the Executive Board.

Invited by Bronislaw Huberman to play as first violinist in the newly founded Palestine Orchestra, Felix Galimir therefore emigrated to Palestine in the same year, which simultaneously marked the end of the sibling quartet. A new firm ( among others with his sister Renée ) in Tel Aviv was fated not last long, because in 1938 joined Felix Galimir the more migration to the USA.

From 1939 he played in, led by Arturo Toscanini NBC Symphony Orchestra in New York. This he belonged until 1954 as concertmaster, interrupted only by his service in the U.S. Army. Soon he founded now again a new Galimir quartet, which celebrated in different occupation until 1993 successes.

In the early 1950s began Felix Galimir but also his fruitful activity as a teacher of violin and chamber music he practically until his death exercised with enthusiasm. So at the City College of New York (1953-1975), the Marlboro Summer College in Vermont ( since 1954) and partially in parallel at the Juilliard School of Music in New York ( 1963 ), at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (from 1972 ) and at the Mannes College of Music in New York ( 1975 ).

Felix Galimir died in 1999 at the age of 89 years. The many it has since dedicated a memorial and tribute events and competitions make his formative influence significantly on several generations of instrumentalists and ensembles in the United States.