The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Kneisel, Franz

KNEISEL, nī'zĕl or knī'zĕl, Franz, German-American musician: b. Rumania, 26 Jan. 1865. He was a pupil in violin-method of Grün and Hellmesberger, became concert-master of the orchestra at Hofburg Theatre of Vienna, of Bilse's orchestra at Berlin, and later (1885) of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He appeared prominently with the Symphony as solo violinist and in 1886 organized under his leadership the Kneisel quartet for chamber-music, in which he played the first violin part. This quartet, all of whom were also members of the Symphony, withdrew from the latter in 1903 to undertake an extensive tour. Several European tours were undertaken with success. He removed to New York where since 1905 he is chief of the violin department of the Institute of Musical Art. He was member of the jury of the violin competition at the Paris Conservatory, He received the degree of Mus.D. from Yale in 1911 and from Princeton in 1915. He has compiled ‘The Kneisel Collection for Violin and Piano’ (3 vols., 1900) and composed ‘Advanced Studies for the Violin’ (1910) and a concert etude.