Editing Adolf Busch

{{short description|German–Swiss violinist, conductor, and composer}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12890, Arthuro Toscanini und Adolf Busch.jpg|thumb|Busch, his wife and daughter, with [[Arturo Toscanini]] (wearing a hat)]]
'''Adolf Georg Wilhelm Busch''' (8 August 1891 – 9 June 1952) was a German-Swiss<ref name=HLS>{{HLS|26960|Busch, Adolf|author=Dominik Sackmann|date=2005-02-16}}</ref> [[violinist]], conductor, and composer.

== Life and career ==
Busch was born in [[Siegen]] in [[Province of Westphalia|Westphalia]]. He studied at the [[Cologne]] Conservatory with [[Willy Hess (violinist)|Willy Hess]] and [[Bram Eldering]]. His composition teacher was [[Fritz Steinbach]] but he also learned much from his future father-in-law [[Hugo Grüters]] in Bonn.

In 1912, Busch founded the [[Vienna]] Konzertverein Quartet, consisting of the principals from the [[Vienna Symphony Orchestra|Konzertverein orchestra]], which made its debut at the 1913 Salzburg Festival. After [[World War I]], he founded the [[Busch Quartet]], which from the 1920–21 season included Gösta Andreasson, violin, Karl Doktor, viola, and [[Paul Grümmer]], cello. The quartet was in existence with varying personnel until 1951.

The additional member of the circle was [[Rudolf Serkin]], who became Busch's duo partner at 18 and eventually married Busch's daughter, Irene, 1935 in Basel. The Busch Quartet and Serkin became the nucleus of the Busch Chamber Players, founded in Basel, a forerunner of modern chamber orchestras.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rehm, Wolfgang |title=Busch, Adolf Georg Wilhelm |journal=Neue Deutsche Biographie |volume=3 |date=1957 |page=58 |language=German |url=http://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd118876759.html |accessdate=2016-03-19}}</ref>

In 1927, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, Busch decided he could not in good conscience stay in Germany, so he emigrated to [[Basel]], Switzerland. Busch was not Jewish and was popular in Germany, but firmly opposed Nazism from the beginning. On 1 April 1933, he repudiated Germany altogether and in 1938, he boycotted Italy. As the Nazis tried to convince him to return to Germany, he declared that he would "return with joy on the day that Hitler, [[Goebbels]] und [[Göring]] are publicly hanged."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://onlineabo.siegener-zeitung.de/archivne/5285159 |title=Kein falscher Ton |trans-title=No wrong note |newspaper=Siegener Zeitung |date=24 December 2011 |page=20 |quote=«mit Freuden an dem Tag zurückkehren» werde, da «Hitler, Goebbels und Göring öffentlich gehängt» würden. }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1935, he became a Swiss citizen of [[Riehen]], Basel. During 12 years in Basel and besides his many concerts around the world, he founded a chamber orchestra in Basel, was a co-founder of the [[Lucerne Festival]] in 1938, together with Arturo Toscanini and his conducting brother [[Fritz Busch]], and taught many students in Basel, among them [[Yehudi Menuhin]].<ref name="HLS" /> On the outbreak of [[World War II]], Busch emigrated from Basel to the [[United States]] in 1939, where he eventually settled in [[Vermont]]. There, he was one of the founders with [[Rudolf Serkin]] of the [[Marlboro Music School and Festival]].

The Busch Quartet was particularly admired for its interpretations of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], and above all [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]. It made a series of recordings in the 1930s that included many of these composers' works for string quartet. In 1941, it set down three Beethoven quartets that it had not previously recorded, including Opus 130. The Busch Quartet never recorded the Grosse Fuge, Opus 133; an arrangement was recorded by the Busch Chamber Players, with Busch leading from the first violin desk.

Busch was a great soloist, as well as a chamber musician, and live recordings exist of him playing the Beethoven, Brahms, [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvorák]] and [[Ferruccio Busoni|Busoni]] Concertos, as well as the Brahms Double Concerto. In the studio he recorded concertos and chamber orchestra performances of Bach and Mozart, and of the Concerti grossi, op.6 by Handel; his recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos brought them to prominence<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics2/brandenburg.html|title=Classical Notes – Classical Classics – Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, By Peter Gutmann|work=classicalnotes.net|accessdate=2 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904113856/http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics2/brandenburg.html|archive-date=4 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> after many years of relative obscurity. He had a highly individual tone and great technique. Among his students were Stefi Geyer, Erica Morini and [[Yehudi Menuhin]].

As a composer, Busch was influenced by [[Max Reger]]. He was among the first to compose a Concerto for Orchestra, in 1929. A number of his compositions have been recorded, including the Violin Concerto (A minor, opus 20, published 1922),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-buch?apm=0&aid=1000001&bd=0001922&teil=0203&seite=00000187&zoom=2|title=Hofmeisters Monatsberichte|language=German|page=187|year=1922|accessdate=March 22, 2011}}</ref> String Sextet (G major, opus 40), Quintet for Saxophone and String Quartet, Violin Sonata No 2, Op. 56,<ref>Recorded live in 1946 at the [[Coolidge Auditorium]], Library of Congress with Rudolf Serkin. [http://www.musicweb-international.com/Classrev/2022/Sep/Busch-Serkin-PACM114.htm Pristine Audio PACM114 (2022)]</ref> Clarinet Sonata,<ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Sep/Busch-Marlboro-PACM115.htm 'Adolf Busch: the Composer', Pristine Audio PACM115 (2022)], reviewed at ''MusicWeb International''</ref> and several large scale works for organ.  Regarding the last, Busch once remarked that if he could come back after his death he would like to return as an organist.

He was the son of the [[luthier]] Wilhelm Busch; brother of the conductor [[Fritz Busch]], the cellist [[Hermann Busch]], the pianist Heinrich Busch and the actor Willi Busch, father in law of the pianist [[Rudolf Serkin]] and maternal grandfather of the pianist [[Peter Serkin]] and the cellist Judith Serkin. An exhaustive two-volume biography of Busch by Tully Potter was published in 2010 by Toccata Press <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toccatapress.com/books-just-out.html |title=Recently published titles from Toccata Press |work=toccatapress.com |accessdate=2 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304004722/http://www.toccatapress.com/books-just-out.html |archivedate=4 March 2012 }}</ref> In November 2015, Warner Classics released a 16-CD collection of Busch's recordings of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and other composers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warnerclassics.com/shop/3253410,0825646019311/adolf-busch-the-complete-warner-recordings|title=Warner Classics: Busch, Adolf: The Complete Warner Recordings|date=13 November 2015 |accessdate=21 November 2015}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Adolf Busch |sopt=t}}
* [http://www.angel.org/busch/anal/background.htm www.angel.org/busch/background.htm]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.max-reger-institut.de/media/busch_adolf_diskografie.pdf Adolf Busch Discography (pdf)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/@buschkollegium801 Performances of orchestral music by Adolf Busch performed by the Busch Kollegium Karlsruhe)]
* {{IMSLP|id=Busch, Adolf}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, Adolf}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1952 deaths]]
[[Category:German classical violinists]]
[[Category:Male classical violinists]]
[[Category:German male violinists]]
[[Category:Concertmasters]]
[[Category:German emigrants]]
[[Category:Immigrants to Switzerland]]
[[Category:People from Siegen]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Westphalia]]
[[Category:Immigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century German composers]]
[[Category:20th-century classical violinists]]
[[Category:20th-century German male musicians]]