Louis Svečenski

Louis Svečenski (6 November 1862 – 1926) was an American violist, violinist, and music educator of Croatian birth.

Born in Osijek, Svečenski studied the viola at the Vienna Conservatory before moving to Boston, Massachusetts in 1885. He was a founding member of the famous Kneisel Quartet and besides Franz Kneisel was the only original member to play with the quartet during its entire history from 1885–1917.^[1] He also played in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 18 years (1885–1903), serving variously as a violist and violinist. He taught for several years at the Juilliard School and was one of the original faculty members at the Curtis Institute of Music (1924–1926). Some of his notable pupils include conductor and violinist Robert Talbot,^[2] and violist and composer Carlton Cooley.^[3]

Pedigogical works

• 25 Technical Exercises for Viola (1917)
• Preparatory Exercises on the Violin for the Trill, the Vibrato and the Staccato, Preceded by Corrective Studies for the First and Fourth Fingers (1922)
• Specialized Exercises for Violin in Shifting and in Crossing the Strings (1923)

References