Hugo Kortschak
Hugo Kortschak (28 February 1884 – 19 September 1957) was an Austrian-born American violinist and a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1907 until 1914 (serving as assistant concertmaster from 1910 until 1914), founding member of the Berkshire String Quartet and Dean of Music at Yale University. His son was the plant physiologist Hugo P. Kortschak. The Berkshire String Quartet was founded when music patroness Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge persuaded Kortschak to move his quartet from Chicago to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where its members could focus exclusively on chamber music. In his youth Kortschak was a member of the Pozniak-Trio founded by the Polish Pianist Bronislaw Pozniak (de). Kortschak was an owner of several fine violins, including:
Kortschak was an influential teacher in Chicago, Illinois. Ruth Scott Miller, the first female music critic of the Chicago Tribune, studied violin with Kortschak between 1912 and 1915, first in Chicago and then Berlin. She credited Kortschak and conductor Frederick Stock for inspiring her to become a concert violinist. Kortschak was a key figure in organizing the Berkshire Chamber Music Festival founded by Coolidge. The original Berkshire String Quartet disbanded sometime after 1941. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Graz, Died September 19, 1957 (Honolulu)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923
Roles Represented in DAHR: violin
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh | S-71339 | 10-in. | March 1923 | Souvenir | Hugo Kortschak ; Justin Ring | Violin solo, with piano | instrumentalist, violin | |
| OKeh | S-71340 | 10-in. | March 1923 | Humoresque | Hugo Kortschak ; Justin Ring | Violin solo, with piano | instrumentalist, violin |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kortschak, Hugo," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109378.
Kortschak, Hugo. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109378.
"Kortschak, Hugo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Kortschak, Hugo, 1884-1957 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no92019888
Wikidata: Hugo Kortschak - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q15998988
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/14338388
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1508822 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1508822
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