Franz Samohyl (3 April 1912 – 14 June 1999) was an Austrian violinist,

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

of the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

and academic teacher.

Life

Born in Vienna, Samohyl began his musical education in 1929 at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university located in Vienna, established in 1817. With a student body of over three thousa ...

with and continued these studies from 1931 after passing the Reifeprüfung. He attended

master class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

es for chamber music with Franz Mairecker from 1933 to 1935 and followed private studies with Ernst Morawec and

Arnold Rosé Arnold Josef Rosé (born ''Rosenblum''; 24 October 1863 – 25 August 1946) was a Romanian-born Austrian Jewish violinist. He was leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for over half a century. He worked closely with Brahms. Gustav Mahler was ...

. In 1930, he founded the Vienna Philharmonia Quartet,Salzburger Festspiele Archiv
/ref> with which he travelled abroad to England, Hungary, Italy and Germany. Samohyl was concertmaster of the

Vienna Chamber Orchestra The Vienna Chamber Orchestra (Wiener Kammer Orchester, or WKO) is an Austrian chamber orchestra based at the Vienna Konzerthaus. History The WKO was founded in 1946, and its first artistic directors were Franz Litschauer, Heinrich Hollreiser, ...

from 1932 and of the orchestra of the

Vienna Volksoper The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...

from 1934. From 1936, he was first violinist of the

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, serving as its concertmaster in 1947. From 1946 to 1982, he taught violin and viola at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts (now the

) and was

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Stringed Instruments Department from 1964 to 1972. In addition, he taught from 1964 to 1974 at the

Mozarteum University Salzburg Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...

. His students included Michael Frischenschlager, ,

Thomas Kakuska Thomas Kakuska (born Vienna; 25 August 1940 – 4 July 2005) was an Austrian viola player, best known as the violist of the Alban Berg Quartett from 1981 until his death in Vienna in 2005. Kakuska was a professor at the University of Music an ...

Bijan Khadem-Missagh Bijan Khadem-Missagh (; born 26 October 1948) is an Austrian violinist, composer and conductor of Iranian descent. He is the founder and was the artistic director of the International Chamber Music Festival until 2016. . Life and work Origin a ...

, ,

Rainer Küchl Rainer Küchl is an Austrian violinist who was born in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Austria, 25 August 1950. Background He started to play the violin at the age of 11, and was admitted to the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, at the age ...

, , Gerhard Schulz, René Staar and .

Awards

* 1946: Appointment as professor at the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst * 1965:

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (german: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the A ...

* 1966: Mozart Medal of the Mozartgemeinde Wien * 1970: Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst I. Klasse * 1972: Silver * 1976: Großes Silbernes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich * 1977: Nicolai Medal in Gold for outstanding services to the

* 1980: Silbernes Komturkreuz des Ehrenzeichens für Verdienste um das Bundesland Niederösterreich * 1982: Order of the Sacred Treasure * 1987: Goldenes * 1988: Goldene Ehrenmedaille of the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg

References

External links

Franz Samohyl im Personenlexikon der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek
retrieved 6 August 2021 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Samohyl, Franz Concertmasters of the Vienna Philharmonic Austrian music educators Austrian classical violinists Academic staff of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure 1912 births 1999 deaths Musicians from Vienna