Paul Schnurrbusch

Paul Schnurrbusch with violin 1911

Paul Gustav Schnurrbusch (born May 17, 1884 in Gesau near Glauchau , Saxony , † July 12, 1973 in Darmstadt ) was a German violinist and concert master at the Landestheater Darmstadt . He was also known through the Schnurrbusch Quartet he founded in 1919. He owned several violins, including a Grancino by the Milanese violin maker Giovanni Battista Grancino .

Life, family

Paul Schnurrbusch was born as the child of master weaver Eduard Gustav Schnurrbusch and Alma Therese, née Tröber. The parents made it possible for the interested and talented child to take violin lessons. Paul Schnurrbusch was at the Conservatory in Dresden recorded and studied with Henri Petri violin and Dresecke harmony. At the age of 22 he received the violin prize as a special honor when he graduated from the conservatory. Paul Schnurrbusch left Dresden to belong to the orchestra of the court theater in Weimar for four years . In 1911 he was committed to the then Grand Ducal Court Theater in Darmstadt as 1st violinist, and was appointed concertmaster in 1913.

Paul Schnurrbusch was a member of the State Theater Orchestra until his retirement in 1949. He made a name for himself not only as the leading violinist in the orchestra, but also as a soloist. As concertmaster he played under the conductors Weingartner, Balling, Böhm and Rosenstock . He was particularly known as a Beethoven interpreter.

In 1915 he married Margarethe Elisabeth Diedrich. Her father Albert Gustav Diedrich (violinist, general music director), her sister Dora Margarete (concert pianist, taught at the Mozart Conservatory) and her niece Marga (concert pianist) were also at home in the world of music - they all lived in the apartment building on Kiesstrasse in Darmstadt. Paul and Margarethe Schnurrbusch had a daughter together, Ilse Alma. After many years the couple separated.

In his second marriage, Paul Schnurrbusch lived with Else Marquard until he was old. Both lived on the Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt. After their apartment was destroyed in the war, they moved to Hochstraße. The relatives, some of whom were in the house on Kiesstrasse, all died in the night of the fire on September 11, 1944.

Schnurrbusch Quartet

Paul Schnurrbusch on his 80th birthday

After the end of the war, Paul Schnurrbusch was one of the first artists to take part in the cultural reconstruction of Darmstadt. The state theater was destroyed, and artists and musicians, among others, had to obtain special permits from the US military government for public appearances. Paul Schnurrbusch's quartet was given permission to perform a chamber music event on October 27, 1945. In addition, there was permission to perform a symphony concert on December 8, 1945 with the orchestra of the Landestheater under the direction of Fritz Straub and Paul Schnurrbusch as a soloist. Before the Hessian State Theater was destroyed, the Schnurrbusch Quartet played in the Small House. There were performances such as "The Complete String Quartets of Beethoven" with the participation of Paul Schnurrbusch, Alfred Fillsack, Willy Horn and Hans Andrä. The quartet had made a name for themselves beyond the city limits. In addition to the excellent interpretation of classical works, modern and contemporary music were also part of the program. In the Hans Simon archive there is an entry about a world premiere of one of his works (Opus 04: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra) with the participation of the Schnurrbusch Quartet.

Special guests, memory of an incident

There is a little story that happened in the Schnurrbusch house when Yehudi Menuhin was a guest. When he was about 13, Menuhin was on a concert tour in Europe with the conductor Bruno Walter . Among other things, they made stops in Darmstadt, where Paul Schnurrbusch was concertmaster. Menuhin, who was admired as a child prodigy, was a guest in the Schnurrbusch house and he was enthusiastic about the presence of Ilse Schnurrbusch, who was only a year younger. Because, as he said, he was constantly dealing with adults and that was boring. After a short time, Yehudi and Ilse were racing around the festively set dining table.

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• State Archives Darmstadt, theater personnel file G 55 No. 556.
• Darmstadt City Archives, Paul Schnurrbusch Archives, press articles.
• University and State Library Darmstadt, Hans Simon archive.
• The biography "Menuhin" by Humphrey Burton, Piper 2004, ISBN 3-492-24035-6 .
• Documents from the estate of Paul and Else Schnurrbusch.
• Stories by Paul and Else Schnurrbusch.
• Documents and stories from Paul Schnurrbusch's daughter Ilse Kranz née Schnurrbusch.
• Octavia Hanel, granddaughter of Paul Schnurrbusch.