Arnold Rosé facts for kids
Arnold Josef Rosé (born Rosenblum; 24 October 1863 – 25 August 1946) was an Austrian Jewish violin player. He was born in Romania. For over 50 years, he was the main leader (called the concertmaster) of the famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He worked closely with the composer Johannes Brahms. The famous composer Gustav Mahler was also his brother-in-law.
Even though he wasn't known worldwide as a solo player, Arnold Rosé was an amazing orchestra leader and played a lot of chamber music. Chamber music is played by a small group of instruments, like a string quartet. He led the famous Rosé Quartet for many years.
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Early Life and Music Training
Arnold Rosé was born in Iași, which is a city in modern-day Romania. His family saw that he and his three brothers were good at music. So, they moved to Vienna, Austria. In Vienna, his father started a successful business building carriages.
Arnold began learning music when he was seven years old. When he was ten, he joined the first violin class at the Vienna Conservatory. This is a special school for music. He learned from a teacher named Karl Heissler.
A Career in Vienna
Arnold Rosé first performed in public in 1879. In 1881, he played with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. Soon after, he became the main solo violinist and leader of the orchestra at the Vienna Court Opera. This orchestra was special because it played both in the opera house and in concert halls. Later, it became known as the Vienna Philharmonic. Arnold Rosé stayed as their leader for a very long time, until the 1930s.
Many people said he was the best orchestra leader of his time. Sir Adrian Boult, a famous conductor, called him “Europe’s greatest orchestral leader.” Arnold Rosé also played in many important recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic.
In 1882, he started the famous Rosé Quartet. This group was considered one of the best string quartets of its time. A string quartet is a group of four string players, usually two violins, a viola, and a cello. The other members of his quartet were Hummer (second violin), Sigismund Bachrich (viola), and Lohse (cello).
From 1893 to 1901, Rosé taught at the Vienna Conservatory. He returned to teach there again from 1908 to 1924. In 1888, he went on successful music tours in Romania and Germany. In 1889, he became the concertmaster at the Bayreuth Festival. This festival plays music by the composer Richard Wagner.
There is a famous story from a performance of Wagner’s Die Walküre. The orchestra started to get lost and almost stopped playing. Rosé stood up and led them confidently, bringing the orchestra back together. Gustav Mahler, who was watching, reportedly said: “Now there IS a concertmaster!”
Arnold Rosé and his brother Eduard both married sisters of Gustav Mahler. Gustav Mahler moved to Vienna in 1897. His sisters, Justine and Emma, joined him a year later. Eduard married Emma. Justine lived with Gustav and took care of his home. Soon, Arnold and Justine fell in love. They waited to get married until Gustav found a wife. In 1902, Gustav married Alma Schindler. The very next day, Arnold and Justine were married.
Life During Difficult Times
The Rosé family lived a good life in Vienna. They had two children: Alfred (born 1902), who became a pianist and conductor, and Alma (born 1906). Alma was a very successful violin player. Sadly, her career took a tragic turn. She ended up leading an orchestra of prisoners in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and died there.
Justine Rosé, Arnold's wife, passed away in August 1938. Arnold was very sad after her death. Life became very hard for Jewish people in Vienna because of the Nazis. Arnold could not stay there. Four weeks after Justine's death, he left Vienna and moved to England. He spent the last six years of his life there. He continued to play chamber music with friends. His last performances were in 1945, meaning his music career lasted over 65 years. After he learned that his daughter Alma had died, it was very difficult for him to continue his work.
In 1946, the Vienna Philharmonic wanted Arnold Rosé to come back as their concertmaster. But he said no. He knew that many members of the orchestra had been part of the Nazi party.
Arnold Rosé died peacefully in his sleep on August 25, 1946, at the age of 82.
Honours and Awards
Arnold Rosé received many awards for his musical talent. In 1890, he received a big award from King Ludwig II of Bavaria. When he turned 60, he was given the special title of “Hofrat,” which means Court Counsellor. This was a very high professional rank.
He also received many other awards from royal families in Austria, Spain, and Italy. The city of Vienna and the country of Austria also honored him. He was a member of the royal music group and had the special title of Royal and Imperial Court Musician. This meant he even had a royal carriage to take him to the opera! He also had his own fancy carriage to go to other concerts.
See also
In Spanish: Arnold Rosé para niños
- Alma Rosé
- Alfred Rosé, pianist, conductor
