Adolf Busch (1891-1952) was one of the great Beethoven players of the first half of the twentieth century, particularly in his partnership with the pianist Rudolf Serkin. Busch was taught first by his father, an instrument repairer and builder. He studied in Cologne with Willy Hess, who had been taught by his own father, a pupil of the great violinist-composer Spohr, and by Joseph Joachim. In 1912 he became leader of the Vienna Konzertverein Orchestra and formed the Konzertverein Quartet, with Fritz Rothschild, Paul Doktor and P.Grümmer. His association with the younger Serkin, who later became his son-in-law, led to the foundation in 1926 of the Busch-Serkin Trio, with his brother Hermann as cellist. From 1933 until 1949 Busch refused to play in Germany, and in 1935 founded his chamber orchestra in England, settled for a time in Switzerland and then moved to the United States. As a duo Busch and Serkin played from memory, avoiding the distraction of page-turners.
