Hugo Kortschak was an Austrian-born American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 violinist who was the assistant concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony from 1908 to 1916, founding member of the Berkshire String Quartet

Berkshire String Quartet

The Berkshire String Quartet was an American classical chamber group founded and funded in 1916 at the height of World War I by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. The quartet, originally, was the Kortschak String Quartet, named for Hugo Kortschak , assistant concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony from...

, and Dean of Music at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

.

The Berkshire String Quartet was founded when music patroness Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge

Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge

Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge aka Liz Coolidge , born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and patron of music, especially of chamber music....

 persuaded Kortschak to move his quartet from Chicago to Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...

, where its members could focus exclusively on chamber music.

Kortschak was an owner of several fine violins, including:

• In 1914: a Joseph Guarnerius violin, once the property of the Crown Treasurer of Spain; and
• Period of ownership unknown: Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, 1739c
• From 1925 to 1957: a 1698 Stradivarius
  Stradivarius
  The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
  
   violin, once owned by Joseph Joachim
  Joseph Joachim
  Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
  
  

Kortschak was a key figure in organizing the Berkshire Chamber Music Festival founded by Coolidge. The original Berkshire String Quartet disbanded sometime after 1941.

Honors

Kortschak is a recipient of the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal for "eminent services to chamber music."