Busch Adolf Georg Wilhelm, *8 August 1891 Siegen, †9 June 1952 Guilford (Vermont, USA), brother of Fritz, German violinist and composer. From 1902 to 1908 he studied violin at the Cologne Conservatory under W. Hess, B. Eldering, and F. Steinbach, and then in 1909, composition in Bonn under H. Grüters. In 1912, he took up the position of concertmaster in the Konzertvereins-Orchester in Vienna. In 1918, he taught violin at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. In 1919, he founded the famous string quartet (Busch-Quartett). He also performed in a piano trio with R. Serkin and H. Busch, his brother, and as a soloist. In 1927, he settled in Riehen near Basel (where Y. Menuhin was his student), and in 1939 he emigrated to America. Busch was a highly regarded soloist and chamber musician, especially in the performance of music by Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. He composed Symphony in E minor, Op. 38, Capriccio for small orchestra, Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 20, Piano Concerto, Op. 31, numerous violin miniatures, chamber music, organ works, songs, and others. He published J.S. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (1919). He recorded for RCA Victor with R. Serkin, his quartet, and a chamber orchestra.
Literature: J. Szigeti Adolf Busch in memoriam, “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” 1967, no. 3.
