Fritz Kurzweil

Born:	10-20-1912
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Fritz KURZWEIL, born on October 20th, 1912 in Vienna had already finished his studies in conducting at the Academy of Music Vienna and worked as a private piano teacher, founded a youth orchestra, also headed the "Wiener Konzertorchester" and had also finished all the lectures for his musicology studies at the University of Vienna before the so called "Anschluss" in March 1938. So he wasn't enrolled at the Philosophical School any more in 1938, but was preparing for the final exams ('Rigorosen'). He registered for the final exams in Musicology on June 30th, 1938 and passed the first 'Rigorosum' on July 6th, 1938. His dissertation 'Die Harmonik als formbildendes Element bei Johannes Brahms. (Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Sonatenform)' was accepted on June 30th, 1938, and he also passed the second 'Rigorosum' on July 2nd, 1938. He could finally finish his studies in Vienna and graduated on July 21st, 1938, but only with the discriminating ceremony of a 'Nichtarierpromotion', which included at the same time that he was banned from his profession. He could emigrate to the USA in 1938 and started to work as a music teacher and conductor at the Settlement Music School, Philadelphia, was Musical Director at the Chicago Opera and the Philadelphia Choral Society und went to the US-Army in 1943.

Lit: Archive of the University of Vienna, 'Rigorosenprotokoll' Philosophical School 1931-1945, Nr. 2832, Horst Weber et al. (ed.), Quellen zur Geschichte emigrierter Musiker 1933–1950 | Sources relating to the History of Émigré Musicians 1933–1950, vol. 2: New York., (K.G.Saur Verlag) Munich 2005; The Star and Sentinel (Gattysburg, PA) vom 8. Dezember 1945, 4 [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2241&dat=19451208&id=bY0lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vfIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2205,3366122]; http://www.ww2enlistment.org/index.php?page=directory&rec=4124236

Herbert Posch