Kunwald, Ernst b.April 14, 1869;Vienna,Austria d. December 12, 1939;Vienna,Austria
Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1912 to 1917. Although always a student of piano, Kunwald followed his father’s career, obtaining a law degree from the University of Vienna.
Forsaking law, he turned his attention to music, beginning as an opera conductor at Rostock in 1895. Kunwald conducted in Sondershausen, Essen, Halle, Madrid, and Frankfurt am Main, before reaching Berlin and its prominent stage. He became second conductor to the Berlin Philharmonic in 1907 and served in the post until 1912. Facing Leopold Stokowski’s resignation, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra turned to Ernst Kunwald, hiring him in the summer of 1912. He received an enthusiastically positive reception from the Cincinnati public, in particular from members of the board such as the Taft family. Kunwald returned the accolades by elevating the orchestra to new heights. He took the group on extensive tours of the eastern United States and obtained a recording contract from Columbia records, a rare honor in the early days of recordings.As an Austrian citizen, Kunwald made no secret of his pride for his homeland, as well as Germany, where he had spent many years. He never denied offering words of support for Germany and Austria prior to the entry of the United States into the First World War. Such comments were not considered odd among the heavily German population of Cincinnati. When the United States entered the war, Kunwald’s comfortable position began to deteriorate. Like most orchestras, Cincinnati’s began playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to its concerts. When he directed the national anthem for the first time after the United States declared war on Germany, Kunwald was alleged to have said, “You all know where my heart and sympathy lie. They are on the other side with my own country but I will play your anthem for you” (memo to the U.S.
Attorney General from J. Edgar Hoover dated December 19, I9i7). He was charged, in addition, with refusing to direct an encore of “The Star- Spangled Banner.”Kunwald’s position became more volatile in late 1917. Authorities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, refused to allow Kunwald to direct the Cincinnati Symphony in an engagement scheduled for the city. The conductor had submitted his resignation two weeks prior to the Pittsburgh performance, because he believed that attacks on him would damage the symphony’s reputation and prospects. At first, the symphony’s board refused to fall prey to public pressure and rejected his offer of resignation. On December 8, 1917, U.S. marshals arrested Kunwald on suspicion of being an alien enemy and detained him at the Montgomery County jail in Dayton, Ohio. Kunwald consistently maintained that he had done nothing wrong and had committed no disloyal act against the United States. Suspicion about Kunwald was strong, especially because he had served in the Austrian army prior to coming to the United States. Surprisingly, the conductor was released from custody after only one day in jail. He returned to Cincinnati, where his resignation was accepted by the symphony board.
Kunwald’s freedom was short lived, because he was again arrested on January 12, 1918, by federal authorities, who hastily shipped him to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, for internment. Kunwald’s internment was due to alleged disloyal comments that he made after the United States entered the war; he was never implicated in any pro-German movement. Internment at Oglethorpe was exceedingly difficult for the conductor. He was removed from his musical life and forced to endure the hot and humid climate. Perhaps most trying for him was having to deal with fellow internee Karl Muck, the famous conductor of the Boston Symphony, whom he despised.
Release did not occur until June 3, 1919. Kunwald and his wife immediately left the United States for Austria. Although never returning to America, Kunwald enjoyed a prominent career in Europe conducting from 1920 to 1927 at Konigsberg and leading the Berlin Symphony from 1928 to 1931.
Robert B. McCormick
See also Hammerstein, Oscar, I; Muck, Karl; Music (American), German Influence on; World War I and German Americans
References and Further Reading
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra: Centennial Portraits. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 1994.
Thomas, Louis Russell. A History of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to 1931. PhD Diss. University of Cincinnati, 1972.