Bohnke, Emil, 1888-1928

Emil Bohnke (11 October 1888 – 11 May 1928) was a German violist, composer and conductor active in Berlin. Born in Zduńska Wola near Łódź, Poland, Emil Bohnke was the son of textile manufacturer Ferdinand Bohnke. Bohnke taught for two years at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin.[1] In 1919, he married violinist Lilli von Mendelssohn (born 1897) of the Mendelssohn family and fathered three children, the youngest of which was pianist Robert-Alexander Bohnke (1927–2004). He was the violist of the Bandler Quartet and the Busch Quartet (1919–1921) led by Adolf Busch.[2] Bohnke played a 1699 viola by luthier Giovanni Grancino given to him by his father-in-law.[3] As conductor, he headed the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra (1923–1926) and succeeded Oscar Fried as principal conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in 1926.[1] In May 1928, Bohnke and his wife were in Pasewalk in search of a summer home when they had an automobile accident and, tragically, both were killed.