Siegmund Nissel; Violinist For Amadeus String Quartet

Siegmund Nissel, 86, a German-born violinist with the Amadeus String Quartet, a much-recorded and admired chamber group that played both sides of the Atlantic for four decades, died May 21 at his home in London. The family did not disclose the cause of death.

The British-based quartet was formed in 1947 by lead violinist Norbert Brainin and violist Peter Schidlof, Austrians who had bonded over their love of music while in refugee camps in England during World War II.

"Sigi" Nissel, also an interned refugee, became second violinist, and British cellist Martin Lovett rounded out the group.

The Amadeus String Quartet gave more than 4,000 concerts and made about 200 recordings until it disbanded in 1987 after Schidlof's death. The quartet was distinguished by its warm, refined and consistently engaging interpretations of Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert and, of course, Mozart.

The group rarely made forays into modern works, a notable exception being Benjamin Britten's Third Quartet, which was written for the foursome.

Siegmund Walter Nissel was born Jan. 3, 1922, in Munich and was raised in Vienna after his mother died when he was 9. In Austria, he commenced serious study of the violin with a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a Jew, Mr. Nissel recognized early on the Nazi threat and was among the thousands of Jewish children evacuated to England on Kindertransport trains. His father also managed to flee to England before the war began.

The young musician was interned on the Isle of Man as an "enemy alien," and at one point a camp official threatened to put him aboard the Dunera, a Jewish refugee ship that made a famously miserable journey to an internment camp in Australia.

He told the Times of London in 1990, "The commanding officer said, 'You'll go at gunpoint.' I said, 'Try it,' and hid in the camp. I didn't go, thank God."

On the Isle of Man, Mr. Nissel befriended Schidlof, who had met Brainin at another camp. After the war, they all became students of violinist Max Rostal, a protege of esteemed Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch.

At first, the group performed as the Brainin String Quartet. But a few days before its London debut in January 1948, Mr. Nissel gave the quartet its permanent name in time for "Amadeus String Quartet" to go on the posters. So it remained for more than four decades, although to some it was jokingly called the "Wolf Gang."

Many ensembles are known for tensions, and the Amadeus quartet was no exception. Stories abounded about its members' personality clashes and deeply wounding criticisms. There were periodic threats among the musicians to walk out.

Even Mr. Nissel, long regarded as the diplomat of the four and who acted as de facto manager at times, once smashed his bow on a music stand in anger. Such behaviors were chronicled in the book "Married to the Amadeus: Life with a String Quartet," written by Mr. Nissel's wife of 51 years, Muriel Griffiths Nissel.

Besides his wife, of London, survivors include two children, Claire Nissel of Gloucestershire, England, and Daniel Nissel of Sussex, England, and three grandchildren.

After the string quartet disbanded, Mr. Nissel held teaching assignments at the Royal Academy of Music in London and other institutions. He was held in wide regard for his reminiscences about the legendary figures who had been a part of his life, including Britten and Polish-born pianist Mieczys{lstrok}aw Horszowski.

Regarded as an eloquent speaker, Mr. Nissel once compared the string quartet to a fine wine: "The cellist is the bottle. If the violin is the label, then the inner voices are the real wine."