Felix Weir

Felix Weir (1884-1978) was an active African-American violinist during the early 20th century. He was a prominent performer, winning recognition for his virtuosity at a young age. He studied at the Chicago Musical College and the Conservatory at Leipzig, Germany (known today as the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig).

Weir remained an active performer throughout his life, most actively in the 1920s and 1930s when he notably performed with the Clef Club orchestras and in Broadway theatre musicals. He is particularly known for his collaboration with cellist Leonard Jeter (1881-1970) and eventually Jeter’s sister Olyve, a pianist. In about 1914, Weir and Leonard Jeter founded the American String Quartet, later renamed the Negro String Quartet.

Weir was also a devoted teacher, teaching music in public schools.

References

Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Black Americans. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-03843-2.