1830 TO 1850.
One of the most noticeable features of the biography of the violin
virtuoso is that he invariably displays great talent at an early age and
plays in public at any time from eight to twelve years old. There are
doubtless more who do this than are ever heard of at a later day, for
the idea of the infant phenomenon is alluring. The way of the violinist
is hard. He has many years of study and self-denial before him, if he is
to excel as a musician. Therefore the infant who can be exploited in
such a manner as to make money provides for his future education, unless
hard work or flattery kill him physically or intellectually before he is
ripe. Many prodigies sink into oblivion,--some few rise to celebrity.
It will be noticed that the violinists who played in public while very
young have invariably settled down afterward to serious study, and at a
more mature age have thus been able to take their place in the musical
world.
Year by year, too, the demands upon the violinist have been greater. A
virtuoso is judged rather by the standard of Beethoven's concerto than
by his ability to perform musical gymnastics with operatic selections.
Nevertheless, it is a fact that many of the best known violinists were
those who catered to the taste of the multitude, while many better
musicians have been comparatively unknown.
Among celebrated violinists few have led more romantic or adventurous
lives than Edouard Remenyi, whose name is not yet forgotten in this
country. Born at Hewes, in Hungary, in 1830, he possessed the restless
spirit of his race, fought in the insurrection of 1848, escaped to the
United States when the insurrection was crushed, but was received into
favour again a few years later, on his return to his native land.
From his twelfth to his fifteenth year he studied the violin at the
Vienna Conservatoire under Böhm, who was also the teacher of Joachim. In
1848 he became adjutant to the distinguished General Görgey, and fought
under Kossuth and Klapka in the war with Austria. Then came the flight
to America, where he made a tour as a virtuoso, but in 1853 he visited
Weimar, and sought out Franz Liszt, who at once recognised his genius
and became his friend and guide.
In 1854 he went to London and was appointed solo violinist in the
queen's band, but when in 1860 he obtained his amnesty and returned to
Hungary he was created solo violinist in the band of the Emperor of
Austria.
His restless disposition would not allow him to remain long in one
place, and in 1865 he once more began to travel. He visited Paris,
where he created a perfect furore, and then continued his triumphant
course through Germany, Holland, and Belgium. After settling in Paris
for about two years, he returned in 1877 to London, where he repeated
his Parisian successes, appearing, as in Paris, chiefly in the salons of
wealthy patrons. During this visit to London he appeared in public only
once, at Mapleson's benefit at the Crystal Palace, when he played a
fantasia on themes from the "Huguenots." The following year he went once
more to the United States, and on his way played at the promenade
concerts in London. In America he remained for some years, and then
proceeded in 1887 to the Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar. While on this
voyage it was reported that his ship was wrecked and that he was
drowned, and numerous obituary notices of him appeared in the newspapers
throughout the world.
In 1891 he was once more in London, and played at the house of the late
Colonel North, "the Nitrate King." He now returned to the United States,
where he passed the remainder of his days. His powers were, however,
failing, and other violinists had brought new and perhaps higher
interest to American audiences.
When Remenyi visited the United States in 1878, he arrived a few weeks
after Wilhelmj, and notwithstanding the fact that the two violinists
were widely different in temperament, ideas, musicianship, in fact in
every particular, they were frequently made the subjects of comparison.
At this time Remenyi played an "Otello Fantaisie," "Suwanee River,"
"Grandfather's Clock," etc. He was well sketched in a journal of the
time, which said:
"Remenyi is gifted with a vivacious, generous, rather mocking
disposition which rebels against monotony, and whose originality
shines through everything, and in spite of everything. He is
fluent in five or six languages, and entertains with droll
conceits, or with reminiscences of famous artists and composers....
In the wild rhythms of the gypsy dance, in the fierce splendour of
the patriotic hymn, the player and audience alike are fired with
excitement. The passion rises, the tumult waxes furious; a
tremendous sweep of the bow brings the music to an end; and then we
can say that we have heard Remenyi."
The gypsy dance and the patriotic hymn! And yet he was weighed in the
balance with Wilhelmj, who played the grandest and best music in the
most refined, musicianly manner, and whose tour in America marked an
epoch in the musical life of the country.
In his prime Remenyi was the master of an enormous technique, and the
possessor of a strongly pronounced poetic individuality. His whole soul
was in his playing, and his impulse carried him away with it as he
warmed to his task, and it carried the audience too. His greatest
success was in the playing of Hungarian music, some of which he adapted
for his instrument, but the stormier pieces of Chopin which he arranged
for the violin were given by him with tremendous effect. In the more
tender pieces, such as the nocturnes of Field and of Chopin, he played
with the utmost dreaminess.
His individuality showed in his playing. He was impulsive and
uncertain,--a wandering musician, who, when the whim took him, would
disappear from public view altogether. When he made a success in any
place his restless nature would not allow him to follow it up, so that
when his prime was past, instead of having formed connections which
should have lasted him for the rest of his life, he was still the
wandering musician, but without the marvellous powers which he had
wielded only a few years before.
During his long career he toured Australia and almost all the islands of
the Pacific, also Java, China, and Japan; in fact, he went where few,
if any, violinists of his ability had been before.
Once upon a time the representative of a London newspaper went to
interview Remenyi, and was surprised to find that the violinist was not
only willing to tell him much, but even proposed questions which he
should answer. He said that he had played in the 60's before the natives
of South Africa, and had been shipwrecked, after which he had the
pleasure of reading some very fine obituary notices. In New Zealand he
found the Maoris perfectly reckless in their demand for encores, and
instead of playing six pieces, as announced on his programmes, he
frequently had to play sixteen.
In South Africa he discovered thirty out of his collection of
forty-seven old and valuable violins. Most of them were probably the
property of the Huguenots, who after the edict of Nantes went to Holland
and thence to South Africa, to which place they were banished by the
Dutch government.
It was related by Remenyi that when he was a young man in Hamburg, in
1853, he was to appear at a fashionable soirée one night, but at the
last moment his accompanist was too ill to play. Remenyi went to a music
store and asked for an accompanist. The proprietor sent Johannes Brahms,
then a lad of sixteen, who was struggling for existence and teaching for
a very small sum. Remenyi and Brahms became so interested in each other
that they forgot all about the soirée, and sat up till four the next
morning chatting and playing together. Remenyi's negligence of his
engagement resulted in the loss of any further business in Hamburg, and
together with Brahms he set out for Hanover, giving concerts as they
went, and thus earning sufficient funds to carry them on their way.
At Hanover they called upon Joachim, who arranged for them to play
before the court. After this they proceeded to the Altenberg to see
Liszt, who received them warmly, and offered them a home. During all
this time Brahms received little or no recognition, in spite of
Remenyi's enthusiasm in his cause, neither did he find very much favour
with Liszt, although the latter recognised his talent. He therefore
returned to Hanover, where Joachim gave him a letter to Schumann, and it
was Schumann's enthusiastic welcome and declaration that a new genius
had arisen that established Brahms's reputation in musical circles.
Remenyi said that Brahms, shortly after his arrival at the Altenberg,
offended Liszt and his pupils by comfortably sleeping during one of the
famous lessons, which were in the nature of a general class. This breach
of manners Brahms justified on the score of being exhausted by his
previous journey.
The death of Remenyi, which occurred on May 15, 1898, created a
sensation throughout the country. He had, after many misgivings,
consented to appear in "vaudeville." The financial inducement was large,
and he soothed his artistic conscience with the argument that his music
would tend to elevate the vaudeville rather than that the vaudeville
would tend to degrade him. It was at the Orpheus Theatre in San
Francisco, and it was his first appearance. He played one or two
selections, and being tremendously applauded, and correspondingly
gratified, he returned and answered the encore with the well-known "Old
Glory." He was in his best vein, and played as one inspired. The
audience literally rose with him, leaving their seats in their
excitement, and the applause lasted several minutes. He came forward,
and in response to another burst of applause commenced to play Delibes's
"Fizzicati." He had played but a few measures when he leaned over as if
to speak to one of the musicians in the orchestra. He paused a moment,
and then fell slowly forward on his face. One of the musicians caught
him before he touched the stage, and thus prevented his rolling off. All
was over.
Remenyi left a widow, a son, and a daughter, who lived in New York. His
health had been failing for some time, for in 1896, for the first time
in thirty years, he had, while in Davenport, Iowa, been compelled to
cancel all his engagements and rest. It is said that Remenyi's real name
was Hoffmann.
The name of Miska Hauser is seldom mentioned in these days, and yet it
was once known all over the world. No virtuoso of his time travelled
more extensively, and few created more enthusiasm than did Hauser. He
was born in Pressburg, Hungary, in 1822, and became a pupil of Böhm and
of Mayseder at Vienna, also of Kreutzer and Sechter. He is said to have
acquired more of Mayseder's elegant style and incisive tone than of the
characteristics of his other teachers, but his talent was devoted to the
acquisition of virtuoso effects, which appeal to the majority rather
than to the most cultivated.
As a boy of twelve Hauser made an extensive and successful concert tour.
In 1840 he toured Europe, and ten years later went to London, and thence
to the West Indies and the United States, where he made quite a
sensation, and was a member of Jenny Lind's company. He afterwards
visited San Francisco, where he got himself into difficulties on account
of Lola Montes. Then he went to South America, visiting Lima, where
passionate creoles languished for him, Santiago, where a set of fanatics
excited the mob against him, declaring that he was charmed by the devil,
and Valparaiso, where he suffered shipwreck.
He then proceeded to the Sandwich Islands, where he played before the
royal family and all the dusky nobles. They listened solemnly, but made
no sign of approbation, and Hauser felt that he was sinking into a mere
nothing in their esteem. In desperation he tore the strings from his
violin and played, with all his power, several sentimental songs on the
G string only. Then he gave them Paganini's witches' dance. This
succeeded, and they gave a yell of joy and wanted more. They
particularly delighted in harmonic effects, and before long were willing
to do anything for the foreigner who could pipe on the wood as well as
any bird. He became a hero at Otaheite, but was obliged to continue on
his journey. He next visited Australia, and while in Sydney he made such
a success that he was presented with the freedom of the city and thanked
by the government for his playing.
In 1860 he reached Turkey, where he played before the Sultan, who beat
time to his music and seemed highly delighted. Hauser had many amusing
stories to tell of his travels, and especially of his experiences in the
Sandwich Islands and Turkey, Cairo and Alexandria. His adventures, which
were numerous and thrilling, were published in two volumes, in Vienna.
Hauser was not the possessor of a great technique, but there was
something characteristic and charming in his tone and mannerisms, which
were especially pleasing to the fair sex. He was a man of restless, and,
in some respects, dissatisfied nature. Some of his compositions are
still to be found on concert programmes, and these he used to play
exquisitely. Hauser lived in retirement in Vienna after concluding his
travels, and in 1887 he died practically forgotten.
Few violinists succeeded more completely in captivating their audiences
than Henri Wieniawski, whose impetuous Slavonic temperament, with its
warm and tender feeling, gave a colour to his playing, which placed his
hearers entirely under his control, went straight to their hearts, and
enlisted their sympathy from the very first note. Both fingering and
bowing were examples of the highest degree of excellence in violin
technique, and difficulties did not exist for him. At times his fiery
temperament may have led him to exaggeration, and to a step beyond the
bounds of good taste, but this was lost sight of in the peculiar charm
of his playing, its gracefulness and piquancy.
Wieniawski's tour in America, which took place in 1872, when he
accompanied Rubinstein, may be said to mark an era in the musical life
of this nation. These two great artists revealed the possibilities of
the musical art to a people who, while loving music, were still in their
infancy as far as musical development is concerned.
Wieniawski, like nearly all the great performers, showed his talent
while very young. He was born in 1835 at Lublin, in Poland, where his
father was a medical man. He was taken to Paris by his mother when he
was only eight years old, and he entered the Conservatoire, where he
soon joined Massart's class, and when only eleven gained the first prize
for violin playing.
After this he made a concert tour in Poland and Russia, but soon
returned to Paris to renew his studies, especially composition. In 1850
he went again on the road, and with his brother Joseph, a pianist, he
gave concerts in most of the principal towns in the Netherlands, France,
England, and Germany. In 1860 he was appointed solo violinist to the
Emperor of Russia, and held that position for twelve years, residing
chiefly at St. Petersburg.
It was at the conclusion of this engagement that he made his tour in the
United States with Rubinstein, who was his intimate friend, and when the
great pianist returned to Europe Wieniawski remained in America and
succeeded in making a large fortune, travelling all over the country and
creating a furore by his performances. This tour was cut short toward
the end of 1874 by a telegram from Brussels offering him the position of
professor of violin at the Conservatoire, during the illness of
Vieuxtemps.
He remained in Brussels until 1877, when, Vieuxtemps becoming
convalescent, Wieniawski set forth once more on his travels.
At this time his health was failing, and an incident took place at
Berlin which is well worth recording. During a concert he was seized
with a sudden spasm, and was compelled to stop in the middle of a
concerto. Joachim was amongst the audience, and came to the rescue,
taking up Wieniawski's violin and finishing the programme, thus showing
his friendship for the sufferer and earning the enthusiastic applause of
an appreciative audience.
Notwithstanding his sufferings, Wieniawski continued his tour, but at
Odessa he broke down altogether.
It has been stated that he died unknown and friendless in the hospital
at Moscow, and was buried by public charity; but his son, Jules
Wieniawski, has contradicted this, and states that he died in the house
of the Countess of Meek, and was buried by the Czar Alexander III., of
whom he was the friend as well as the favourite violinist.
Wieniawski was a man of somewhat enthusiastic nature, and his actions
were not always tempered by the most perfect wisdom. It was said that
just before his marriage to Miss Hampton he took a run up the Rhine,
not, like a wise man, waiting until he had some one to take proper care
of him. The consequence was that he must just take an hour's look into
Wiesbaden to see several old friends, and this led naturally to passing
an idle moment looking at the green table doings. Here the excitement
became too great for one of his temperament, and he felt compelled to
stake a small sum. A small sum led to a larger amount, and when he left
the place he was poorer to the tune of forty thousand francs, and he
came away to his bride a sadder and wiser man.
Although a great gambler, Wieniawski owed the loss of a large part of
his fortune to the failure of a New York banking firm in 1873, rather
than to his favourite propensity.
The friendship between him and Vieuxtemps was very strong, in fact it
was described as being ideal. Once, while Wieniawski was playing at a
concert, Vieuxtemps was among the audience, and, at the conclusion of
one of the violinist's solos, Vieuxtemps called, at the top of his
voice, "Bravo, Wieniawski!" This drew attention to Vieuxtemps, who was
immediately recognised by the audience and enthusiastically welcomed.
Wieniawski's compositions number two and twenty. As a proof of the old
adage that "doctors do not always agree," we are told by one excellent
authority that his D minor concerto, the two polonaises, and his
"Legende" will probably never vanish from the violinist's repertoire,
and by another that Wieniawski's compositions are not of much
importance. Both statements are no doubt true, for there are many
fascinating concert pieces which, from the strictly classical point of
view, are not important additions to musical literature.
An American critic wrote of him, after his first appearance: "In
Wieniawski we have the greatest violinist who has yet been heard in
America.... Of all now living Joachim alone can claim superiority over
him."
This sweeping enthusiasm was not universal, for a critic more difficult
to please wrote as follows: "Wieniawski's playing is as perfect as a
faultless technique, artistic culture, great aesthetic sensibility, and
perfect mastery over himself and his instrument can make it But with
all its perfection we cannot but feel that the great original,
heaven-and-earth-moving master-soul is wanting."
He was also severely scathed by a critic in New York in 1872, who wrote:
"Some people like pure, clear tone,--others don't. Those who admire
scratching and false stopping, together with sundry other things of the
same nature, would have experienced wild joy upon hearing Beethoven's
"Violin Concerto" as it was played by Wieniawski; but for those who
regard a correct intonation as a thing of primal importance, it could
not have been pleasing. Wieniawski belongs to that school of which Ole
Bull is a prominent member, whose first article of belief is that
genuine passion and fervour is signified by rasping the strings."
Other criticisms of the same concert, however, were of a very different
tenor, and when, a week or two later, Wieniawski played the same
concerto in Boston, John S. Dwight praised the performance highly, and
took occasion to specially record his disagreement with the eminent
critic in New York.
While not technically the equal of one or two of his contemporaries,
Wieniawski played with so much fire, and knew so well how to reach the
heart of his audience by methods perfectly legitimate, that he must be
ranked among the greatest violinists.
Don Pablo Martin Meliton de Sarasate is a name known throughout Europe
and America, if not throughout the civilised world. Sarasate was born in
Spain, in Pampeluna, the chief city of Navarre. He was a youthful
prodigy, and played before the court of Madrid at the age of ten, when
Queen Isabella was so delighted with him that she presented him with a
fine Stradivarius violin.
A couple of years later he was sent to Paris, where he entered the
Conservatoire, and was admitted into Alard's class, while M.
Lassabathie, who was then administrator of the institution, took him
into his house and boarded him. This arrangement continued until the
death, about ten years later, of M. Lassabathie.
In the course of a year after entering the Conservatoire, Sarasate won
the first prize for violin playing. From the first he manifested
remarkable facility in mechanical execution, and his playing was
distinguished for elegance and delicacy, though nothing indicated that
his talent would become extraordinary.
For ten years after gaining the prize Sarasate remained a salon
violinist, of amiable disposition, a ladies' virtuoso, with a somewhat
mincing style, who played only variations on opera motives, and who was
an entire stranger to classical music.
Then came a complete change; the character of his playing becoming
serious, a large and noble style replaced the mincing manner which he
had previously affected, and, instead of the showy trifles which had
filled his repertoire, he took to the works of the great masters. By
hard work he developed his technical ability, so that he reached the
limit beyond which few, if any, violinists succeed in passing. And all
this he accomplished without losing anything of the elegance of his
phrasing or of the infinite charm of his tone.
Although Sarasate made Paris his home, he began to travel as early as
1859, and in 1872, when he played in Paris, he was welcomed as a new
star. When his prestige was well established in Paris his friends
advised him to go to Germany, but he feared that so soon after the
Franco-German war he, who by long residence was practically a Frenchman,
would not be welcome. At last, however, the entreaties of his friends
prevailed, and when Sarasate appeared at Leipzig he produced an immense
sensation. Then followed a series of tours in Germany, Russia, Austria,
England, and Belgium, which lasted three years, and brought him much
glory and pecuniary gain.
In Vienna the celebrated critic, Hanslick, wrote of him as follows:
"There are few violinists whose playing gives such unalloyed enjoyment
as the performance of this Spaniard. His tone is incomparable,--not
powerfully or deeply affecting, but of enchanting sweetness. The
infallible correctness of the player contributes greatly to the
enjoyment. The moment the bow touches the Stradivarius a stream of
beautiful sound flows toward the hearer. A pure tone seems to me the
prime quality of violin playing--unfortunately, also, it is a rare
quality. Sarasate's virtuosity shines and pleases and surprises the
audience continually. He is distinguished, not because he plays great
difficulties, but because he plays with them."
Both in France and Germany Sarasate has always been a great favourite,
and is always sure of a large and enthusiastic audience, even though he
has passed the zenith of his powers. He has never taken pupils, but has
confined himself to concert playing only, and he has been called the
highest-priced player in Germany, where it was said that he received
three thousand marks for a concert, while even Joachim received only one
thousand. He has received many valuable gifts during his career, and
these he has presented to his native city, Pampeluna, where they have
been placed in a museum by the municipal council. The collection
includes articles of great worth from the Emperor William I. of Germany,
Napoleon III., the Emperor of Brazil, and the Queen of Spain, and its
value is estimated at one hundred thousand francs.
Sarasate has visited the United States twice, and won great favour, for
his playing is of the kind which appeals to the fancy, graceful,
vivacious, and pure toned, and he plays Spanish dances in a manner
never to be surpassed.
He has been compared with some of the most eminent violinists
thus:--Vieuxtemps was an artist with an ardent mind, and a magnificent
interpreter of Beethoven; Joachim towers aloft in the heights of serene
poetry, upon the Olympic summits inaccessible to the tumults of passion;
Sivori was a dazzling virtuoso; Sarasate is an incomparable charmer.
There are doubtless many who remember the tour of August Wilhelmj, the
celebrated violinist, who visited the United States about twenty years
ago. He was considered second to no artist then living in his general
command over the resources of his instrument, and he excelled in the
purity and volume of his tone, no less than in the brilliancy of his
execution. He did not possess the warmth and impulsiveness which
constituted the charm of Wieniawski, but his performances appealed to
his audiences in a different and more legitimate manner. He was even a
greater traveller than Remenyi, and visited almost, if not quite, every
civilised country. His travels took him throughout Europe, America,
Australia, and Asia. He was, in 1885, invited by the Sultan of Turkey to
perform in his seraglio, the only violinist to whom such a compliment
had ever been paid. The Sultan on this occasion decorated him with the
Order of the Medjidie, second class, and presented him with some
beautiful diamonds.
August Wilhelmj was born in 1845 at Usingen, in the Duchy of Nassau,
and, showing his aptitude, was placed under Konrad Fischer, a violinist
of Wiesbaden, at the age of six. His progress was so rapid that when
nine years old he played in a concert in Limburg and received great
applause. Wilhelmj's father was a lawyer of distinction and a wealthy
vine-grower, and, in spite of the boy's progress, he did not favour the
idea of allowing him to take to the violin as a profession, for he felt
that the majority of infant prodigies fail as they reach manhood. But
the boy had received much encouragement, and persisted in his desire.
Henrietta Sontag, the celebrated singer, heard him play Spohr's ninth
concerto and "The Carnival of Venice," and was so charmed that she said
he would become the German Paganini.
In the course of time Wilhelmj succeeded in obtaining a concession from
his father:--he was to get the judgment of a musical authority on his
capabilities, and, if favourable, no objection should be made to his
becoming a virtuoso. On the recommendation of Prince Emil of
Wittgenstein, the young violinist went in 1861 to Liszt at Weimar, and
after playing to him Spohr's "Scena Cantante" and the Hungarian fantasia
by Ernst, he was asked to play several pieces at sight. At the end of
this trial Liszt sprang from his seat, calling out in a loud voice,
"Ay! indeed you are predestinated to become a violinist--so much so that
for you the violin must have been invented if it had not already
existed." This judgment satisfied the father, and a few days later Liszt
himself took the boy to Leipzig and introduced him to Ferdinand David,
saying, "Let me present to you a future Paganini. Look well to him!" For
three years Wilhelm; was a pupil of David, and at the same time studied
the theory of music with Richter and Hausmann. In due course he passed
his examinations at the Leipzig Conservatory, playing Joachim's
Hungarian concerto.
In 1865 he began his concert tours, travelling through Switzerland and
Holland to England, and from this time he seems to have been almost
continually travelling. During 1869, 1870, and 1871 he made a long tour
in England with Charles Santley, the great singer. In 1876 he led the
violins at the Nibelungen performance at Bayreuth, and the Wagner
concerts in London, at the Albert Hall, in 1877, were due to his
representations. In 1882, after travelling all over the globe, he spent
some time in Russia, but presently returned to Germany and established a
violin school at Biberich, which, however, he abandoned after a time.
From time to time he continued to play in public, but gradually withdrew
and lived in retirement at Blasewitz, near Dresden. Eventually he went
to London, where he was appointed professor at the Guildhall School of
Music. Unfortunately, his powers have been on the wane for some years
past, but though the days of his public performances are past, he is
known as a most patient and painstaking teacher. The high esteem in
which he has been held was quaintly expressed by an eminent musician,
who referred to his decadence in these words: "Ah, if Wilhelmj had not
been what he _is_, Joachim would never have been what _he_ is." By which
one may infer that Wilhelmj was, in some respects, a greater man than
Joachim.
In 1894 Wilhelmj married Marcella Mausch-Jerret, of Dresden, a
distinguished pianist.
Wilhelmj's first appearance in America took place on September 26, 1878,
in New York, and his playing caused an unusual demonstration. He was
described in the following words: "His figure is stately, his face and
attitude suggest reserve force and that majestic calm which seems to
befit great power.... A famous philosopher once said that beauty
consists of an exact balance between the intellect and the imagination.
The violin performance of Wilhelmj exhibits this just proportion more
perfectly than the work of any other artist of whom we have personal
knowledge. Wilhelmj himself has said, 'After all, what the people want
is intellectual playing,' that is, playing with a clear under
standing."
Neither his character nor his playing was of such a nature as to appeal
to the great mass of people in the way in which Remenyi and Ole Bull won
their hearts. Wilhelmj was massive in person and in tone. He stood for
dignity in his actions, appearance, and playing, and was honoured by the
more cultivated and educated portion of the people.
He is regarded by musicians as one of the greatest violinists who ever
visited America, and at the present day visiting artists are spoken of
as "one of the best since Wilhelmj," or, "not to be compared with
Wilhelmj," and by many Ysaye is regarded as "the best--since Wilhelmj."
Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick, who was born at Jupille, near Liège, on
March 9, 1848, is one of the foremost solo and quartet violinists of the
day, with a remarkable technique and admirable intelligence, power, and
fire.
When eight years of age he was placed at the music school at Liège,
where in two years he gained the first prize in the preparatory classes.
In 1864 he secured the gold medal, which is awarded only to pupils of
extraordinary talent.
[Illustration: MARTIN PIERRE JOSEPH MARSICK]
He now entered the Brussels Conservatoire, where his expenses were met
by a lady who was a musical enthusiast, and he studied for two years
under Léonard, working at the same time in composition under Kufferath.
In 1868 he went to Paris, where he studied for a season under Massart.
In 1870 Marsick proceeded to Berlin, where, through the instrumentality
of a government subvention, he was enabled to study under Joachim. After
that he began to travel, and soon acquired a great reputation. He was
said to equal, if not exceed, Sarasate in the wonderful celerity of his
scales, and in lightness and certainty. His tone is not very full, but
is sweet and clear. His playing is also marked by exceptional
smoothness, scholarly phrasing, and graceful accentuation, but, in
comparison with some of the other great players, he lacks breadth and
passion. He appeals rather to the educated musician than to the general
public, and for that reason many people were somewhat disappointed when
he played in the United States in 1896. He was compared with Ysaye, a
player of an entirely different stamp, and he suffered in popular
estimation by the comparison.
To this period also belong a number of excellent violinists whose names
are seldom heard in America. Edmund Singer, a Hungarian, born in 1831,
by dint of hard work and talent reached a high position. He became
celebrated as a teacher, and was for years professor of violin at the
conservatory in Stuttgart. He was also largely instrumental in the
establishment of the Musical Artists' Society of that place.
Ferdinand Laub was a virtuoso of high rank who was born in Prague in
1832. He succeeded Joachim at Weimar, but two years later became violin
teacher at the Stern-Marx conservatory in Berlin, also concert-master of
the royal orchestra and chamber virtuoso.
Heinrich Karl de Ahna was an excellent artist, and was for some years
second violin in the famous Joachim quartet. At the age of fourteen he
had already made a successful concert tour, and become chamber virtuoso
to the Duke of Coburg-Gotha. He then abandoned the musical profession
and entered the army, fighting in the Italian campaign as lieutenant.
After the war he returned to his profession, and became leader of the
royal band in Berlin and professor at the Hochschule. He died in 1892.
Russia also produced an excellent violinist, Wasil Wasilewic
Besekirskij, who was born at Moscow, and after a career as virtuoso in
the west of Europe returned to his native city. He is the composer of
some good violin music and has formed some excellent pupils, of whom
Gregorowitsch is perhaps best known.
In England, John Tiplady Carrodus and the Holmes brothers attained high
rank. Carrodus was a native of Keighley, Yorkshire. His father was a
barber, and it was only by the most constant self-denial and incessant
hard work that the boy succeeded in securing his education. He walked
with his father twelve miles in order to hear Vieuxtemps play, and to
take his lessons he walked each week ten miles to Bradford, usually
getting a ride back in the carrier's cart. He became a pupil of Molique,
and eventually one of the best known violinists of England, where his
character as a man was always highly respected.
Alfred Holmes was born in 1837 and his brother Henry in 1839. They
appeared together at the Haymarket Theatre in 1847, but immediately
withdrew from public life and continued their studies for six more
years. In 1853 they again appeared in London, and then made a long
concert tour through the north of Europe. Finally they settled in Paris,
where, nine years later, Alfred died. Henry Holmes became the chief
professor of violin at the Royal College of Music in London, and has
been also active as a composer and editor of violin works.
Jacob Grün, too, who was born in 1837 at Buda-Pesth, and who, after a
career as concert soloist in Europe, became a teacher in the Vienna
conservatory, should not be forgotten. Several of his pupils are now
holding valuable positions in the United States, and he is an excellent
teacher, besides being popular and kind-hearted.
Eduard Rappoldi, the leader of the Royal Court Orchestra at Dresden, has
a high reputation as a sound and earnest player and excellent teacher.
He was born in Vienna in 1839, and was at one time a teacher in the
Hochschule at Berlin, but went to Dresden in 1877.