Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday Part 9

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 cla.s.sical 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 pa.s.sion 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 cla.s.s, while M.

La.s.sabathie, who was then administrator of the inst.i.tution, took him into his house and boarded him. This arrangement continued until the death, about ten years later, of M. La.s.sabathie.

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 cla.s.sical music.

Then came a complete change; the character of his playing becoming serious, a large and n.o.ble 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 pa.s.sing. 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 pa.s.sed 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 munic.i.p.al 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 surpa.s.sed.

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 pa.s.sion; 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 const.i.tuted 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 cla.s.s, and presented him with some beautiful diamonds.

August Wilhelmj was born in 1845 at Usingen, in the Duchy of Na.s.sau, and, showing his apt.i.tude, 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 pa.s.sed 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 att.i.tude 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 ma.s.s of people in the way in which Remenyi and Ole Bull won their hearts. Wilhelmj was ma.s.sive 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 Liege, 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 Liege, where in two years he gained the first prize in the preparatory cla.s.ses.

In 1864 he secured the gold medal, which is awarded only to pupils of extraordinary talent.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 Leonard, working at the same time in composition under Kufferath.

In 1868 he went to Paris, where he studied for a season under Ma.s.sart.

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 pa.s.sion. 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 Grun, 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.

CHAPTER VIII.

JOACHIM.

Joseph Joachim is one of the musical giants of the nineteenth century.

He will be remembered as one whose life has been interwoven with the lives of the greatest musicians of his day, as one of the greatest educators in his line who ever lived, and as the embodiment of the purest and highest ideas in public performance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: JOSEPH JOACHIM]

Joachim is called the greatest violinist of modern times, and no better words can be found to describe his characteristics than those of Wasielewski, who says: "Joachim's incomparable violin playing is the true _chef-d'oeuvre_, the ideal of a perfect violinist (so far as we present-day critics can judge). Less cannot, dare not, be said, but, at the same time, more cannot be said of him or of any one, and it is enough. But that which raises him above all other contemporary violinists and musicians generally is the line he takes in his professional life. He is no virtuoso in the ordinary sense, for he is far more,--before all he will be a musician. And that he unquestionably is,--a magnificent example to young people, who are to some extent possessed of the demon of vanity, of what they should do and what they should leave undone. Joachim makes music, and his preeminent capabilities are directed toward the serving one true, genuine art, and he is right."