| Today in Music History A Daily Look at Music History For Violin Students A Look at What Happened on Today's Date Long, Long Ago . . . Or Maybe Just Last Year |
 |
|
|
| TODAY IS June 7 |
| What Else Happened Today? |
 |
| Leopold Auer, Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer was born June 7, 1845 in Veszprém, Hungary. He studied the violin in Budapest, Vienna and with Joseph Joachim in Hanover. He settled in St. Petersburg and taught at the conservatoire there from 1868 to 1917. |
| 1897 - George Szell, Hungarian-American conductor and composer, was born in Budapest. Conducted the Cleveland Orchestra..
1922 - Ralph Vaughan Williams conducts first American performance of his Pastoral Symphony at Norfolk, CT.F 1945 - Premiere of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes at Sadler's Wells in London. 1963 - The Rolling Stones' first record, Come On, was released. 1972 - Premiere of Aaron Copland's Three Latin American Sketches. New York Philharmonic conducted by André Kostelanetz 1993 - Ground was broken on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.. |
|
| Leopold Auer 1845-1930 |
 |
 |
| GREAT Father's Day Present for your violinist Dad. "The Only Metal Instrument I Want to Hold is my Spatula." |
| Can You Guess? Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown. Can You Guess what all these men have in common from the year 1993? Go to the Bottom of the Page for the Answer |
| Did You Guess? This group of men was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame its first year! Did you see the color clues? |
 |
 |
| Professor Auer was the Imperial Court Violinist in Russia under three Czars, and when the Russian revolution swept away the work of a lifetime, he was 73 years of age. Nothing daunted, he resolved to begin all over again, and came to the United States and settled in New York in 1918, where he at once began teaching large classes of pupils who flocked to him there. Notwithstanding his age he even appeared in recitals in New York, Chicago and other cities, playing with the fire of youth and the skill of a master.
Eventually he began teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Auer is remembered as one of the most important violin pedagogues. He taught many violinists who would later become famous, including Efrem Zimbalist, Mischa Elman and Jascha Heifetz. A number of composers dedicated pieces to him, though he initially refused to play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, despite being the dedicatee, because he regarded the work as unplayable (however he played the work later in his career). Auer wrote several works for his instrument, including the Rhapsodie Hongroise for violin and piano. He also wrote a number of cadenzas for other composers' violin concertos including those by Beethoven and Brahms (see Violin Concerto (Beethoven) and Violin Concerto (Brahms)). He also wrote the books Violin Playing as I Teach It (1920) and My Long Life in Music (1923). |
| "I believe greatly and hope greatly for the future of music in America. But at present you waste genius - at least, genius in the realm of art. In Russia or in France there are great national schools free to all. Such schools are a clearing house for genius; the boy who has greatness in him has his chance there. In this country the necessity for going abroad for instruction must hold back many of whom we never hear. Such a school would keep alive and renew flagging inspiration. And it is well to remember that in art there is no halting place. One must advance or retreat." --Leopold Auer |
| This book NEEDS to be in your library. You don't often hear me say that. Read this line from an Amazon review: "This little gem of a book reads like a tip book, expose, soapbox, gossip column and memoir. Auer is witty and funny, sometimes he had me laughing in stitches.". This Book is on My Desk or in My Case ALL THE TIME. |
| Violin Playing As I Teach It A True Classic At An Incredible Price. |
 |
|
|
 |
| Auer played on a violin which Antonio Stradivari made in 1690. The instrument was named for Auer after his death. The picture to the right is of the Stradivari "ex Leopold Auer," which is now played by violinist Vadim Gluzman. Click the picture of the violin to go to Gluzman's web site. Click here to see Violinist Vadim Gluzman's works at Amazon.com. Leopold Auer died in Loschwitz, a suburb of Dresden, Germany and was interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. – July 15, 1930 |
| George Szell conducts Isaac Stern in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 |
|
|
|
| Great Summer Project! Improve Your Fiddling While Having Fun! |
 |
| Great Summer Practice Reminder Fridge Magnet! Place Your Cursor on the Picture! |