Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday

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 in

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

certo than by his ability to perform musical gymnastics with operatic selections. Nevertheless, it is a fact that many of the best

country. Born at Hewes, in Hungary, in 1830, he possessed the restless spirit of his race, fought in the insurrection of 1848, escaped to

ame adjutant to the distinguished General G?rgey, and fought under Kossuth and Klapka in the war with Austria. Then came the flight to America, where he

's band, but when in 1860 he obtained his amnesty and returned to Hunga

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

g." He now returned to the United States, where he passed the remainder of his days. His powers were, h

widely different in temperament, ideas, musicianship, in fact in every particular, they were frequently made the subjects of comparison. At this

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

Wilhelmj, who played the grandest and best music in the most refined, musicianly ma

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

. 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 wh

lands of the Pacific, also Java, China, and Japan; in fact, he w

ns 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

ns. Most of them were probably the property of the Huguenots, who after the edict of Nantes went

etor 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

is 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 retu

by comfortably sleeping during one of the famous lessons, which were in the nature of a general cl

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 mi

some time, for in 1896, for the first time in thirty years, he had, while in Davenport, Iowa, been

Hauser. He was born in Pressburg, Hungary, in 1822, and became a pupil of B?hm and of Mayseder at Vienna, also of Kreutzer and Sechter. He is said to have acquired more of Mayse der's elegant style a

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, visitin

d 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 foreign

auser had many amusing stories to tell of his travels, and especially of his experiences in the Sandwich Islands and Tu

easing 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 pro

rely 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

n era in the musical life of this nation. These two great artists revealed the possibilities of the musical a

and, where his father was a medical man. He was taken to Paris by his mother when he was only eight years old, and he enter

in 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 Ger

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

, Vieuxtemps becoming convalescent, Wien

den 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

eniawski continued his tour, but a

ty; but his son, Jules Wieniawski, has contradicted this, and states that he died in the house of the Countess o

d 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

arge part of his fortune to the failure of a New York ban

concert, Vieuxtemps was among the audience, and, at the conclusion of one of the violinist's solos, Vieuxtemps called, at the top of his v

, 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. Bot

iawski we have the greatest violinist who has yet been heard in Ameri

fect as a faultless technique, artistic culture, great aesthetic sensibility, and perfect mastery over himself and his instrument c

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

two later, Wieniawski played the same concerto in Boston, John S. Dwight praised the performance

ayed with so much fire, and knew so well how to reach the heart of his audience by

rasate was born in Spain, in Pampeluna, the chief city of Navarre. He was a youthful prodigy, and played before the court of

Alard's class, while M. Lassabathie, who was then administrator of the institution, took him into his ho

ng. From the first he manifested remarkable facility in mechanical execution, and his playing was disti

able disposition, a ladies' virtuoso, with a somewhat mincing style, who played o

f 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 be

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

t 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 qua

alled 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,

playing is of the kind which appeals to the fancy, graceful, vivacious, an

nd a magnificent interpreter of Beethoven; Joachim towers aloft in the heights of serene poetry, upon the Olympic s

brilliancy of his execution. He did not possess the warmth and impulsiveness which constituted the charm of Wieniawski, but his perform ances 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 to

d 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 th

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 lat

ur 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 repr

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 a

cella Mausch-Jerret, of Dres

rve 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

which Remenyi and Ole Bull won their hearts. Wilhelmj was massive in person and in tone. He stood for dignity in

at the present day visiting artists are spoken of as "one of the best since Wilhelmj," or, "

ch 9, 1848, is one of the foremost solo and quartet violinists of the day

two years he gained the first prize in the preparatory classes. In 1864 he se

ERRE JOSE

ical enthusiast, and he studied for two years under Léonard, working at the same time in compo

cales, 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

n 1831, by dint of hard work and talent reached a high position. He became celebrated as a teacher, and was for years professor of viol

ed Joachim at Weimar, but two years later became violin teacher at the Stern-Marx con

essful 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

after a career as vir tuoso in the west of Europe returned to his native city. He is the composer of s

ncessant 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 Brad

ir 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 yea

came a teacher in the Vienna conservatory, should not be forgotten. Several of his pupils are now holding val

ion as a sound and earnest player and excellent teacher. He was born in Vienna in 1839,