“Can you appreciate music without playing it? Yes, you can. You can appreciate baseball without playing it. Many people attend a football game merely for the crowd, the excitement, the colour.” Jascha Heifetz
TOMORROW will be 20 years since the death of Jascha Heifetz at the age of 86 in Los Angeles.
He was unquestionably the single most important influence on violin playing in the 20th century with violinists such as Leonid Kogan, Nathan Milstein, David Oistrakh, Itzhak Perlman, Issac Stern, Henryk Szeryng and Pinchas Zukerman having all proclaimed him supreme among violinists.
The great Fritz Kreisler who heard Heifetz playing the Mendelssohn when twelve even remarked “Gentlemen, shall we all now break our violins across our knees?”
Iosef Ruvinovich Heifetz was born in Vilna, Lithuania on February 2, 1901 to Anna Sharfstein and Rivin Heifetz who was concertmaster of the Vilna Symphony Orchestra. He began to teach young Heifetz when three and by five, the young prodigy was accepted at the Royal School of Music in Vilna and graduated when eight!
Following an audition, he was accepted by the world-renowned teacher Leopold Auer to St Petersburg becoming Auer’s star pupil. At the age of eleven, he performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic under Arthur Nikisch before an audience of 5,000 people.
Shortly before the Russian Revolution, Heifetz and his family emigrated to the United States and following his recital debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of sixteen, established himself as the supreme violinist of his time.
It was not only in terms of technical brilliance that Heifetz stood in a class of his own. His tonal palette had a burning intensity teamed with a variety of expressive nuances which, with his unfailing technical security allowed him the freedom to play with an abandon.
Surprisingly however, Heifetz’s playing was sometimes described as ‘cold’ although this was probably more prompted by his motionless platform manner. Surprisingly, Heifetz himself described his feelings on stage as being “rather turbulent, underneath, hidden.”
His immense repertoire was a natural consequence of his fast learning ability. In addition to the standard repertoire, he commissioned and championed many 20th century compositions including the Walton, Prokofiev No. 2 and Korngold concertos.
Today, the popularity of these concertos is due largely to his efforts. He is known to have said however, “I occasionally play works by contemporary composers for two reasons. First to discourage the composer from writing any more and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven.”
His many transcriptions and arrangements too still provide a major contribution to the violin literature.
Heifetz was passionate about chamber music and during the post-war years turned to performing and recording much of the trio literature. Among his regular accompanists were pianist Arthur Rubinstein and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. Few know that he was also an accomplished pianist and keen collector of rare books and antiques.
Towards the end of the 1950’s, Heifetz gradually eased his intensive performance schedule and turned his talents to teaching. He joined the staff of the music department at the University of Southern California and gave a series of master classes for television audiences.
Away from the stage, Heifetz was loath to reveal any details about his personal life. His innate shyness was veiled behind an unfailing sense of propriety in his behaviour towards others occasionally leading him to be misunderstood.
Unlike many other self promoting philanthropists, he chose to reveal his generosity in private and over the years gave many violins and bows to his students.
And his instrument? He had a Tononi violin and an appreciative admirer loaned him the 1714 ‘Dolphin’ Strad which he bought in 1937. He also had a 1742 Guarnerius de Gesu and carried a double case for both instruments, keeping them near to him almost continuously.
He also had about 18 bows including a Kittel bow – a gift from Leopold Auer. The Guarneri is now in the San Francisco Legion of Honour museum in accordance with Heifetz’ will which dictates that the violin may be taken out and played “on special occasions” by deserving players.
He became an American in 1925, and on August 20, 1928 married the silent film actress, Florence Vidor (ex-wife of King Vidor) with whom he had two children Josepha and Robert. The marriage didn’t last and they divorced in 1945.
He then established his permanent residence in California and enjoyed an affluent lifestyle playing tennis and sailing. His second marriage in January 1947 to Frances Spiegelberg resulted in one son Joseph although that marriage too resulted in divorce in 1963.
Jay is a photographer and as of 2006 is living in Australia. Heifetz’ daughter Josefa Heifetz Byrne is a lexicographer. His grandson Danny, has played drums and percussion with rock bands such as Mr Bungle, Dieselhed and Link Wray.
In addition to music, Heifetz explored other creative outlets – cameras intrigued him and he owned his own company which distributed lamps designed by the virtuoso himself. He also joined the American Guild of Musical Artists and fought with that group to prevent non-members from performing in major entertainment venues.
It was in 1953 that he created a stir when he was physically attacked following a performance in Jerusalem, when a Jewish man became irate during Heifetz’s performance of Strauss’ Violin Sonata.
Heifetz himself incited the incident through his apparent disregard for an Israeli national ban (which has since been lifted) against the public performance of the works of German composers, saying, “The music is above these factors.”
The incident made headlines and Heifetz defiantly announced that he would not stop playing the Strauss.
The violinist received many distinguished honours during his life including an Honorary Doctorate of Musicology from Northwestern University and in 1957 membership in the prestigious French Legion of Honour. He also received a Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Heifetz gave his final farewell concert in Los Angeles on October 23, 1972. Fortunately, before a shoulder operation in 1975 brought an end to his recording sessions, RCA Records made an unprecedented tribute to the retired violinist by releasing a comprehensive collection of 24 records containing virtually every recording he made during his career spanning1917 to 1965.
For the last fifteen years of his life, Ayke Agus was his closest companion. She was a violin student in one of his master classes at the University of Southern California but was singled out when Heifetz heard her play the piano.
She became his private accompanist and ultimately his assistant and confidante. He shared with this young Indonesian woman the legacy of his art as well as his beliefs and idiosyncrasies together with his transcriptions which they worked on together. Her memoirs were published in February 2001 in a book titled Heifetz, As I Knew Him.
In late October 1987, Heifetz developed complications from a fall and was hospitalised at the Cedars- Sinai Medical Centre where he died leaving behind three children and a younger sister Elza Behrman.
His death represented an irreplaceable loss in the world of violin playing but his achievement continues to serve as an inspiration with his rich legacy of recordings revealing the infinite expressive possibilities of the violin.
JOKE
How do you tell the difference between a violinist and a dog?
The dog knows when to stop scratching.
FAMOUS QUOTES
If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days,
the public knows it.
Jascha Heifetz
MUSICAL TERM
Pizzicato – String instruments which are plucked instead of bowed.
THIS DAY in HISTORY
* Birthday of Joaquin Turina 1882
* Birthday of Charles-Emile Waldteufel 1837
* Death of Yuri Shaporin 1966
* Premiere of Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3 in Tel Aviv 1963
* Premiere of Strauss’ Salome in Dresden 1905
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