Carl Flesch
Encyclopedia
Carl Flesch was a violin
ist and teacher
.
Carl Flesch was born in Moson (now part of Mosonmagyaróvár
) in Hungary
in 1873. He began playing the violin at seven years of age. At 10, he was taken to Vienna
, and began to study with Jakob Grün. At 17, he left for Paris
, and joined the Paris Conservatoire
. He settled in Berlin
, and in 1934 in London
.
He was known for his solo performances in a very wide range of repertoire (from Baroque music
to contemporary), gaining fame as a chamber music
performer. He also taught at Bucharest
1897-1902, Amsterdam
1903-08, Philadelphia 1924-28) and the Berlin High School for Music 1929-34. He published a number of instructional books, including Die Kunst des Violin-Spiels (The Art of Violin Playing, 1923) in which he advocated the concept of the violinist as an artist, rather than merely a virtuoso. Among his pupils were Edwin Bélanger
, Ida Haendel
, Josef Hassid
, Yfrah Neaman
, Eric Rosenblith
, Henryk Szeryng
, Howard Leyton-Brown, and Henri Temianka
, all of whom achieved considerable fame as both performers and pedagogues. He said that his favourite pupil was the Australia
n Alma Moodie
, who achieved great fame in the 1920s and 1930s, but who made no recordings and is little known today. In his memoirs he said, "...there was above all Henry Temianka, who did great credit to the [Curtis] Institute: both musically and technically, he possessed a model collection of talents."
He was consulted (as was Oskar Adler
) by Louis Krasner
over technical difficulties in the Violin Concerto
by Alban Berg
, which Krasner was to premiere. Carl Flesch's Scale System is a staple of violin pedagogy.
Flesch owned the Brancaccio Stradivarius
, but had to sell it in 1928 after losing all his money on the New York Stock Exchange
.
Flesch died in Lucerne
, Switzerland
, in November 1944.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Carl Flesch was born in Moson (now part of Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár
Mosonmagyaróvár is a city in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 30,200 ....
) in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1873. He began playing the violin at seven years of age. At 10, he was taken to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and began to study with Jakob Grün. At 17, he left for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and joined the Paris Conservatoire
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
. He settled in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and in 1934 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He was known for his solo performances in a very wide range of repertoire (from Baroque music
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
to contemporary), gaining fame as a chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
performer. He also taught at Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
1897-1902, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
1903-08, Philadelphia 1924-28) and the Berlin High School for Music 1929-34. He published a number of instructional books, including Die Kunst des Violin-Spiels (The Art of Violin Playing, 1923) in which he advocated the concept of the violinist as an artist, rather than merely a virtuoso. Among his pupils were Edwin Bélanger
Edwin Bélanger
Edwin Bélanger was a Canadian conductor, violinist, violist, arranger, and music educator. He had an association with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec for more than 50 years, including serving as the orchestra's principal conductor from 1942 to 1951.-Education:Born in Montmagny, Quebec,...
, Ida Haendel
Ida Haendel
Ida Haendel, CBE is a British violinist of Polish birth.- Career :Ida Haendel was born in Chełm, a small city in Eastern Poland. She took up the violin at the age of three and as a seven-year-old was admitted at the Warsaw Conservatory. She later studied with Carl Flesch and George Enescu in Paris...
, Josef Hassid
Josef Hassid
Josef Hassid was a Polish violinist.Born 28 December 1923 in Suwałki, Poland, as Joseph or Józef Chasyd, second youngest of four children, he lost his mother when he was ten and was brought up by his father Owseij who took charge of his career.After lessons with a local violin teacher he studied...
, Yfrah Neaman
Yfrah Neaman
Yfrah Neaman OBE was a violinist and an eminent pedagogue.He was born in Sidon, Lebanon to Jewish parents from Palestine. He studied in Paris with Jaques Thibaud, and then settled in London where he continued his studies with Carl Flesch and Max Rostal....
, Eric Rosenblith
Eric Rosenblith
Eric Rosenblith, is an Austrian-born American violinist. He is the former concertmaster of the Indianapolis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia...
, Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng was a Polish violinist.-Early years:He was born in Żelazowa Wola, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy family....
, Howard Leyton-Brown, and Henri Temianka
Henri Temianka
Henri Temianka was a virtuoso violinist, conductor, author and music educator.-Early years:Henri Temianka was born in Scotland of Polish-Jewish parents...
, all of whom achieved considerable fame as both performers and pedagogues. He said that his favourite pupil was the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Alma Moodie
Alma Moodie
Alma Templeton Moodie was an Australian violinist who established an excellent reputation in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. She was regarded as the foremost female violinist during the inter-war years, and she premiered violin concertos by Kurt Atterberg, Hans Pfitzner and Ernst Krenek...
, who achieved great fame in the 1920s and 1930s, but who made no recordings and is little known today. In his memoirs he said, "...there was above all Henry Temianka, who did great credit to the [Curtis] Institute: both musically and technically, he possessed a model collection of talents."
He was consulted (as was Oskar Adler
Oskar Adler
Oskar Adler was an Austrian violinist, physician and esoteric savant.A close friend of Arnold Schoenberg from their schooldays, Adler taught him the rudiments of music, gave him his first grounding in philosophy, and played chamber music with him...
) by Louis Krasner
Louis Krasner
Louis Krasner was a renowned Ukrainian-born American classical violinist who premiered the violin concertos of Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg.-Biography:...
over technical difficulties in the Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Berg)
Alban Berg's Violin Concerto was written in 1935 . It is probably Berg's best-known and most frequently performed instrumental piece.-Conception and composition:...
by Alban Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
, which Krasner was to premiere. Carl Flesch's Scale System is a staple of violin pedagogy.
Flesch owned the Brancaccio Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
, but had to sell it in 1928 after losing all his money on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
.
Flesch died in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, in November 1944.
External links
- A page on Flesch by José Sánchez-Penzo
- Carl Flesch Archive in the Netherlands Music InstituteNetherlands Music InstituteThe Netherlands Music Institute is the central institution for the preservation of the musical heritage of the Netherlands.-History of the institute:...
, with biography