The Great Violinists

Margaret Campbell

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN:
  9780571277452
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

This carefully researched and definitive book recreates the magic of the greatest violinists in history.
In three centuries, the solo performer progressed from downtrodden private servant to revered public idol. The supreme artists Corelli, Vivaldi, Viotti, Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Joachim and Auer were pivotal figures in the history of violin playing, while more recent times have seen Sarasate, Ysaye and the virtuosi of the modern recording era. The Great Violinists reveals a range of personalities from the conventional to the eccentric.
In her coverage of the last hundred years, Margaret Campbell has interviewed many eminent musicians and had rich access to letters and private documents. Her book offers a vivid portrait of skills and traditions that have been handed down through generations. It is a book for string players, students, concert goers and music buffs - indeed, anyone who enjoys the sound of the violin.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Prelude
• 1 Beginnings
• 2 The Archangel and the Red Priest
• 3 Master of the Nations
• 4 Viotti and the French Trio
• 5 Nightingale of Violinists
• 6 The Catalyst
• 7 Disciples of Paganini
• 8 Age of Transition
• 9 The Hot-bed of Liège
• 10 ‘He Holds You in a Magic Circle’
• 11 The Slavonic Wizard
• 12 Servant of Art
• 13 Lady of the Bow
• 14 Incomparable Charmer
• 15 The Great Teachers
• 16 ‘As the birds sing’
• 17 Symbol of an Epoch
• 18 The French Phenomenon
• 19 To Dance in Chains
• 20 The Unbridled Individualist
• 21 Our Own Albert
• 22 The Russian Vanguard
• 23 The Scholarly Virtuoso
• 24 ‘King of Violinists’
• 25 Child of the Revolution
• 26 The Bel Canto Virtuoso
• 27 The Entertainers
• 28 The Violin ‘Hot’
• 29 The Ladies’ Progress
• 30 The Enkindling Spirit
• 31 A Man for All Music
• 32 The Born Virtuoso
• 33 The Elder Statesman
• 34 The Musician’s Musician
• 35 The Flesch Heritage
• 36 Flesch and the Poles
• 37 Great Teachers of America
• 38 Great Teachers of Europe
• 39 The Galamian Touch
• 40 The British Phenomenon
• 41 The Auer Inheritance
• 42 The Ševčík Legacy
• 43 Disciples of Oistrakh
• 44 Legends and Legacies
• 45 The Soviet Torchbearers
• 46 The Russian Heritage
• 47 Italian Renaissance
• 48 New Sounds in Old Music
• 49 The Younger Generation
• 50 The Way Ahead
• Plates
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author
• Copyright