The greatest violinist in history?

September 8, 2015 at 04:49 AM · I hope you are being sarcastic....please dont insult Heifetz.

but on the other hand, this does sound like a funny way to play the violin ( I would love to hear Bach or Paganini played like this :o

September 8, 2015 at 11:52 AM · Amazing! I'd better go home and practice! Oh wait, I AM home! I think I'll just have breakfast instead.

Beethoven himself had to tolerate trick fiddling at the premier of his violin concerto. From Wikipedia:

Beethoven wrote the concerto for his colleague Franz Clement, a leading violinist of the day, who had earlier given him helpful advice on his opera Fidelio. The work was premiered on 23 December 1806 in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, the occasion being a benefit concert for Clement. The first printed edition (1808) was also dedicated to Franz Clement.

It is believed that Beethoven finished the solo part so late that Clement had to sight-read part of his performance.[5] Perhaps to express his annoyance, or to show what he could do when he had time to prepare, Clement is said to have interrupted the concerto between the first and second movements with a solo composition of his own, played on one string of the violin held upside down;[6] however, other sources claim that he did play such a piece but only at the end of the performance.[7]

September 8, 2015 at 01:03 PM · I'll believe it when I see him play the Bach Double.

:)

September 8, 2015 at 01:40 PM · when he is playing two violins, he is using a shoulder rest with one, and NO shoulder rest with the other!!!!

An obvious sign of the coming apocalypse!!!

September 8, 2015 at 01:45 PM · The one with the shoulder rest has better tone.

September 8, 2015 at 02:58 PM · If Heifetz had used a shoulder rest then HE too could have played two violins at once, instead of being a second rate fiddler.

September 8, 2015 at 03:03 PM · Joking aside, this is a pretty amazing feat. Smart choice of repertoire too - sounds impressive but without actually having to do any shifting.

I've Googled for info about this guy, but all I can find is that he was a Hungarian known as Baron Buika and that he was performing live on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1959. Given the date, I assume he was actually playing rather than miming.

Does anyone know any more about him?

September 8, 2015 at 03:08 PM · While we're on the subject of improving classical technique, here's evidence that there were visionaries who pioneered developments in playing posture that are lost to posterity:

September 8, 2015 at 03:39 PM · Fortunately, although the degenerate mainstream tradition forces us to put up with second-raters like Vengerov and Perlman, the true pioneering spirit is not completely lost:

September 8, 2015 at 04:04 PM · One of my faves:

September 8, 2015 at 04:37 PM · Here is a fiddle tune where Irvin Rouse imitates a train horn and a train bell. Later he engages in a dialog with the harmonica.

The song is the "Orange Blossom Special" which was a citrus express train travelling up the American east coast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUtllMYM2g

September 8, 2015 at 04:45 PM · Hi Theodore

I'm afraid your link is off topic - it's brilliant, tasteful playing. None of us here are interested in that kind of thing ;-)

September 8, 2015 at 06:48 PM · Orange Blossom Special is only impressive if the guy playing it is wearing a train conductors hat, overalls, and has smoke puffing out of the end of the violin as if it were a tiny locomotive.

Shoulder rest is optional, but adds bonus points.

September 8, 2015 at 06:59 PM · Yup - playing something as hard as Orange Blossom Special while handicapped by a shoulder rest would be quite an achievement...

(Dons his flame-proof asbestos suit)

September 9, 2015 at 05:15 PM · Hah - turns out we've been harbouring genius in our midst. Stumbled on this by our own Nathan Cole, as he demonstrates the next steps in orchestral technique: