Auer class geneology
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This is the Leopold Auer Violin Class at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Czarist Russia in the year 1914. My violin teacher is Paul Stassevich (who is sitting on the ground and 2nd from the left).
Jascha Heifetz is standing in the back row (3rd from the left). Mischa Elmen is also standing in the top row (2nd from the right). Toscha Seidel is sitting at the right end of the 1st row.
Almost all of these violin students fled Russia during the Communist Revolution. Photo and music by his student Theodore Kruzich playing the 1st Rumanian Folk Dance of Bela Bartok.
Replies (27)
I studied with Auer student Michael Rosenker.
Eric
For the OP, I imagine that there are plenty of second-generation students still around, and no doubt there's a fourth or even fifth generation floating around by now.
I've studied with two students of Raphael Bronstein's (separated by almost a generation of age themselves): Arnold Grossi and Claudia Bloom.
I am studying with a second generation - my teacher was a student of George Kast who was trained by Auer in ~1926, after he moved to the states NY Institute of Musical Arts. Thus, I'm now third generation!
There are a lot of women in that photo - do you have any information on them? I presume they were also violinists but wondered if any of them became renown.
My first 2 teachers were Auer students - Harry Fratkin, and Vladimir Graffman. Harry Fratkin studied with Auer in New York, and had been a teacher of Isidore Cohen, long time member of the Baux Art Trio. Vladimir Graffman (father of noted pianist, Gary Graffman) studied with Auer in Russia. His students included Joseph Gingold.
My third teacher, Regis Iandiorio, had studied with Oscar Shumsky, one of Auer's last students (though Shumsky worked more with Zimbalist) and Auer alumnus, Raphael Bronstein, whose numerous students included Elmar Oliveira.
Then, regarding my two best-known teachers - Glenn Dicterow's many teachers included Jascha Heifetz, and Aaron Rosand's teachers included Efrem Zimbalist.
Galamian was himself a grandstudent of Leopold Auer, having studied with Konstantin Mostras at the School of the Philharmonic Society in Moscow. So any Galamian student would be a third-generation Auer student. I studied with Stephen Clapp, who had studied with Galamian at Juilliard, so I guess that makes me a fourth-generation Auer student. I never thought of it that way before now.
I'm a third generation.
One of my teachers was a Shumsky student, so I guess that makes me 4th generation.
Whats the lineage Marty?
Here is a good website to go to for an in depth history of the great 20th century violinists:
Yuri Beliavsky: Art of Violin Playing
PLAYLIST
http://shelf3d.com/Search/The%2BArt%2Bof%2BViolin%2B-%2BYuri%2BBeliavsky%2BPlayListIDPL58C2191DCFC02798
My teacher studied with Bronstein.
Raphael wrote (cut)"
My first 2 teachers were Auer students - Harry Fratkin, and Vladimir Graffman
that's 1/2 + 1/2 = 1.0
Holy canoli, Raphael, you are the reincarnation of Auer!
The things you discover on V.com...
Does anyone know how to get these Auer class photos ? They were taken in the garden behind the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Would any historical foundation or library have any knowledge of where these photos are stored ?
Any leads would be appreciated.
Two comments:
1) Mostras did not study with Auer, he studied in Moscow with Boris Sibor (who was Auer's student and besides married on his daughter) - so Mostras himself is the third generation
2) there is not such a garden behind SPb conservatory, most probable photo was taken in summer 1916 at Christiania in Norway, to where Auer relocated his summer masterclass from german Loschwitz when World War I began.
marina - thank you for the info - do you know any of the women in the photo?
I had a lesson with Samuel Applebaum who I believe had a few lessons from Auer after Auer came to America. But almost all my lineage goes to Ysaye.
I studied with Lynn Blakeslee, who was a student of Zimbalist. I believe by that time he had retired from the concert stage and was fully devoted to teaching and composing.
Elise,
sitting on a chair the second from the right should be Margaret Berson, and just above her standing and smiling - certain Greta af Sillen.
If you want, I can send you a much more crowded photo from Loschwitz, it contains identification of many faces - perhaps you could find coincidence
Elise - lol! I neglected to mention another of my many teachers, Arturo Delmoni, whose teachers included Heifetz and Milstein.
So...I guess we just take this whole thing, er, Auer by Auer! That's why when I teach, I charge an Auer-ly rate! (*groan*) OK, I going now.
Not before you've demonstrated to us how to dance the Dance of the Auers and conducted a revival of The Immortal Auer (After all, the radio told me that in his day Rutland Boughton was as famous as his contemporary, Elgar - "Who?", you ask ... Yeah, he's only another Brit)!
What a fascinating topic and it got me to thinking. My current teacher is Andrey Antonenko who was a pupil of Haroutan Bedalian who was a long time student of Nathan Milstein. I often get anecdotal explanations when I ask a question of "what would Milstein do" with a particular fingering or piece. It just goes go show what an influence Auer must have been. Charles Bott
My first violin teacher, Ed Kraynak, mentioned Elman a lot, there was some association, but I don't know if it was a studentship. I should find Ed's daughter and ask her.
I feel left out: I am only a fourth generation Carl Flesch product...
Adrian - but you are in a position to start your own lineage!
Decades from now violinist will waste their time on V.com III writing about how they are a 3rd generation Heath....
On a serious note, a memory from my earlier youth (probably teens). An elderly gentleman came to play in an amateur orchestra involving my father, and I did meet him. He had said that he had been a pupil of Leopold Auer. Later my father commented that, yes, he had the bulging right hand 5th knuckle muscle that was the trademark of Auer and his pupils. So one might conclude that if being an nth generation Auer pupil means something in terms of actual heritage, the person will have worked on his or her right hand little finger to such an extent that it can be seen in at least one muscle.
Here is a website which has a wealth of violin information as well as photos of violinists and group pictures:
http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/739/1/Rodrigues10PhD.pdf
See Auer Class Picture Page 54
Photo of Leopold Auer (Second row from front, seventh from left) with his
students outside the St. Petersburg Conservatory14 (date unknown). Students included in this photograph are Heiftez (First row from front, second from left) and Kathleen Parlow (First row from front, third from left)
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November 25, 2013 at 12:54 AM · I studied with three Leopold Auer Students: Jascha Fishberg, Vladimir Graffman and Raphael Bronstein.