Leopold Auer (1845–1930)

Leopold Auer was born to a Jewish family in the small town of Veszprém, Hungary. He first studied the violin with a local teacher, and his exceptional talent earned him a place at the Academy of Music in Budapest at age eight. With the help of scholarships, he went on to attend the Vienna Conservatory, where he learned his violin technique from Jakob Dont and also took classes in harmony and orchestra ensemble. In 1858, when he was 13, the scholarship money ran out; Auer went on tour, giving concerts to help support himself and his family. A turning point in his career occurred when violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, then royal concertmaster at Hanover, invited Auer to join him there. Auer spent the years 1861-1863 as an apprentice, learning through observation and association with great musicians such as Johannes Brahms and Richard and Johann Strauss, and playing chamber music. He returned to the concert stage in 1864 and became concertmaster first in Düsseldorf, then in Hamburg. In 1868, on a visit to London, he was invited to perform with pianist Anton Rubinstein and cellist Alfredo Piatti. Rubinstein was searching for a violin professor for the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and now he suggested Auer. Auer agreed to a three year contract -- he would actually remain for 49 years. He also held the position of first violinist of the orchestra of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres. He married Nadezhda Pelikan, with whom he had four daughters. During his illustrious career, he taught Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz, Efrem Zimbalist, and Nathan Milstein, among many other future stars. Auer is recognized as the founder of the Russian violin school, and was a decisive force in the development of modern violin teaching. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, at age 73, Auer left for the USA. He gave acclaimed performances in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia. He went on to teach at the Institute of Musical Art in New York City and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He wrote Violin Playing As I Teach It (1921), the memoir My Long Life in Music (1923), and Violin Master Works and Their Interpretation (1925).