Jascha Heifetz: Early Years in Russia (East European Music Studies)

Jascha Heifetz: Early Years in Russia (East European Music Studies) by Kopytova, Galina. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780253010766.

Notoriously reticent about his early years, violinist Jascha Heifetz famously reduced the story of his childhood to "Born in Russia. First lessons at 3. Debut in Russia at 7. Debut in Carnegie Hall at 17. Thats all there is to say." Tracing his little-known upbringing, Jascha Heifetz: Early Years in Russia uncovers the events and experiences that shaped one of the modern eras most unique talents and enigmatic personalities. Using previously unstudied archival materials and interviews with family and friends, this biography explores Heifetzs meteoric rise in the Russian music world―from his first violin lessons with his father, to his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with the well-known pedagogue Leopold Auer, to his tours throughout Russia and Europe. Spotlighting Auers close-knit circle of musicians, Galina Kopytova underscores the lives of artists in Russias "Silver Age"―an explosion of artistic activity amid the rapid social and political changes of the early 20th century.