January� 20 , 1891� in� Talnoye , a� small� village� in� the� province� of� Kiev . He� had� been� born� into� the� materially� impoverished� but� intensely� spiritual� world� of� Eastern� European� Jewry , where� in� the� words� of� the� eminent� theologian� Abraham� Joshua� Heschel� " the� stomachs� were� empty , the� homes� barren , but� the� minds� were� crammed� with� the� riches� of� Torah " . Elman's� grandfather� Josef� was� a� klezmer , a� folk� musician , who� played� the� violin� and� was� also� famous� for� the� beauty� of� his��� tone . Indeed , people� who� heard� both� the� grandfather� and� his� famous� grandson� claimed� that� Mischa� "inherited"� his� tone� from� Josef . Mischa's� father Saul� was� a� melamed ( a� teacher� of� Hebrew�) and� a� merchant . Elman's�� perfect� pitch�� manifested� itself�� very� early , but� his� father� was� initially� apprehensive� over� Mischa's� interest� in� music , since� a� musician� traditionally occupied� a� low� position�� in� the� social� structure� of� the� Jewish� community .� But� Saul� ultimately� gave� in� and� presented� his� son� with� a� miniature� violin . Within� a� few� weeks , unaided� by� anyone ,� Mischa�� mastered� several� simple� tunes . The� wunderkind� soon� became� something� of� a� local� celebrity� , the� rumors� of� his� gifts finally� reaching� the� local� landowner , Countess� Urassova . She� listened� to� Mischa� play� and� made� his� father� an� offer - to� buy� the� child� from� his� family , provide� for� his� education��� and� raise� him� as� a� Christian.�
� The� extraordinary� number� of� distinguished� musicians� born� or� raised� in� Odessa� is� one� of� the� true� wonders� in� the� history� of� music . From� that� cosmopolitan� city� on� the� coast� of� the�� Black� See�� came� , among� others , David� Oistrakh , Nathan� Milstein, Emil� Gilels , Benno� Moiseiwitsch , Simon� Barere , Sviatoslav� Richter and Tossy� Spivakovsky.
� In� Odessa� Mischa� began� to� work� with� a� local� teacher by the name of Alexander� Fidelmann� and� soon� was� admitted� to� the� Imperial� Academy� of� Music .� The� boy�� progressed� quickly�� and� was� frequently� invited� to� play� for� visiting� violin� luminaries� - Adolph� Brodsky , Pablo� de� Sarasate� and� Leopold� Auer .� Sarasate� wrote� a� letter� of� recommendation� for� Elman� in� which� he� stated� that� Mischa� was� " a� possessor� of� great� talent. If� he� succeeds� in� taking� up� his� musical� studies� in� either� Paris , Berlin� or� St Petersburg� he� will� within� a� few� years� be� the� pride� of� Europe ". Finally , after� an� audition� with� Auer� in� 1902 , Mischa� Elman� was� admitted� to� the� St� Petersburg� Conservatory .�������
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