to Mischa�������� Elman
� It� would� be� almost� sacrilegious� to� discuss� Elman� without� devoting� at� least� a� few� lines� to� his� teacher . Leopold� Auer� was� born� in� Hungary� in� 1845. He� studied� in� Vienna� with� Jacques� Dont� and� in� Hanover� with� Joseph� Joachim . After� serving� as� concertmaster� in� Dusseldorf� and� Hamburg�, Auer� was� invited� by� the� Russian� Tsar� to� assume� the� duties� of� court� violinist� and� head� of the violin� department� of� the� St Petersburg� Conservatory . Initially , his� playing� met� with� severe� criticism , especially� when� compared� to� that� of� his� predecessor� , the� great� Henri� Wieniawsky . The� noted� critic� and� composer� Cesar� Qui� once� called� Auer's� rendition� of� a� concerto� "simply� bad" . But ultimately� Leopold� Auer� came� to� occupy� a� highly� important� position� in� Russian� musical� establishment� and��several works� by� some� of� the� most� important� composers�� of� the� period - Taneyev , Glazunov� and� Tchaikovsky� ( who� composed� many� violin� solos� in� his� ballet� scores� with� Auer� in� mind�) were dedicated to him . It� was� Auer� who� was� the� initial� dedicatee� of� Tchaikovsky's� Violin� Concerto� , but� after� he� declared� the� concerto� "unplayable" , the� honour� of� it's� first� performance� fell� to Adolph� Brodsky . Fortunately , Auer� later� changed� his� mind� and taught�the�Tchaikovsky� Concerto� to� all� his� students , who�� performed� it� to� great� acclaim .
� As� a� teacher , Auer� possessed� a� rare� ability� to� inspire� his� students . Many� of� them� claimed� that� under� the Professor's� mesmerizing� gaze they� played� much� better� than� outside� the� classroom . However , it� is� necessary� to� realize� that� Elman's� unique� tone� and� style� were� well-developed� at� the� time� of� their� first� encounter , and� Auer's� own� perception� of� violin� playing� was� greatly� influenced� by� the� young� Mischa .
� Already� in� 1903� Elman� played� several� concerts� in� the� homes� of� wealthy� patrons� of� arts� and� and� one� of� them , The� Grand� Duke� of Meklenburg - Sterlitz presented� Mischa� with� his� first� Italian� violin - an� Amati .� Finally� , in� 1904� Auer� and� Saul� decided� that� the� time� came� for� Mischa's� Berlin� debut . This� decision� was� undoubtedly� fascilitated� by� the� appearance� of Franz� von� Vecsey� , the� Hungarian-born� wunderkind� , a student� of� Hubay� and� Joachim's� protege . Elman's� Berlin� concert� on� 14� October� 1904� created� a� sensation . Joseph� Joachim , for� whom� he� played� privately� on� the� day� before� his� debut, could� only� say : "I� am� speechless". Within� a� few� months , Europe� was� conquered .British�� press� dubbed� Elman� " the� greatest� violinist� in� the�world ". In� 1905� Mischa� Elman� performed� in� Buckingham� Palace� for� King� Edward� VII� and� King� Alfonso� of� Spain , sharing� the� program� with� Nellie� Melba� and Enrico� Caruso . Finally , on� December� 10th ,1908, Mischa� Elman� made� his� historic� Carnegie� Hall� debut , playing� the� Tchaikovsky� Concerto� with� the� Russian� Symphony� Society� of� New� York , conducted� by� Modest� Altschuler .�� One� might� be� able� to� appreciate� the� magical� effect� of� Elman's� playing� on� the� American� public� by� reading� the� poem " Bath " � written� in� 1916�� by� the� young�� Carl� Sandburg .����
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