Leopold Auer

Leopold Auer (June 7, 1845 – July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.

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Auer was born in Veszpr?m and first studied violin with a local concertmaster. He later continued his studies with Ridley Kohn? in Budapest, Jacques Dont in Vienna and finally Joseph Joachim in Hanover. He settled in St. Petersburg and taught at the conservatoire there from 1868 to 1917. In 1918 he moved to the United States of America, eventually teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

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Auer is remembered as one of the most important violin pedagogues. He taught many violinists who would later become famous, including Efrem Zimbalist, Nathan Milstein, Mischa Elman and Jascha Heifetz. A number of composers dedicated pieces to him, though he initially refused to play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, despite being the dedicatee, because he regarded the work as unplayable. He did played the work later in his career, however, with alterations in certain passages. Performances of the Tchaikovsky concerto by his students (with the exception of Nathan Milstein's) were also based on Auer's edition.

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Auer wrote a small number of works for his instrument, including the Rhapsodie hongroise for violin and piano. He also wrote a number of cadenzas for other composers' violin concertos including those by Beethoven and Brahms (see Violin Concerto (Beethoven) and Violin Concerto (Brahms)). He also wrote two books: Violin Playing as I Teach It (1920), and My Long Life in Music (1923).

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Auer died in Loschwitz, a suburb of Dresden, Germany and was interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

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The jazz vibraphonist, Vera Auer, is a niece of Leopold. Actor Mischa Auer (born Mischa Ounskowsky) was his grandson.

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June 7: June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining....

1845: 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar)....

July 15: July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining....

Leopold Auer related Images and Photos (experimental)

Leopold Lion	Leopold Th Cat	Bec Auer	Jordan Leopold
Leopold II King of Belgium	Brevetto Auer	Leopold I King of Belgium	Leopold Vi Entering Vienna 1219
Prince Leopold Duke of Albany	Prince Leopold of Dessau	Antonin Leopold Dvorak Czech Musician	Antonin Leopold Dvorak Czech Musician