Jascha Brodsky
Encyclopedia
Jascha Brodsky was a Russia
n-American
violin
ist and teacher.
Born in Kharkiv
, Ukraine
, Russian Empire
, he began his violin studies with his violinist father at the age of six. He later studied at the conservatory in Tbilisi
, Georgia
, and by 1926, was performing successfully all over the Soviet Union
. That same year, he went to Paris
to study with Lucien Capet
. There he also played for Sergei Prokofiev
and performed with pianist Vladimir Horowitz
and violinists Nathan Milstein
and Mischa Elman.
Soon thereafter, he moved again, to Belgium
to study with the legendary Eugène Ysaÿe
.
In 1930 he moved to America
to study with Efrem Zimbalist
at the Curtis Institute of Music
, where he befriended Boris Goldovsky
, a fellow Russian Jew. Brodsky and three other students formed an ensemble which would later be called the Curtis String Quartet and served as the first violinist of the quartet until group disbanded in 1981 after the death of the quartet's violist, Max Aronoff.
Brodsky was hired as a faculty member of the Curtis Institute in 1932, and later was appointed to the Efrem Zimbalist Chair of Violin Studies, which he held until his death in 1997. A respected pedagogue, his students are dispersed widely among the finest musical institutions in the world. Any given year there are about a dozen Brodsky students playing in the Philadelphia Orchestra
. Numbered among his students are Hilary Hahn
, Joseph de Pasquale
, Leila Josefowicz
, Joey Corpus
, Juliette Kang, Judith Ingolfsson
, Herbert Greenberg, and Chin Kim
.
With Aronoff, Brodsky founded the New School of Music in Philadelphia when they decided that there was a present need to train musicians specifically for a career in chamber music
or in orchestra. In 1986, The New School of Music was merged into Temple University
's Boyer College of Music and Dance
, where Brodsky was appointed Professor Emeritus. He taught at the school until his retirement in 1996.
He died in Ocala, Florida
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and teacher.
Born in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, he began his violin studies with his violinist father at the age of six. He later studied at the conservatory in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, and by 1926, was performing successfully all over the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. That same year, he went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study with Lucien Capet
Lucien Capet
Lucien Louis Capet was a French violinist, pedagogue and composer.-Career:Capet came from the Paris proletariat. By the age of fifteen, he had to maintain himself by playing in bistros and cafes...
. There he also played for Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
and performed with pianist Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
and violinists Nathan Milstein
Nathan Milstein
Nathan Mironovich Milstein was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist.Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period...
and Mischa Elman.
Soon thereafter, he moved again, to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to study with the legendary Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
.
In 1930 he moved to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to study with Efrem Zimbalist
Efrem Zimbalist
Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. was one of the world's most prominent concert violinists, as well as a composer, teacher, conductor and a long-time director of the Curtis Institute of Music.-Early life:...
at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, where he befriended Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky was a Russian conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in America...
, a fellow Russian Jew. Brodsky and three other students formed an ensemble which would later be called the Curtis String Quartet and served as the first violinist of the quartet until group disbanded in 1981 after the death of the quartet's violist, Max Aronoff.
Brodsky was hired as a faculty member of the Curtis Institute in 1932, and later was appointed to the Efrem Zimbalist Chair of Violin Studies, which he held until his death in 1997. A respected pedagogue, his students are dispersed widely among the finest musical institutions in the world. Any given year there are about a dozen Brodsky students playing in the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
. Numbered among his students are Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn is an American violinist.Hahn was born in Lexington, Virginia. Beginning her studies when she was three years old at Baltimore's Peabody Institute, she was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, and in 1991, made her major orchestral debut with the...
, Joseph de Pasquale
Joseph de Pasquale
Joseph de Pasquale is an American violist.Joseph de Pasquale was a student of Louis Bailly, Max Aronoff and William Primrose at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was the principal violist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1947 to 1964, and later the Philadelphia Orchestra...
, Leila Josefowicz
Leila Josefowicz
Leila Bronia Josefowicz , is an American/Canadian classical violinist.-Biography:Josefowicz was born in Missisauga, Ontario, Canada. When she was a young child her family moved to Los Angeles, California where she started studying violin at the age of three and a half using the Suzuki method...
, Joey Corpus
Joey Corpus
Joey Corpus is a prominent violin teacher living in New York City.He studied the violin in Philadelphia with the late Jascha Brodsky. He was also influenced by Nelly Soregi and Alberto Lysy. He studied chamber music with Orlando Cole, among others....
, Juliette Kang, Judith Ingolfsson
Judith Ingolfsson
-Biography:Already at the age of five, Ingolfsson appeared in a performance on Icelandic TV, and she made her solo orchestral debut in Germany at the age of eight....
, Herbert Greenberg, and Chin Kim
Chin kim
Chin Kim is a Korean-born American classical violinist, largely educated in the United States through the Juilliard School, and the Curtis Institute of Music.-Activities:...
.
With Aronoff, Brodsky founded the New School of Music in Philadelphia when they decided that there was a present need to train musicians specifically for a career in chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
or in orchestra. In 1986, The New School of Music was merged into Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
's Boyer College of Music and Dance
Boyer College of Music and Dance
The Boyer College of Music and Dance is the music school at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Boyer College of Music and Dance is the music school at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college includes the Boyer College of Music, founded in 1962, and the Temple...
, where Brodsky was appointed Professor Emeritus. He taught at the school until his retirement in 1996.
He died in Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
.