Emanuel Vardi (21 April 1915 – 29 January 2011), an American

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, was considered to have been one of the great viola players of the 20th century.

Early life

Emanuel Vardi was born April 21, 1915 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. His mother, Anna Joffa Vardi, had a piano studio with many students and started Emanuel on piano at about age 3. His father, Joseph Vardi had a violin studio and also started his son out on his instrument at about the age of 3. The family came to the United States in 1920 via Paris, France, aboard a ship called "the Asia" to escape the

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

s in the Middle East. He continued studying both piano and violin until about age 7, when he forwent piano to focus on violin. He played Mozart's Fantasy in D-minor at a recital at age 9. The next day the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' came out with an article by Charles Isaacson where he said, "Keep a lookout for this future pianist". At age 12, his father found out about the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

, and filled out a submission form which was accepted. Then when they showed up for the audition, the jury expected his father to play. But his father pointed to Emanuel and said "no, he will be the one playing". They accepted Emanuel, but since the age limit was 16, he was sent to the Institute of Musical Art, where he studied under Constance Seeger, mother of folk singer

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

. Around age 14, Constance got him into the private Walden School, since the public schools wouldn't allow him sufficient daily practice time. She arranged for him to have 2 to 3 hours of practice daily. While there he was dubbed Mani by one of his teachers, Mr. Hill. About age 15, Emanuel dropped out of school for a time as a sort of teenage rebellion and lived with his friend Zack Baratz. Constance noticed he wasn't in school, coaxed him to return to his studies and then he was invited to return to Juilliard.

Career

In 1942, Vardi received the “Recitalist of the Year” award from the New York music critics for the best New York recital following his

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

debut. He had the distinction of being asked to perform a solo recital at the White House for President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

during World War II. Vardi is one of one two violists in the world to have ever given a solo recital in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. He taught at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

. In crossing musical genres of classical and jazz, he toured and performed with jazz greats such as

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

. In the early 1960s, Vardi worked for Audio Fidelity Records in New York as producer. In 1985, Vardi was featured in a full-length article in ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and re ...

'', and in 2003 he was honored with a lengthy interview in the American Viola Society Journal, with his painting “Homage to a Great Violist” appearing on the front cover. Due to an accident in 1993, Vardi lost the use of his shoulder, forcing him to retire from the viola. After his accident Vardi continued with his painting and art endeavors. Emanuel Vardi died in North Bend, Washington, at the age of 95.

Compositions

* ''Prelude'' for cello and piano, Op. 2 No. 1 * ''Suite on American Folk Songs'' for viola (or violin) and orchestra (or piano) (1944) :# The Unconstant Lover :# I Will and I Must get Married :# The Wayfaring Stranger :# On the Banks of the Old Pee Dee * ''Modern Sensations'', Variations on a Theme by Paganini for trumpet and piano (or band) (1963) * ''Themes from the

Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'' for optional flute and clarinet and orchestra (1973) * ''Suite Based on American Folk Songs'' for viola and piano (1977) :# Beginning :# Song :# Not So Square Dance :# Ad lib. and Slow Walk :# Middle Fiddler in 3/4 Time * ''Conceptions in Rhythm'', Concerto for violin and orchestra (1978)

References

* Sieb, Calvin
"The Development of a Violinist: Emanuel Vardi"
Siegel Productions, Canada. *Tang, Lydia, " The Multi-Faceted Artistry of Violist Emanuel Vardi," doctoral thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2016

External links

About Emanuel Vardi on his official website

World-renowned musician, Emanuel Vardi dies at home in North Bend
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vardi, Emanuel 1915 births 2011 deaths People from Jerusalem American classical violists Mandatory Palestine emigrants to the United States Juilliard School alumni Manhattan School of Music faculty Temple University faculty 20th-century American musicians 20th-century classical musicians People from North Bend, Washington Walden School (New York City) alumni 20th-century violists