Louis Persinger (11 February 1887, Rochester, Illinois31 December 1966, New York, New York) was an American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

and professor of violin. Persinger had early lessons in Colorado, appearing in public by the age of 12. His main studies were at the

Leipzig Conservatory The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...

where he studied violin with Hans Becker, piano with Carl Beving, conducting with

Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Br ...

before finishing with

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...

in Brussels and then studying with

Jacques Thibaud Jacques Thibaud (; 27 September 18801 September 1953) was a French violinist. Biography Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied the violin with his father before entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of thirteen. In 1896 he jointly won the ...

in France for two summers. Arthur Nikisch described him as ‘one of the most talented pupils the Leipzig Conservatory ever had’. He served as leader of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

orchestra and the Royal Opera Orchestra in Brussels before being appointed leader and assistant conductor of the

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fra ...

in 1915 and succeeding

Leopold Auer Leopold von Auer ( hu, Auer Lipót; June 7, 1845July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, academic, conductor, composer, and instructor. Many of his students went on to become prominent concert performers and teachers. Early life and career Au ...

at 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 ...

in New York in 1930. He was best known as the teacher of great violinists

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

Ruggiero Ricci Ruggiero Ricci (24 July 1918 – 5 August 2012) was an American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini. Biography He was born in San Bruno, California, the son of Italian immigrants who first named him Woodrow ...

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, an ...

, Myriam Solovieff,

Stephan Hero Stephan may refer to: * Stephan, South Dakota, United States * Stephan (given name), a masculine given name * Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname See also * Sankt-Stephan * Stefan (disambiguation) * Stephan-Oterma * Stephani * St ...

Camilla Wicks Camilla Dolores Wicks (August 9, 1928 – November 25, 2020) was an American violinist, and one of the first female violinists to establish a major international career. Her performing career included solo appearances with leading European and ...

Almita Vamos Roland and Almita Vamos are a husband and wife who are violin and viola instructors. The Vamoses have been recognized at the White House seven times and were named Distinguished Teachers by the National Endowment for the Arts. They have been hono ...

, Fredell Lack, Guila Bustabo, Arnold Eidus, Donald Erickson, Zvi Zeitlin, Leonard Posner, Enrique Danowicz and Louise Behrend. He was also Ricci's piano accompanist for many recitals and recordings, and Menuhin's for his first few recordings.

Quotes

described him as ‘one of the most talented pupils the Leipzig Conservatory ever had’.Grove's Dictionary

References

*Grove's Dictionary * Hart, Margaret C. "Louis Persinger - A Tribute on his 75th." ''Juilliard Review'' (Winter 1961-62), p. 4-8. * ''The Art of Violin Playing'', Daniel Melsa, Foulsham & Co. Ltd. * ''The Book of the Violin'', edited by Dominic Gill (1984),

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional o ...

. * ''An Encyclopedia of the Violin'', by Alberto Bachmann (1965/1990), Da Capo Press. * ''The Great Violinists'', by Margaret Campbell (1980/2004), Robson Books. * '' Paganini-The Genoese'', by G.I.C. de Courcy (1957), University of Oklahoma Press * ''

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

-Pure at Heart'', edited by Anthony Barnett & Eva Løgager (1991), Allardyce Barnett Publishers. * ''Szigeti on the Violin'', by

Joseph Szigeti Szigeti József, ; 5 September 189219 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist. Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and moved t ...

(1969/1979),

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

. * ''

Tartini Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in the Republic of Venice. Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred of pieces for the violin with the majority of ...

-His Life and Times'', by Prof. Dr. Lev Ginsburg (1968), Paganiniana Publications Inc. * ''Unfinished Journey'',

(1976), Macdonald and Jane's. * ''The Violin'', by

(1996), Flammarion. * ''The Violin and I'', by Kato Havas (1968/1975), Bosworth & Co. Ltd. * ''Violins & Violinists'', by Franz Farga (1950), Rockliff Publishing Corporation Ltd. * '' Ysaÿe'', by Prof. Dr. Lev Ginsburg (1980), Paganiniana Publications Inc. American classical violinists Male classical violinists American male violinists Concertmasters American classical pianists Male classical pianists American male pianists Juilliard School faculty 1887 births 1966 deaths 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American violinists {{US-classical-pianist-stub