How long should I practice? Which pieces should I study? How can I develop a singing tone? All violinists ponder these questions striving to make the most of their practice and performances. This enlightening and encouraging book holds the answers offering a series of interviews with the most celebrated Violin teachers and performers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.Twenty-four famous violinists reveal the secrets to their success sharing the lessons of their artistry and experience. In addition to aesthetic and technical aspects of playing they discuss their personal conceptions of Violin mastery. Eugene Ysaye reminisces about his studies withVieuxtemps and Wieniawski and Leopold Auer emphasizes the importance of fostering students' individual talents. Maud Powell describes her pioneering role as a female orchestral musician and Jascha Heifetz voices his views on technical mastery and temperament. Hints and advice from other masters include tips on efficient practice improving bow technique and refining intonation. A rare find in the musical literature this book is essential reading for every serious violinist.Reprint of the Frederick A. Stokes 1919 edition.

Ever since his father gave him a disc recorder at the tender age of 10 Bruce Swedien has known what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.The names of the people he has worked with are too many to list but when one mentions musicians like Count Basie Duke Ellington Oscar Peterson Sarah Vaughan Eddie Harris Quincy Jones Jennifer Lopez and even Michael Jackson a great deal is immediately understood.In this book Swedien generously gives away detailed information from his lifetime in the studio - from a musical technical and very personal perspective.This book has something for everyone who is interested in music especially those curiousabout the stories behind the scenes of some of the best music to ever come out of the recording studio.