Auer, Leopold. (1845-1930)

Signed Photograph

Uncommon signed photograph of the important Hungarian violinist and pedagogue, shown in a glossy 8 x 10 Underwood & Underwood portrait, holding his violin in a three-quarter-length pose. He has signed at the right in fountain pen: "L. Auer, 1924." Small creases and tears to right margin, mounting remnants to verso with scattered silvering and some staining upper left, otherwise good. 

Leopold Auer spent nearly fifty years in St. Petersburg and exerted a decisive influence on the Russian violin school, following Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski as solo violin at the Imperial Ballet. Arensky, Glazunov, Taneyev and Tchaikovsky wrote their most important violin compositions for him. As for Tschaikovsky’s violin concerto, Auer refused the dedication, declaring it technically awkward and too long! After a few revisions to the violin part, he eventually played this monumental violin work in 1893, shortly before the composer’s death. (16159)
Classical Music
Signed Photograph