Henryk Wieniawski Free Sheet Music, Program Notes, Recordings and Biography

The Poet of the Violin

When the eight-year-old Henryk Wieniawski arrived to audition for the Paris Conservatoire, the faculty nearly dismissed him out of hand. He was exceptionally small for his age. But when he put the violin to his chin and began to play, any doubts were erased. His talent was so prodigious, so electrifying, that he was immediately admitted, becoming one of the youngest students in the institution's history. This was the world's first glimpse of a performer who would become one of the towering violin virtuosos of the 19th century. Wieniawski was more than a technician; he was a true poet of his instrument, a composer and performer whose music burned with a passionate, Slavic intensity that set him apart from all others.

The Warsaw Prodigy in Paris

Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Poland. His father was a respected physician, and his mother was a talented amateur pianist who recognized her son's extraordinary musical gifts. He began violin lessons at age five, and his progress was so rapid that at age eight, he was sent to the Paris Conservatoire. He graduated with the first prize and a gold medal at the age of just eleven. After a brief period of concertizing, he returned to the Conservatoire to study composition. His early life was a whirlwind of study and performance, establishing him as one of Europe's most sensational child prodigies.

A Virtuoso's Life on the Road

As a young man, Wieniawski embarked on the life of a touring virtuoso, often performing with his pianist brother, Józef. He toured extensively for two years throughout the Russian Empire, giving over 200 concerts. This established his fame and led to his appointment as the court violinist to the Tsar in St. Petersburg. His reputation spread across Europe, where he was hailed as a worthy successor to the great Niccolò Paganini.

His playing was famous for its emotional fire, its rich, powerful tone, and its seemingly effortless command of every technical challenge. He possessed a legendary staccato bowing technique, sometimes called a "devil's staccato," that allowed him to play rapid-fire notes with incredible clarity and excitement. He was a performer of immense charisma and passion.

Professor in St. Petersburg and Brussels

Wieniawski was not only a great performer but also a highly sought-after teacher. From 1860 to 1872, he taught at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, working alongside its founder, the great pianist Anton Rubinstein. He played a crucial role in developing the Russian school of violin playing.

Later in his career, he was appointed to succeed his great predecessor, Henri Vieuxtemps, as the head of the violin department at the prestigious Brussels Conservatory. His time there was brief but influential, and his most famous pupil was the great Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who would become one of the defining violinists of the next generation.

The Composer: Polish Soul and Virtuosic Fire

Wieniawski’s compositions are inseparable from his identity as a performer. He wrote almost exclusively for his own instrument, creating a body of work that is a perfect blend of lyrical poetry and virtuosic fireworks. His Polish heritage is at the heart of much of his music. He composed a series of brilliant Polonaises, including the Polonaise de Concert, Op. 4 and the Polonaise Brillante, Op. 21, which are filled with the proud, noble rhythms of his homeland.

His two violin concertos are masterpieces of the Romantic era. The first, in F-sharp minor, is a work of immense technical difficulty. The second, the Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, is his most famous and beloved large-scale work. It is a perfect balance of passionate, Slavic lyricism in its "Romance" movement and dazzling, fiery virtuosity in its finale, "à la Zingara" (in the gypsy style). His shorter showpieces, like the beautiful and poignant Légende, Op. 17, and the furiously fast Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16, are also cornerstones of the violin repertoire.

A Grueling American Tour and a Tragic Finale

From 1872 to 1874, Wieniawski undertook a massive, grueling concert tour of the United States with Anton Rubinstein. The two larger-than-life personalities often clashed, and the schedule was brutal, consisting of 215 concerts in under two years. The tour was a financial success, but it took a serious toll on Wieniawski's already fragile health.

His health continued to decline throughout the 1870s, but his passion for performing never waned. He was known for having heart attacks on stage, only to finish the concert after a brief rest. His final years were a tragic race against time. He died of a massive heart attack in Moscow in 1880, in the middle of a final concert tour, at the age of just 44. He died penniless, his great friend and patron Nadezhda von Meck (who was also Tchaikovsky's patron) paying for his burial. He had literally given his life for his art, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most passionate and brilliant violinist-composers who ever lived.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

• References and Further Reading

• Pringle, Peter. The Life and Times of Henryk Wieniawski. The Wieniawski Society, 1980.

• Schwarz, Boris and Mark Katz. "Wieniawski, Henryk." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. Macmillan Publishers, 2001.

• Flesch, Carl. The Memoirs of Carl Flesch. Translated by Hans Keller. Da Capo Press, 1979.