Jascha Heifetz

• Born: February 2, 1901
• Birthplace: Vilna, Lithuania, Russian Empire (now Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Died: December 10, 1987
• Place of death: Los Angeles, California

Lithuanian-born musician

Among the great violinists of the twentieth century, Heifetz was a role model for other violinists, from Yehudi Menuhin to Gil Shaham, and a patron of many composers whom Heifetz commissioned to write music for his performances.

Early Life

Jascha Heifetz (YAH-shah HI-fehtz) was born in Vilna, Lithuania, then part of czarist Russia, in 1901. He was the only son of Ruvin, the concertmaster of the Vilna Symphony Orchestra, who was his first teacher, and his wife, Annie, who subsequently had two daughters, Pauline and Elsa. His father presented Heifetz with a miniature violin on which to study; later, both he and his sister Pauline began piano lessons. At the time of Heifetz’s first public appearance at the age of seven in Kovno, Lithuania, he was studying with Ilya Davidovich Malkin at the Imperial School of Music in Vilna. With the assistance of Malkin, two years later Heifetz was admitted to the class of the great concert violinist and pedagogue Leopold Auer, at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg, and Heifetz’s first performance there was on April 30, 1911. Heifetz likewise continued his study of the piano and added classes in viola and in basic composition. As his professional earnings exceeded those of his father, Heifetz essentially supported his family with his concert tours. Although the Heifetz family was Jewish more by background than by religious practice (in the family it was considered “religious neutrality”), because of his father’s concern for the family’s safety in the Jewish community during and after the Russian Revolution, Heifetz and his family emigrated from Russia and came to the United States, where he made his American debut in Carnegie Hall on October 27, 1917.

Life’s Work

Heifetz became a naturalized American citizen in 1925. Many of his colleagues from Auer’s class in St. Petersburg, as well as Auer himself, also left the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States. Heifetz’s first marriage, to the actor Florence Vidor, ended in divorce, and so did his second marriage, to Frances Spiegelberg. From these marriages, Heifetz had three children, Josepha, Robert, and Jay. For many years Heifetz was based in New York; however, in the early 1940’s, he moved to Beverly Hills, California, which remained his home for the rest of his life. He toured widely in North and South America and in Europe. Apart from concert commitments with major orchestras, he appeared in chamber-music programs; his interest in contemporary music resulted in commissions to important composers, including William Walton, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Heifetz also made transcriptions for violin and piano of many works not originally composed for those instruments, which he occasionally included on his programs.

Heifetz was criticized for being “emotionless” in public performance, notably by Virgil Thomson. Heifetz was certainly reserved professionally and personally, perhaps because of strict upbringing and education, especially from his father. However, the strong emotion underlying his public persona was expressed openly in other ways, notably in frequent tours to Israel, demonstrating his political support for the Jewish homeland, and in his iconoclastic choice of repertoire.

Heifetz took a sabbatical from concertizing in the late 1940’s; when he returned to public performance in the 1950’s, he gradually scaled back his concert schedule. In later life he taught master classes at the University of Southern California (USC). Among his students were Sherry Kloss; Sando Xia, a Chinese student who ultimately joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and Ayke Agus, piano accompanist for Heifetz’s master classes and later his personal assistant. Kloss and Agus published biographies of their teacher. Heifetz taught until 1983, when he resigned because of problems with the administration of the program at USC; subsequently he continued the course in his own home. Heifetz died in Los Angeles on December 10, 1987, after complications from a fall and neurosurgery.

Significance

Heifetz was thoroughly educated in music from an early age, and he went on to become a colleague and role model to many other musicians. Through his live performances, recordings, transcriptions, and teaching, he demonstrated the extent to which a musician can overcome personal adversity and achieve a professional career. He was a profound musical influence on audiences and students. His work as a teacher ensured that his students, both soloists and orchestral musicians from many countries, have continued his professional standards into future generations.

Bibliography

Agus, Ayke. Heifetz as I Knew Him. Portland, Oreg.: Amadeus Press, 2001. Personal account from an Indonesian woman who studied in Heifetz’s master class at University of Southern California and later became piano accompanist for the class. She ultimately worked closely with Heifetz for fifteen years, functioning as his professional assistant.

Axelrod, Herbert R. Heifetz. Neptune City, N.J.: Paganiniana, 1976. An inside look at Heifetz’s life and work, written while he was still alive. Includes many comments from Heifetz and those who worked with him on a regular basis.

Kloss, Sherry. Jascha Heifetz Through My Eyes: The Eyes Are the Mirror of the Soul. Muncie, Ind.: Kloss Classics, 2000. Another personal account from a member of the master class. Offers text and illustrations. Less well organized and useful than the Heifetz account by Agus.

Wechsler-Vered, Artur. Jascha Heifetz. New York: Schirmer Books, 1986. In contrast to the books by Agus and Kloss, this biography was written by an objective outsider to Heifetz’s circle.