Roman Totenberg
Roman Totenberg | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire | 1 January 1911
Died | 8 May 2012 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 101)
Genres | Classical music |
Occupation(s) | Violinist, educator |
Instrument(s) | Violin |
Years active | 1923–2012 |
Website | http://www.romantotenberg.com |
External videos | |
---|---|
”A Tribute to Roman Totenberg”, Boston University, January 3, 2011 | |
“BU celebrates Professor Emeritus of Music Roman Totenberg's 90th Birthday”, Boston University, July 13, 2011 | |
”From the archives: A stolen Stradivarius”, CBS Sunday Morning |
Roman Totenberg (1 January 1911 – 8 May 2012) was a Polish-American violinist and educator. A child prodigy, he lived in Poland, Moscow, Berlin, and Paris, before formally immigrating to the U.S. in 1938, at age 27. He performed and taught nationally and internationally throughout his life.[1][2]
One of Totenberg's favorite instruments was the
Early life
Roman Totenberg was born in Łódź, Poland to a Jewish family, the son of Adam (an architect) and Stanisława (Winawer) Totenberg. He spent his early childhood years (1914–1921) in Moscow, where the family moved at the beginning of World War I.[4][5]
Totenberg was a child prodigy[3] who made his concert debut at the age of eleven with conductor
By 1929, he had moved to Berlin, where he continued his studies with Carl Flesch.[9] In 1932 he moved to Paris, where he studied with George Enescu and Pierre Monteux.[9] He won the International Mendelssohn Prize.[9][7][10] In 1935, he made his British debut in London and his American debut in Washington, D.C. In 1936, at age 25, he played at the
Professional life
Totenberg toured South America with Franz Reizenstein in 1937,[11] and gave joint recitals with Karol Szymanowski.[11] He gave many concerts comprising the complete cycle of
Among the many contemporary works he introduced are the
Totenberg appeared with numerous American orchestras including the
He played under eminent conductors including
Pedagogy
In addition to his concert activities, Totenberg held the position of Professor of Music at
Recognition
Roman Totenberg was awarded the Wieniawski Medal of Poland and the Ysaye Medal of Belgium. [11]
In 1983, he was named Artist Teacher of the Year by the American String Teachers Association,[16] and in April 2007, he was honored with the New England String Ensemble's Muses & Mentors Award for his great artistry and significant contributions to string education.[6][34]
In 1988, he was awarded the highest Medal of Merit by the Polish government for lifelong contributions to Polish society.[9]
Family
Roman Totenberg's wife, Melanie Francis (Eisenberg) Totenberg (1917–1996), was his business manager for 50 years.
Recording career
Totenberg recorded for many labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Telefunken, Philips, Vanguard, Musical Heritage Society, Heliodor, Remington, Da Camera, Dover, Titanic and VQR.
Ames Stradivarius
One of Totenberg's favorite instruments was the Ames Stradivarius, which he purchased for about $15,000 in 1943 (equivalent to $264,000 in 2023).[37] It was stolen from his office after a concert in May 1980. Totenberg suspected aspiring violinist Philip S. Johnson of the theft, but police at the time did not believe there was enough evidence to issue a search warrant. The instrument was recovered thirty-five years later in 2015, four years after Johnson's death, when his former wife discovered it among his effects and sought to have it appraised.[3][36][38]
The recovered instrument was returned to Totenberg's daughters on August 6, 2015, after which it was to be restored to playing condition.[38][39] The family stated that they planned to sell the instrument after it had been restored. According to Nina Totenberg, "We will make sure it is in the hands of another virtuoso violinist. And once again, the beautiful, brilliant and throaty voice of that long-stilled violin will thrill audiences in concert halls around the world."[36] It has since been sold to an unknown buyer,[40] who subsequently lent it to young American violinist Nathan Meltzer.[41]
References
- ^ a b Weber, Bruce (8 May 2012). "Roman Totenberg, Violinist and Teacher, Dies at 101". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Roman Totenberg in Memoram". Polish Music Newsletter. 18 (6). June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Roberts, Jacob (2017). "Stradivari and the Search for Brilliance". Distillations. 3 (3): 12–23. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ "Roman Totenberg". Old New York Stories. October 20, 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ISBN 9780837918501.
- ^ a b c Fitelberg, Gary. "A Special Tribute to Polish Violinist and Virtuoso Roman Totenberg (1 January 1911 – 8 May 2012)". American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Roman Totenberg". The Telegraph. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ISBN 9781483442679. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Roman Totenberg Timeline". Roman Totenberg Papers - Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ISBN 978-3-515-08328-7. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Roman Totenberg Papers". Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 27, 2021
- ^ The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Vol. 59. Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. 1961.
- ^ "String Player". 1 (1). W. Moennig + Son, Limited. 1948.
Darius Milhaud's Violin Concerto No. 2 was received enthusiastically at its first performance in Albuquerque, N. M., on October 6. Roman Totenberg played the solo part, with the Albuquerque Civic Symphony Orchestra
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ISBN 9781538103838. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Totenberg, Nina (May 8, 2012). "Roman Totenberg's Remarkable Life And Death". NPR. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "The Strad". The Strad. 97–98: 162. 1986.
Totenberg opened with Hindemith's Sonata in E (1935) which he had premiered in New York and Paris
- ISBN 9781446527115. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ISBN 978-1442250765. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Brahms & Lipinski Violin Concertos Roman Totenberg, violin". TITANIC RECORDS. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d Seligson, Susan (May 9, 2012). "Roman Totenberg Dies at 101 Violinist, beloved CFA professor, classical music legend". BU Today. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Bartok". The Gramophone. 40. C. Mackenzie: 465. 1962. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
Roman Totenberg (violin), Vienna State Opera Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Golschmann
- ISBN 978-1598533095.
- ^ "The Mozarteum". The Music Magazine and Musical Courier. 164 (6). Summy-Birchard Publishing Company. 1962. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
The Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria — Composer Alexander Tcherepnin, violinist Roman Totenberg, and singer Ellen Repp will represent the United States among instructors assembled for the international summer academy
- ^ Greenberg, Robert (26 August 2019). "Music History Monday: Lotte Lehmann". robertgreenbergmusic.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ISBN 978-1598533095.
- ^ "Roman Totenberg". Violins and Violinists' Magazine. 8–10: 238. 1947. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
Roman Totenberg made a short stay in Chicago on his way to California where he officiates as head of the violin department at Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West
- ^ Lebovic, Matt (18 February 2017). "'Refugee' violinist blends Russian-Jewish roots with modern tones". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Yevgeny Kutik – Violin". Yevgeny Kutik.
- ^ Totenberg, Nina (March 14, 2017). "A Stolen, Then Recovered, Stradivarius Returns To The Stage". NPR. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "BIOGRAPHY". LEON BOTSTEIN. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
- ^ College, Bard. "Leon Botstein". www.bard.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
- ^ Totenberg, Nina (May 8, 2012). "World-renowned violinist, teacher Roman Totenberg dies at 101". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Roman Totenberg] awarded with Muses and Mentors Award". PRLog. April 2, 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Melanie Totenberg, 79, Violinist's Wife and Manager". The New York Times. 5 September 1996.
- ^ a b c Totenberg, Nina (August 6, 2015). "A Rarity Reclaimed: Stolen Stradivarius Recovered After 35 Years". www.npr.org. WNYC Radio. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ^ Edgers, Geoff (6 August 2015). "Missing for 35 years, the stunning discovery of a stolen Stradivarius". Washington Post.
- ^ a b "Stolen 'Ames' Stradivarius violin is recovered after 35 years - The Strad". The Strad. Archived from the original on 2015-08-08.
- ^ Cooper, Michael (August 6, 2015). "Roman Totenberg's Stolen Stradivarius Is Found After 35 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ Totenburg, Nina (October 9, 2018). "The Tale Of The Stolen Totenberg Stradivarius Ends With A New Legacy". www.npr.org. NPR.
- ^ "Roman Totenberg's Once-Stolen Stradivari Violin Loaned to Juilliard Student Nathan Meltzer".
External links
Archives at | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
How to use archival material |
- "Roman Totenberg Papers". Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- The Roman Totenberg Legacy Library of Congress Aug 12, 2015 (Video)
- Roman Totenberg at 90
- Roman Totenberg at 95