Famous Violinists of To-day and YesterdayLahee, Henry Charles
History
Famous Violinists of To-day and Yesterday
Lahee, Henry Charles
Bull, Ole, 1810-1880; Joachim, Joseph, 1831-1907; Paganini, Nicolò, 1782-1840; Violinists
The death of Remenyi, which occurred on May 15, 1898, created a
sensation throughout the country. He had, after many misgivings,
consented to appear in "vaudeville." The financial inducement was large,
and he soothed his artistic conscience with the argument that his music
would tend to elevate the vaudeville rather than that the vaudeville
would tend to degrade him. It was at the Orpheus Theatre in San
Francisco, and it was his first appearance. He played one or two
selections, and being tremendously applauded, and correspondingly
gratified, he returned and answered the encore with the well-known "Old
Glory." He was in his best vein, and played as one inspired. The
audience literally rose with him, leaving their seats in their
excitement, and the applause lasted several minutes. He came forward,
and in response to another burst of applause commenced to play Delibes's
"Fizzicati." He had played but a few measures when he leaned over as if
to speak to one of the musicians in the orchestra. He paused a moment,
and then fell slowly forward on his face. One of the musicians caught
him before he touched the stage, and thus prevented his rolling off. All
was over.
Remenyi left a widow, a son, and a daughter, who lived in New York. His
health had been failing for some time, for in 1896, for the first time
in thirty years, he had, while in Davenport, Iowa, been compelled to
cancel all his engagements and rest. It is said that Remenyi's real name
was Hoffmann.
The name of Miska Hauser is seldom mentioned in these days, and yet it
was once known all over the world. No virtuoso of his time travelled
more extensively, and few created more enthusiasm than did Hauser. He
was born in Pressburg, Hungary, in 1822, and became a pupil of Boehm and
of Mayseder at Vienna, also of Kreutzer and Sechter. He is said to have
acquired more of Mayseder's elegant style and incisive tone than of the
characteristics of his other teachers, but his talent was devoted to the
acquisition of virtuoso effects, which appeal to the majority rather
than to the most cultivated.
As a boy of twelve Hauser made an extensive and successful concert tour.
In 1840 he toured Europe, and ten years later went to London, and thence
to the West Indies and the United States, where he made quite a
sensation, and was a member of Jenny Lind's company. He afterwards
visited San Francisco, where he got himself into difficulties on account
of Lola Montes. Then he went to South America, visiting Lima, where
passionate creoles languished for him, Santiago, where a set of fanatics
excited the mob against him, declaring that he was charmed by the devil,
and Valparaiso, where he suffered shipwreck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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