Portrait of Jascha Heifetz

Music school graduate at age seven, Heifetz undertook a series of tours in Lithuania and earned the reputation of being “the most phenomenal child prodigy of his time”..

Jascha (Iossif Robertovitch) Heifetz was born in Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania) on February 2, 1899 and not 1901, a date that has long been considered official. His father, Ruvim Heifetz, violinist at the city theatre, did not fail to recognize and develop his son’s remarkable dispositions.

In 1907, the famous Leopold Auer, passing through Vilna, was so surprised by the child prodigy that he called the performance Heifetz offered him (Paganini’s 24th Caprice) a “sorcerer’s trick” and admitted him to his class on the spot.

Time to make his public debut in 1908 in Kaunas in the Concerto of Mendelssohn, and here is our musician in Saint-Petersburg – a city nevertheless forbidden to Jews by law –, first in the class of an assistant of Auer. Quickly, the master calls him among his personal students. For six years, Heifetz developed his extraordinary gifts under the demanding rule of the severe pedagogue.

On April 30, 1911, he gave his first public recital in Saint Petersburg. Triumphant tours put the whole of Russia at their feet: in Odessa, the enthusiasm of the public was such that the police were forced to intervene. His reputation soon crosses borders. Leipzig and Vienna claim it. On October 28, 1912, he performed in Berlin the Concerto by Tchaikovsky, with the Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Arthur Nikisch. Another tour in Scandinavia (1916) and he left the Old Continent for America.

To view this Youtube content, you must accept cookies Advertising.

These cookies allow our partners to offer you personalized advertising and content based on your browsing, your profile and your areas of interest.


We had not seen such a magician of the violin since Paganini. It is the first modern virtuoso violinist, leader of several generations of musicians including Itzhak Perlman, who says of him: “When I spoke to him, I thought I can’t believe it, I’m talking to God ! »

To view this Youtube content, you must accept cookies Advertising.

These cookies allow our partners to offer you personalized advertising and content based on your browsing, your profile and your areas of interest.


Like Leopold Auer, he was often considered a “traitor to his country” due to his migration to the United States. He also condemned the famous Tchaikovsky competition, accusing the jury of favoring musicians from the East.

An American citizen from 1925, Heifetz continued his career on five continents. After the war he reduced the rhythm of his concerts. Refusing to allow the content of his program to be dictated by political considerations, he survived an assassination attempt (in 1953) by a Jewish extremist from Jerusalem following his decision to persist in playing a play by Richard Strauss, despite the hostility of the Israeli government towards this composer suspected of sympathy with Nazism. The violinist will say: “the music is above these factors… I’m not going to change my program. I have the right to decide my repertoire. »




9 mins

Legend records:




20 mins

We would love to thank the writer of this post for this awesome web content

Portrait of Jascha Heifetz


Explore our social media profiles along with other pages related to themhttps://nimblespirit.com/related-pages/