- Josef Hassid
Josef Hassid ( _pl. Józef Chasyd) (
December 28 ,1923 -November 7 ,1950 ) was a Polishviolin ist.He was noted for his intense vibrato and temperament, causing
Fritz Kreisler to say "AHeifetz violinist comes around every 100 years, a Hassid every 200." Furthermore pianist Gerard Moore called him "possibly the most incandescent prodigy after perhapsYehudi Menuhin ." He received an honorary diploma in the 1935Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition inWarsaw and traveled to London in 1938 with his father, since his mother had died when Hassid was young. However, the start of World War II prevented their return to Poland. He performed in London (where he suffered from a memory lapse while playing theTchaikovsky Concerto in Queen's Hall) and recorded forHMV ; his great legacy to music is in the form of 9 recordings among whichJoseph Achron 's Hebrew Melody is notable. 2 of these recordings are the same piece; the second, later recording was made after undergoing roughly a year underCarl Flesch 's teachings.He was first placed in a
psychiatric hospital in 1941 after suffering from anervous breakdown at the age of 18. He was admitted again in 1943 and was diagnosed with acuteschizophrenia . He was lobotomised in late 1950 and died at the age of 26.Josef Hassid was one of several prodigies whose brilliant careers were short lived.
Bruno Monsaingeon 'sThe Art of Violin commemorates Hassid. [Violin Virtuosos: From Paganini to the 21st Century Henry Roth]References
*Memoirs of Carl Flesch by Carl Flesch
*STRAD magazine 94.1983/84.8; 12/1997; 5/1998, p. 455 [http://home.arcor.de/stringone/Strad_Index/strad_index.html STRAD Index]External links
* [http://static.flickr.com/45/152920744_53ddbe1015_o.jpgHassid photo]
*MySpace|josefhassid|JOSEF HASSID
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