I just finished Arnold Steinhardt's autobiography, "Violin Dreams". I once saw a picture of him ca. 1960 in "They Way They Play" and had an instant crush. 60s sweatshirt, jeans and keds, slouched in a chair holding his violin and casually talking to Casals of all people.
Professor Steinhardt is one thing for sure -- a class act. His book is written almost as well as he plays Bach's Chaconne.
Here are some fun quotes from the book:
"Old songs are more than tunes, they are little houses in which our hearts once lived." ~Ben Hecht
"I love in the woods, until I was slain by the relentless axe. Whilst I was alive I was silent, b ut in death my melody is exquisite." Who or what am I?
I especially enjoyed the anecdote of his first violin teacher Mr. Carl Moldrem helping him sort out note rhythms with words:
a quarter note = "pear"
two eighth notes = "ap-ple"
four eighth notes = "wa-ter-mel-on"
a set of triplets = "pine-ap-ple"
But what is the best reason to read the book? To learn and gain a love of Bach and his Partitas in D Minor -- especially the Chaconne which comes with the book on CD. I'm listening to it now... 15 minutes of straight playing!
