David Nadien (March 12, 1926 – May 28, 2014) was an American virtuoso violinist and violin teacher. He was the

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

from 1966 to 1970. His playing style, characterized by fast vibrato, audible shifting noises, and superb bow control, has been compared to that of

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

, who is considered by some to be the greatest violinist of all time.Gary Lemco (November 18, 2008)
''David Nadien: The Legendary Violinist''
, review. ''Audiophile Audition''. Accessed June 2014.

Life

David Nadien was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, on March 12, 1926, the son of Russian-Jewish father George Nadien and Dutch-Jewish mother Bertha Zwart. His father was a local boxer who went by the last name "Vanderbilt." He started learning violin with his father, then entered the

Mannes School of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...

. He also studied at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. His teachers included Adolfo Betti,

Demetrius Constantine Dounis Demetrius Constantine Dounis (also Demetrios), also known as D. C. Dounis ( gr, Δημήτριος Κωνσταντίνος Δούνης; ''c.''1886 to 1894 – August 13, 1954), was an influential teacher of violin and string instrument technique ...

Adolf Busch Adolf Georg Wilhelm Busch (8 August 1891 – 9 June 1952) was a German–Swiss violinist, conductor, and composer. Life and career Busch was born in Siegen in Westphalia. He studied at the Cologne Conservatory with Willy Hess and Bram Elderin ...

and

Ivan Galamian Ivan Alexander Galamian ( hy, Իվան Ղալամեան; April 14, 1981) was an Armenian-American violin teacher of the twentieth century who was the violin teacher of many seminal violin players including Itzhak Perlman. Biography Galamian w ...

. When he was 18, he was drafted into the US Army, and played with the Army Service Forces Orchestra on the recommendation of

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

principal bassoonist

Sol Schoenbach Sol Schoenbach ''(né'' Sol Israel Schoenbach; 1915 – 25 February 1999) was an American bassoonist and teacher. Career Schoenbach was a student of the distinguished bassoonist Simon Kovar. He studied at the New York University, and held h ...

, who recognized his talents. He made his first concert appearance with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 14, and at the age of 20 won the Leventritt Award judged by a panel that included

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. Afterwards, he worked mainly as a freelance

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, until in 1966 he was invited to audition and was eventually selected by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

to replace the retiring John Corigliano Sr., the father of the composer John Corigliano, as

of the New York Philharmonic. Although Nadien had little experience of orchestral playing, Bernstein praised his unusually acute sight-reading skills and called him "an extraordinary violinist." He left the orchestra in 1970 and resumed more lucrative studio work in New York, where he recorded strings for artists such as

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...

and

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

. As a violin teacher, he worked at the

Mannes College of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School ca ...

and taught privately. Nadien owned the "Prince of Orange, Wald, Hoffmann" violin, made by

Guarneri del Gesù Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (, , ; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his inst ...

in about 1743, until he sold it in 1967. He is well-known for his recordings of Parts 1 to 4 of the Suzuki violin method. He died of pneumonia in New York City aged 88 on May 28, 2014.

Selected discography

* Vivaldi, The Four Seasons - (David Nadien, violin; strings of the Kapp Sinfonietta; Igor Kipnis, harpsichord; Emanuel Vardi, conductor / Sleevenotes by

Igor Kipnis Igor Kipnis (September 27, 1930January 23, 2002) was a German-born American harpsichordist, pianist and conductor. Biography The son of Metropolitan Opera bass Alexander Kipnis, he was born in Berlin, where his father was singing with the Berlin S ...

- LP 33rpm, Kapp KCL-9056 - 1960)Billboard Music Week, pg.40 "Reviews and Ratings of New Albums"
(February 6, 1961) * The Virtuoso Violinist - recital: Wieniawski, Scherzo Tarantelle Op.16 / Sarasate, Habanera Op.21 No.2 / Sarasate, Zapateado Op.23 No.2 / Paganini (arr. Kreisler), Caprice No.20 / F.M.Veracini, Largo / Kreisler, Praeludium and Allegro 'in the style of Pugnani' / Paganini, Moto perpetuo Op.11 / Sarasate, Caprice basque Op.24 / Kreisler, Recitative and Scherzo Caprice Op.6 -violin solo- / Vieuxtemps, Regrets Op.40 No.2 / Kreisler, Variations on a Theme by Corelli - (David Nadien, violin; Boris Barere, piano - LP 33rpm, Kapp KCL-9060 - 1961) * Humoresque - recital: Dvořák (arr. Kreisler), Humoresque Op.101 No.7 / Massenet (arr. M.P.Marsick), Méditation de Thaïs / Mendelssohn (arr. Heifetz), On Wings of Song Op.34 No.2 / Elgar, Salut d'amour Op.12 / Beethoven (arr. Maud Powell), Minuet in G WoO.10 No.2 / Drdla, Souvenir / Brahms, Waltz Op.39 No.15 / Schubert (arr. Wilhelmj), Ave Maria D.839 / Rubinstein (arr. Auer), Melodie in F Op.3 No.1 / Raff, Cavatina Op.85 No.3 / Schubert (arr. Sitt), Serenade (Ständchen, No.4 from 'Schwanengesang' D.957) - (David Nadien, violin; Boris Barere, piano - LP 33rpm, Kapp KS-3342 (Kapp KL-1342, mono release) - 1963) * Franck, Violin Sonata in A / Debussy, Violin Sonata in G / Ravel, Pièce en forme de habanera / Fauré , Berceuse Op.16 - (David Nadien, violin; David Hancock, piano - LP 33rpm, Monitor MCS2017 - 1968) * Prokofiev, Sonata for 2 violins Op.56 - (

Ruggiero Ricci Ruggiero Ricci (24 July 1918 – 5 August 2012) was an American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Niccolò Paganini, Paganini. Biography He was born in San Bruno, California, the son of Italian immigrants who first ...

, violin I; David Nadien, violin II - LP 33rpm, Decca DL710177 - 1970)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nadien, David 1926 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American violinists 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century American Jews American classical violinists American male violinists Concertmasters of the New York Philharmonic Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Leventritt Award winners Male classical violinists People from Brooklyn United States Army soldiers