Otakar Ševčík (22 March 185218 January 1934) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist and influential teacher. He was known as a soloist and an ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe.

Biography

Ševčík was born in Horažďovice,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

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. His father was the local village schoolmaster. Although he received his first music lessons from his father, he studied under Antonín Bennewitz at the Prague Conservatory (1866–1870) during which period a disease caused him to have his left eye enucleated. He was also taught by Hans Sitt. He began his career in 1870 as

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of the

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concerts in

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, where he also taught. After 1873, he was concertmaster at the Prague Interim (Provisional) Theatre and the Komische Opera at the Ring Theatre in

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. From 1875-92 he was

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of violin at the music school of the Russian Music Society in

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, at the same time appearing frequently as soloist. In 1892 he became head of the violin department at the Prague Conservatory, where he remained until 1906. He then taught privately in

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. In 1909, he became director of the Violin Department at the Vienna Music Academy, until 1918, when at the end of

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his nationality forced him to leave his position. He returned to the Prague Conservatory, where he stayed until 1921. After that he travelled in the

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and

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as a well known teacher. He died in Písek, in the modern-day Czech Republic. Ševčík taught violin at the Imperial Royal Academy of Music in Vienna, from 1909. He visited the United States four times between 1922 and 1932 to teach. Ševčík was famous as a

teacher in Salzburg, Vienna, Prague,

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, Kiev,

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, and

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. His violin studies and violin methods were published in several books and are still important as major teaching tools. These studies include ''The Little Ševčík'', an elementary violin tutor, which teaches the semitone system in 149 exercises, the ''School of Violin Technics'' (''Schule der Violintechnik'', four parts, 1880), First Position, vol. II, 2nd to 7th Positions, and Vol. III, Shifting, and Preparatory Exercises in Double-Stopping, Opus 9, and the ''Schule der Bogentechnik'' (six parts, 1893).

References

Sources

* Ševčík, Otakar. The Little Ševčík, An Elementary Violin Tutor (1901). Miami, Florida: Kalmus/Warner Music. . * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sevcik, Otakar 1852 births 1934 deaths Violinists from Austria-Hungary Czech classical violinists Czech male classical violinists Czech male writers People from Horažďovice Prague Conservatory alumni Violin educators