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Classiscsonline Home » Composers » J » Joachim, Joseph

Joseph Joachim (1831 - 1907)

Born in the part of the world we now know as Slovakia, Joseph Joachim's immense talents as a violinist were noted at the age of six, and he made his public debut at the age of eight. That year he was sent to study in Vienna, entering the Leipzig Conservatory at the age of twelve. He was guided through a general music education by Mendelssohn, and during his first year made his Leipzig concert debut with Clara Schumann and Mendelssohn. At thirteen he took London by storm, a city he was to visit frequently in the following years. He was later to form a particular friendship with Brahms who acted as his accompanist. The benefits were mutual, Joachim advising Brahms on violin technique when he composed his Violin Concerto. Joachim's advocacy of Beethoven's Violin Concerto was also responsible for establishing the work in the standard repertoire.

Reports on his playing have at times been in conflict, though Joachim was generally regarded as one of the finest violinists of his generation. In his later years he became particularly interested in teaching, devoting much of his life from 1868 to the Hochschule in Berlin. As a conductor he was also admired, and it was under his baton that the First Symphony by Brahms was introduced to England. As a composer he learnt much from Mendelssohn, though time prevented more than a modest catalogue of works, though he added to his opus through much of his life.

Discography