Heifetz was born into a Russian-Jewish family in Vilna, Lithuania then part of the Russian Empire. His father, Reuven Heifetz, son of Elie, was a local violin teacher and served as the concertmaster of the Vilnius Theatre Orchestra for one season before the theatre closed down. While Jascha was an infant, his father did a series of tests, observing how his son responded to his fiddling. This convinced him that Jascha had great potential, and before Jascha was two years old, his father bought him a small violin, and taught him bowing and simple fingering.
Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini," wrote Lois Timnick of the Los Angeles Times. "He set all standards for 20th-century violin playing...everything about him conspired to create a sense of awe," wrote music critic Harold Schonberg of the New York Times. "The goals he set still remain, and for violinists today it's rather depressing that they may never really be attained again," wrote violinist Itzhak Perlman. Virgil Thomson, possibly referencing Richard Wagner's reputed taste for silk next to his skin, called Heifetz's style of playing "silk underwear music", a term he did not intend as a compliment. Other critics argue that he infused his playing with feeling and reverence for the composer's intentions. His style of playing was highly influential in defining the way modern violinists approach the instrument. His use of rapid vibrato, emotionally charged portamento, fast tempi, and superb bow control coalesced to create a highly distinctive sound that makes Heifetz's playing instantly recognizable to aficionados. The violinist Itzhak Perlman, who himself is noted for his rich warm tone and expressive use of portamento, describes Heifetz's tone as like "a tornado" because of its emotional intensity. Perlman said that Heifetz preferred to be recorded relatively close to the microphone; as a result, one would perceive a somewhat different tone quality when listening to Heifetz during a concert hall performance. Heifetz was very particular about his choice of strings. He used a silver wound Tricolore gut G string, plain gut unvarnished D and A strings, and a Goldbrokat steel E string medium including clear Hill brand rosin sparingly. Heifetz believed that playing on gut strings was important in rendering an individual sound.
Is Jascha is a good violin player?
Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini," Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini, Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini, Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini, Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini,"
Heifetz was "regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini,"