Henryk Szeryng facts for kids
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Henryk Szeryng (say it like: SHERR-ing) was a famous violin player. He was born in Poland on September 22, 1918. Later, he became a citizen of Mexico. Many people believe he was one of the best violinists ever. He died on March 8, 1988, in Kassel.
Contents
Early Life and Music Training
Henryk Szeryng was born in a small village in Poland called Żelazowa Wola. This village is also where the famous composer Frédéric Chopin was born. Henryk began learning to play the piano from his mother when he was five years old.
When he was seven, he started playing the violin instead. His first violin teacher was Maurice Frenkel. Mr. Frenkel had worked with a very famous violin teacher named Leopold Auer.
Studying with Great Teachers
Four years later, Henryk went to Berlin to study with Carl Flesch. Carl Flesch was an amazing teacher for him. Szeryng later said that he learned almost everything he knew about the violin from Flesch.
After three years, Henryk moved to Paris. There, he took lessons from Jacques Thibaud at the Paris Conservatory. He won first prize there in 1937. He also studied how to write music, called composition, with Nadia Boulanger until 1939.
A Career of Music and Service
Henryk Szeryng gave his first solo concert on January 6, 1933. He played the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
Szeryng could speak seven languages very well. Because of this, when World War II started, he became an official interpreter for the Polish government. This government was based in London at the time.
Helping During Wartime
He traveled with the Polish prime minister to Mexico. Their goal was to find a safe home for refugees. During the war, Szeryng performed more than 300 concerts for Allied soldiers around the world.
During one of these concerts in Mexico City, he was offered a special job. He became the head of the string department at the university there.
Becoming a Mexican Citizen
In 1946, Henryk Szeryng became a naturalized citizen of Mexico. This meant he was now officially a Mexican citizen.
Szeryng spent several years teaching the violin. Then, a famous piano player named Arthur Rubinstein encouraged him to start performing again. So, in 1954, Szeryng began giving concerts once more.
He spent the rest of his life traveling the world and playing the violin. He made many recordings of his music. He also played many pieces by Mexican composers. This helped their music become more widely known. He even became Mexico’s special advisor at UNESCO in Paris. He continued to teach music, especially in Mexico.
Henryk Szeryng owned several beautiful and valuable violins. He even gave some of them away to others. He died in Kassel in 1988.
His Unique Playing Style
People remember Szeryng for the beautiful sound he made with his violin. He had an amazing playing technique. He always played very accurately, making sure every note was perfectly in tune. He could even slightly "bend" notes to make his intonation very expressive.
He could create different kinds of sounds by slightly turning his bow or changing the speed of his vibrato. He was able to play with great emotion in a very special and individual way.
See also
In Spanish: Henryk Szeryng para niños
