Ivan Galamian

Ivan Alexander Galamian (January 23, 1903–April 14, 1981) was the most influential violin teacher of the Twentieth century.

He was born in Tabriz, Persia, to Armenians from Russia, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras (a student of Leopold Auer) until his graduation in 1919. He moved to Paris, France, during the Bolshevik Revolution and studied under Lucien Capet in 1922 and 1923. In 1924 he debuted in Paris. Due to a combination of nerves, health, and a fondness for teaching, Galamian eventually gave up the stage in order to teach full-time. He became a faculty member of the Russian Conservatory in Paris, where he taught from 1925 until 1929. His earliest pupils in Paris include Vida Reynolds, the first woman in the Philadelphia Orchestra's first violin section, and Paul Makanowitzky.

In 1937 Galamian moved permanently to the United States of America. In 1941 he married Judith Johnson in New York City. He taught violin at the Curtis Institute of Music beginning in 1944, and became the head of the violin department at the Juilliard School in 1946. He wrote two violin method books, "Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching" (1962) and "Contemporary Violin Technique" (1962). Galamian incorporated aspects of both the Russian and French schools of violin technique in his approach. Galamian founded the summer program Meadowmount School of Music in Westport, NY. Some of his most well known pupils are Michael Rabin, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Herbert Greenberg, Skye Carman, Jonathan Carney, Andor Toth, Isidor Lateiner, Kyung-Wha Chung, Glenn Dicterow, David Nadien, Erick Friedman, Jaime Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt, Charles Castleman, Miriam Fried, James Buswell, Sergiu Luca, Gerardo Ribeiro, Charles Treger, Ani and Ida Kavafian, Kaoru Kakudo, Ray Dotoratos, Chin Kim, Eugene Fodor, Daniel Phillips, Berl Senofsky, Betty Jean Hagen, Young Uck Kim, Stuart Canin, Eugene Sarbu, Dong-Suk Kang, Gregory Fulkerson, Simon Standage, and Kate Stenberg of Del Sol Quartet.

His most notable teaching assistants — later distinguished teachers in their own right — were Margaret Pardee, Dorothy Delay, Sally Thomas, Pauline Scott, Robert Lipsett, Lewis Kaplan, and David Cerone.

Galamian held honorary degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, Oberlin College, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He also was an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Edited works

*Bach, Concerto No. 1 (A Minor). New York: International Music Company, 1960.
*Bach, Concerto No. 2 (E Major). New York: International Music Company, 1960.
*Bach, Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. New York: International Music Company, 1971. (Includes facsimile of the original)
*Brahms, Sonatas, Op. 78, 100, 108. New York: International Music Company.
*Bruch, Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46. New York: International Music Company, 1975.
*Conus, Concerto in E minor. New York: International Music Company, 1976.
*Dont, Twenty-four Etudes and Caprices, Op. 35. New York: International Music Company, 1968.
*Dont, Twenty-four Exercises, Op. 37. New York: International Music Company, 1967.
*Dvorak, Concerto in A minor, Op. 53. New York: International Music Company, 1975.
*Fiorillo, Thirty-six Studies or Caprices. New York: International Music Company, 1964.
*Galaxy Music Company, 1963 and 1966.
*Gaviniés, Twenty-four Studies. New York: International Music Company, 1963.
*Kreutzer, Forty-two Etudes. New York: International Music Company, 1963.
*Mazas, Etudes Speciales, Op. 36 Part 1. New York: International Music Company, 1964.
*Mazas, Etudes Brilliantes, Op. 36 Part 2. New York: International Music Company, 1972.
*Paganini, Twenty-four Caprices. New York: International Music Company, 1973.
*Rode, Twenty-four Caprices. New York: International Music Company, 1962.
*Saint-Saens, Caprice, Op. 52, No. 6. New York: International Music Company.
*Sinding, Suite in A minor, Op. 10. New York: International Music Company, 1970.
*Tchaikovsky, Three Pieces, Op. 42. New York: International Music Company, 1977.
*Vivaldi, Concerto in A minor. New York: International Music Company, 1956.
*Vivaldi, Concerto in G minor, Op. 12, No. 1. New York: International Music Company, 1973.
*Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, Op. 3, No. 11. New York: International Music Company, 1964.
*Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Violins in A minor. Piccioli-Galamian, New York: International Music Company, 1956.
*Vieuxtemps, Concerto No. 5 in A minor, Op. 37, New York: International Music Company, 1957.
*Wieniawski, Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22. New York: International Music Company, 1957.
*Wieniawski, Ecole Moderne, Op. 10. New York: International Music Company, 1973.

Publications

*Galamian (with Neumann), Contemporary Violin Technique, Part I, Scale and Arpeggio Exercises; Part II, Double and Multiple Stops. New York:
*Galamian, Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching. Ann Arbor: Shar Products Company

External links

* [http://www.theviolinsite.com/bowarm.html The Violin Site] - Video examples of Galamian-style exercises