On Feb 2 he would have been 146 years old, the timelessly suave Viennese violinist who epitomized the sound of violin playing a century ago. Who “discovered” previously unknown compositions from Tartini, Couperin, and Pugnani (which were actually not acts of musicological discovery, but rather his own compositional fancy).
And who performed the most epic, perfectly crafted slide in recorded history.
I admit, I have a soft spot for his playing. Something about his approach always seems so … human. Whereas the playing of other great violinists says to me, “Ego,” I always feel like Kreisler’s playing says, “Heart.”
And that epic slide? Here it is, at around 3’15” in the recording:
It’s probably not the longest glissando ever recorded. Nor the showiest. But if you’re a violinist (or play any glissando-capable instrument), just try to recreate it: the subtle stretch of the tempo, the pacing of the slide, the slight diminuendo as he ascends …
Try it out: Here’s the sheet music on IMSLP. (Public domain in the US and Canada; NOT public domain in the EU. Please obey your local copyright law.) “The slide” comes 4 measures before the end.
It sounds effortless and completely natural in his hands. But make a few attempts at recreating it (or a few hundred), and you’ll probably see just how many ways there are to go wrong with a slide like this. This transcendent ascent so easily crashes back down to earth.
To me, this brief moment encapsulates what I most love about his playing. He must have had some technical understanding of what he was doing, but I don’t believe it’s possible to successfully pull something like that off without pure heart guiding the way.
And in that way, it’s an inspiring reminder to me of what it really means to be a violinist, a musician, a human in this world. For all the plans we make with our heads, its the ones we make in our hearts that are always the most compelling.
What do you think? Is there an even better slide out there? Were you able to recreate the same slide? I’d love to know — leave a comment below!
I’m a violinist and private teacher in the Chicago area, and in a previous musical life I was in a professional string quartet. Teaching violin and chamber music are dear to my heart. Send me a note or leave a comment on a post — I’d love to hear from you.