Samuel Gardner

Biography

Gardner's parents, Jacob Gardner and Minnie Pollack, emigrated with him to the United States in 1893. He began studying the violin at age seven, taking lessons from the age of nine with famous teachers - Charles Martin Lefler, then Felix Winternitz and finally with Franz Kneisel at the Institute of Musical Art.

In 1914 he played second violin in the Kneisel Quartet (replacing the conscripted Hans Letz), in 1915-1916 he was the assistant accompanist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. From 1918-1920, he was a violinist with the Elshuko Trio.

Gardner subsequently taught at the Juilliard School (1924-1941), Columbia University, and the University of Wisconsin, and wrote several textbooks. Gardner's musical compositions are for violin or string ensemble; he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his string quartet in D minor (1918).

TECHNIC AND MUSICIANSHIP

Samuel Gardner, though born in Jelisavetgrad, Cherson province, in Southern Russia, in 1891, is to all intents and purposes an American, since his family, fleeing the tyranny of an Imperialistic regime of "pogroms" and "Black Hundreds," brought him to this country when a mere child; and here in the United States he has become, to quote Richard Aldrich, "the serious and accomplished artist," whose work on the concert stage has given such pleasure to lovers of violin music at its best. The young violinist, who in the course of the same week had just won two prizes in composition—the Pulitzer Prize (Columbia) for a string quartet, and the Loeb Prize for a symphonic poem—was amiably willing to talk of his study experience for the benefit of other students.

WIRE AND GUT STRINGS

"You ask about my violin? It belonged to the famous Hawley collection, and is a Giovanni Baptista Guadignini, made in 1780, in Turin. The back is a single piece of maple-wood, having a broadish figure extending across its breadth. The maple-wood sides match the back. The top is formed of a very choice piece of spruce, and it is varnished a deep golden-red. It has a remarkably fine tone, very vibrant and with great carrying power, a tone that has all that I can ask for as regards volume and quality.

"I think that wire strings are largely used now-a-days because gut strings are hard to obtain—not because they are better. I do not use wire strings. I have tried them and find them thin in tone, or so brilliant that their tone is too piercing. Then, too, I find that the use of a wire E reduces the volume of tone of the other strings. No wire string has the quality of a fine gut string; and I regard them only as a substitute in the case of some people, and a convenience for lazy ones.

VIOLIN MASTERY

"Violin Mastery? Off-hand I might say the phrase stands for a life-time of effort with its highest aims unattained. As I see it the achievement of violin mastery represents a combination of 90 per cent. of toil and 10 per cent. of talent or inspiration. Goetschius, with whom I studied composition, once said to me: 'I do not congratulate you on having talent. That is a gift. But I do congratulate you on being able to work hard!' The same thing applies to the fiddle. It seems to me that only by keeping everlastingly at it can one become a master of the instrument."

References

1."Collection: The Samuel Gardner Papers | Archives at Yale". archives.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-20.

2. "Samuel Gardner, 92, Is Dead; Violinist and Juilliard Teacher". New York Times. New York. 1984-01-24. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-03-20.