The Performance Style of Jascha Heifetz

Book excerpt: The violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) is considered among the most influential performers in history. Focussing on Heifetz and his extensive performing relationship with the Bach solo violin works (BWV 1001-1006), Dario Sarlo examines one of the most successful performing musicians of the twentieth century along with some of the most frequently performed works of the violin literature. The book proposes a comprehensive method for analysing and interpreting the legacies of prominent historical performers. By building up an understanding of multiple individual performance styles, it will become possible to gain deeper insight into how performance style develops over time.