Toscha Seidel

Toscha Seidel (November 17, 1899 – November 15, 1962) was a Russian violinist

Toscha Seidel

Biography

Seidel was born in Odessa on November 17, 1899, to a Jewish family.^[1] A student of Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, Seidel became known for a lush, romantic tone and unique and free rubato. In the 1930s he emigrated to the United States. Before making his way to Hollywood where he made a career in the studios of motion pictures, he had a show on CBS radio called The Toscha Seidel Program; he was also that radio network's musical director.^[2] He was featured (as soloist) in several Hollywood productions, including the movies Intermezzo, Melody for Three, and even The Wizard of Oz.^[3][4] He was also an avid chess player (like Mischa Elman). In 1922, George Gershwin wrote a song about him and his fellow Russian-Jewish virtuoso violinists called, "Mischa, Jascha, Toscha, Sascha."^[2]

Seidel had a weekly broadcast on the CBS radio network in the 1930s.^[3]

In 1934 Seidel gave violin instruction to Albert Einstein, and received a sketch in return, reportedly diagramming length contraction of his theory of relativity.^[5][6]

He died on November 15, 1962.

Instruments

In 1924, Seidel bought the Da Vinci Stradivarius violin for $25,000 from a private dealer from Berlin.^[7]

Seidel performed on several well-known violins including:

• Antonio Stradivari, the "da Vinci" 1714 (now known as the Ex-Seidel), which he purchased in 1924 for $25,000 and said he wouldn't trade it for a million^[3]
• Giovanni Battista Guadagnini 1786 (now known as the Ex-Seidel)
• a copy of the "Alard Stradivari" by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume 1860.

Quotes

• "The boy (Jascha Heifetz) was one of those in a group of young Jewish violinists who later startled the world. The others would include Mischa Elman, Tosha Seidel, Efrem Zimbalist and Nathan Milstein." —New York Times by Harold Schonberg, Published: December 12, 1987