Violinists

People today assume that High Schools have always offered courses in music.  That was not always the case.  When I went to H. B. Beal Tech no such courses were in existence, at least not to any significant degree. That came much later.

However, Tech did have a very competent Concert Band at the time and this was due largely to a lot of students taking private lessons.  There wasn't any television in those days and it seemed that playing a musical instrument was a worthwhile pursuit and a great way to keep busy.

The Concert Band played every morning for the school assembly and once a year it participated in a school musical. Two alternating teachers conducted the band, one was Arnold Spencer (a violinist) and the other was "Trombone" Thomas. To this day, no one can remember his real name.

A lot of High School students were members of various Dance Bands at the time.  In fact I started playing for Bobby Downs when I was still attending Beal and later went with Neil McKay. Other London High Schools also helped nurture musicians who went on to become prominent players in these local bands.

H. B. Beal had a rather progressive outlook as to music and the arts. I remember one time Vincent Bach, the famous trumpet manufacturer doing a clinic at our school.  He demonstrated his instruments to the trumpet players in the concert band.

Dick Lane was asked by Mr. Bach to play a few notes on one of his horns. Vincent liked what he heard and asked Dick to demonstrate a "high chee,"   (meaning a high C).  Mr. Bach was from Vienna and he spoke with a heavy accent.  (He spoke several languages and "Heeglish" was his best.) Funny what sticks out in your mind from those days.

Other guest artists came to the school and either gave clinics or performed. About the time I was in Grade 10 or so, world virtuoso violinist Jascha Heifetz came and performed at the assembly. He was doing a concert the next day and was "drumming" up interest with the students, hoping that the parents might attend his performance. London only had about 50 to 60 thousand people at the time and it wasn't considered a mecca for classical music.

To be honest with you, I think Mr. Heifetz abilities that morning were lost on the students. We recognized that what he played was very special but beyond that we didn't have the training (musical depth) to appreciate his artistry.

The story goes that Vladimir Horowitz (renowned pianist) took Mischa Elman, a rising star on violin, to hear Jascha Heifetz at Carnegie Hall. Heifetz was at the height of his fame and artistry at that time.  

He "ripped" through several violin Concertos by Brahms and Paganini with breath-taking dexterity and ease.  Now to an aspiring violinist like Elman, this might have been a bit disconcerting. How could any one ever hope to achieve such technique as he was just hearing from the stage.

As the concert wore on, Mischa started to become restless. He was hearing one of the great masters of all time. He was somewhat uneasy as to how to respond to this wonderful playing.  Finally he whispered to Vladimir, "Boy, you know I think it’s hot in here."  Horowitz countered with, "Not for pianists."

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