Henryk Wieniawski

Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish virtuoso violinist, composer, and pedagogue, regarded among the most distinguished violinists in history. Born in Lublin, Poland to a converted Catholic father of Jewish descent, Wieniawski showed early talent on the violin, joining the Paris Conservatoire at age eight. He toured extensively, releasing his first opus in 1847. Wieniawski married Isabella Hampton in 1860, influenced by his composition 'Légende, Op. 17.' He worked in St. Petersburg, leading orchestras and quartets, before replacing Henri Vieuxtemps in Brussels. Health issues later interrupted his career, and after an incomplete tour in 1879, he died in Moscow in 1880.