Page 281 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
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jan šlais’s contr ibution to ljubljana’s violin school
Until the 1940s, Šlais was undoubtedly the most influential vio-
lin teacher in Slovenia after Gerstner. Whereas Josef Vedral trained very
skilled Slovenian violin amateurs, and Karel Jeraj taught competent vio-
lin teachers and café musicians, Šlais put violin playing on a different level,
training the high-level orchestral musicians and soloists that in turn mark-
edly influenced the development of symphonic orchestras in Ljubljana, the
result of which is still evident today.43
Šlais’s violin lessons were carefully crafted and were based on
Ševčík’s violin lesson model. They were divided into four parts and be-
gan with Ševčík’s exercises, followed by exercises for finger stretching
and mobility written by Ondříček and Mittelmann. The second part was
devoted to the technique of the right and left hands, mainly with works
by Ševčík and Ondříček. The third part included etudes by Kayser, Ma-
zas, Kreutzer, and Rode. Finally, the last part of the lesson was devoted
to violin concertos, sonatas, and various other pieces. Even though Šlais
taught very calmly, he nevertheless commanded his students’ awe and
admiration.44
For further violin studies, Šlais directed his best pupils to other Prague
violinists. Immediately following his violin studies at the Ljubljana Con-
servatory, Šlais’s first great pupil Karlo Rupel continued with Ševčík at his
private master class in Písek between 1928 and 1929. Ševčík described him
as a “very talented and diligent, and could become a first-class violinist.”45
After studying in Písek, Rupel continued with Jacques Thibaud (1880–1953)
in Paris, where he studied until 1932. There is no doubt that the Prague
violin school gave him good violin technique. Immediately after arriving
in Paris, he became concertmaster of the orchestra at the École Normale
de Musique de Paris,46 and played viola in a string quartet that performed
Maurice R avel’s (1875–1937) String Quartet for the composer personally.
bodo še naprej sodelovali, lahko postanejo komorno združenje svetovnega razreda.”
See Bravničar, “Ob dvojnem jubileju prof. Jana Šlaisa,” 3.
43 Letter of Karlo Rupel to Music Society Ljubljana, Paris, February 8th, 1932, fol. 2, Si–
Lng.
44 Personal communication with one of Šlais’s last pupils, Marko Sever (1920), on June
10th, 2007 in Ljubljana. He is the grandfather of Slovenian pianist Jan Sever and vio-
linist Matjaž Porovne (1983), and lives in Ljubljana.
45 Otakar Ševčík’s recommendation letter for Karlo Rupel, Písek, May 24th, 1929. Per-
sonal folder of Karlo Rupel, Music Society Ljubljana, Si–Lng.
46 The source of this information was my violin teacher, Rupel’s pupil Mirko Petrač.
Personal communication with Mirko Petrač was in Celje in 2005.
279
Until the 1940s, Šlais was undoubtedly the most influential vio-
lin teacher in Slovenia after Gerstner. Whereas Josef Vedral trained very
skilled Slovenian violin amateurs, and Karel Jeraj taught competent vio-
lin teachers and café musicians, Šlais put violin playing on a different level,
training the high-level orchestral musicians and soloists that in turn mark-
edly influenced the development of symphonic orchestras in Ljubljana, the
result of which is still evident today.43
Šlais’s violin lessons were carefully crafted and were based on
Ševčík’s violin lesson model. They were divided into four parts and be-
gan with Ševčík’s exercises, followed by exercises for finger stretching
and mobility written by Ondříček and Mittelmann. The second part was
devoted to the technique of the right and left hands, mainly with works
by Ševčík and Ondříček. The third part included etudes by Kayser, Ma-
zas, Kreutzer, and Rode. Finally, the last part of the lesson was devoted
to violin concertos, sonatas, and various other pieces. Even though Šlais
taught very calmly, he nevertheless commanded his students’ awe and
admiration.44
For further violin studies, Šlais directed his best pupils to other Prague
violinists. Immediately following his violin studies at the Ljubljana Con-
servatory, Šlais’s first great pupil Karlo Rupel continued with Ševčík at his
private master class in Písek between 1928 and 1929. Ševčík described him
as a “very talented and diligent, and could become a first-class violinist.”45
After studying in Písek, Rupel continued with Jacques Thibaud (1880–1953)
in Paris, where he studied until 1932. There is no doubt that the Prague
violin school gave him good violin technique. Immediately after arriving
in Paris, he became concertmaster of the orchestra at the École Normale
de Musique de Paris,46 and played viola in a string quartet that performed
Maurice R avel’s (1875–1937) String Quartet for the composer personally.
bodo še naprej sodelovali, lahko postanejo komorno združenje svetovnega razreda.”
See Bravničar, “Ob dvojnem jubileju prof. Jana Šlaisa,” 3.
43 Letter of Karlo Rupel to Music Society Ljubljana, Paris, February 8th, 1932, fol. 2, Si–
Lng.
44 Personal communication with one of Šlais’s last pupils, Marko Sever (1920), on June
10th, 2007 in Ljubljana. He is the grandfather of Slovenian pianist Jan Sever and vio-
linist Matjaž Porovne (1983), and lives in Ljubljana.
45 Otakar Ševčík’s recommendation letter for Karlo Rupel, Písek, May 24th, 1929. Per-
sonal folder of Karlo Rupel, Music Society Ljubljana, Si–Lng.
46 The source of this information was my violin teacher, Rupel’s pupil Mirko Petrač.
Personal communication with Mirko Petrač was in Celje in 2005.
279
