Page 282 - 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
P. 282
konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
One of the laureates of the first Henryk Wieniawski Violin competition,
Ljerko Spiller (1908–2008), who played with Rupel in the quartet, said that
he “played viola beautifully.”47
In 1933, Leon Pfeifer was another of Šlais’s pupils that traveled to Písek
to learn from the great master. Sadly, Pfeifer very soon realized that the
Ševčík’s best days were already behind him. Ševčík was weak and in poor
health, and Pfeifer was almost the only pupil there. After ten days of study-
ing with Ševčík, Pfeifer traveled to Prague to study with one of Ševčík’s best
pupils and his successor at the conservatory: Jaroslav Kocian (1883–1950).
He was a very popular violinist at the time, therefore there was no place for
Pfeifer in his master class at the conservatory. Pfeifer began to study with
Kocian privately, and later continued at the conservatory, where he com-
pleted his studies with the highest score on June 22nd, in 1935. Pfeifer’s vio-
lin playing was described at the Prague Conservatory as a “great deal of mu-
sicality, rhythmic energy, melodious and with a passionate tone, full of color
and with perfect technique.”48
Jelka Stanič was one of the last of Šlais’s successful Slovenian pupils,
and she studied with him for ten years. After violin beginnings with her fa-
ther, Šlais’s pupil Fran Stanič, and then with Šlais, she furthered her studies
with Váša Příhoda in Salzburg, and privately with another Prague violin-
ist, Václav Huml, in Zagreb. In the 1950s, she attended violin courses with
another of Ševčík’s pupils, Ernst Morawec (1874–1981), and later with Hen-
ryk Szeryng in Paris, and in Nizza. It must be noted that Szeryng’s teacher
Carl Flesch (1873–1944) was a great admirer of Ševčík’s method, and signed
himself in their correspondence as “your unofficial pupil.”49 He made Sze-
ryng study of all Ševčík’s method books.
Šlais’s success as a violin teacher is also attested to by another pu-
pil: Vida Jeraj (later Vida Jeraj-Hribar; 1902–2002). As a daughter of the
successful Viennese violinist of Slovenian descent, Karel Jeraj (1874–1951),
and the well-known Slovenian poet Vida Jeraj (Franica Vovk; 1875–1932),
she received a quality music education in Vienna, where she studied vio-
lin at the conservatory with Julius Egghard, Jr. (1858–1935). After her fam-
47 The source of this information was Rok Klopčič, who spoke with Ljerko Spiller per-
sonally at the Václav Huml competition in Zagreb. The personal communication
with Rok Klopčič was in Ljubljana in 2006.
48 Jaroslav Kocian, “Posudek o zvláštní způspobilosti posluchačově (Leon Pfeifer),”
AHMP.
49 Šefl, Otakar Ševčík: Sborník statí a vzpomínek, 47.
280
One of the laureates of the first Henryk Wieniawski Violin competition,
Ljerko Spiller (1908–2008), who played with Rupel in the quartet, said that
he “played viola beautifully.”47
In 1933, Leon Pfeifer was another of Šlais’s pupils that traveled to Písek
to learn from the great master. Sadly, Pfeifer very soon realized that the
Ševčík’s best days were already behind him. Ševčík was weak and in poor
health, and Pfeifer was almost the only pupil there. After ten days of study-
ing with Ševčík, Pfeifer traveled to Prague to study with one of Ševčík’s best
pupils and his successor at the conservatory: Jaroslav Kocian (1883–1950).
He was a very popular violinist at the time, therefore there was no place for
Pfeifer in his master class at the conservatory. Pfeifer began to study with
Kocian privately, and later continued at the conservatory, where he com-
pleted his studies with the highest score on June 22nd, in 1935. Pfeifer’s vio-
lin playing was described at the Prague Conservatory as a “great deal of mu-
sicality, rhythmic energy, melodious and with a passionate tone, full of color
and with perfect technique.”48
Jelka Stanič was one of the last of Šlais’s successful Slovenian pupils,
and she studied with him for ten years. After violin beginnings with her fa-
ther, Šlais’s pupil Fran Stanič, and then with Šlais, she furthered her studies
with Váša Příhoda in Salzburg, and privately with another Prague violin-
ist, Václav Huml, in Zagreb. In the 1950s, she attended violin courses with
another of Ševčík’s pupils, Ernst Morawec (1874–1981), and later with Hen-
ryk Szeryng in Paris, and in Nizza. It must be noted that Szeryng’s teacher
Carl Flesch (1873–1944) was a great admirer of Ševčík’s method, and signed
himself in their correspondence as “your unofficial pupil.”49 He made Sze-
ryng study of all Ševčík’s method books.
Šlais’s success as a violin teacher is also attested to by another pu-
pil: Vida Jeraj (later Vida Jeraj-Hribar; 1902–2002). As a daughter of the
successful Viennese violinist of Slovenian descent, Karel Jeraj (1874–1951),
and the well-known Slovenian poet Vida Jeraj (Franica Vovk; 1875–1932),
she received a quality music education in Vienna, where she studied vio-
lin at the conservatory with Julius Egghard, Jr. (1858–1935). After her fam-
47 The source of this information was Rok Klopčič, who spoke with Ljerko Spiller per-
sonally at the Václav Huml competition in Zagreb. The personal communication
with Rok Klopčič was in Ljubljana in 2006.
48 Jaroslav Kocian, “Posudek o zvláštní způspobilosti posluchačově (Leon Pfeifer),”
AHMP.
49 Šefl, Otakar Ševčík: Sborník statí a vzpomínek, 47.
280
