formance was that he at
once became a pupil of Wieniawski, with whom he remained some three
years, during the period in which Vieuxtemps was recovering from his
paralytic shock. In 1876 Vieuxtemps heard him at Antwerp, and through
his influence the Belgian government was induced to grant Ysaye a
stipend in order to allow him to pursue his studies at Paris. There he
was the pupil of Massart, who had also been the teacher of Wieniawski,
Ysaye's master at Brussels. Vieuxtemps is said to have expressed the
desire, while in Algiers during his latter years, to have Ysaye stay
with him to play his compositions, but Ysaye was at that time in St.
Petersburg. When Vieuxtemps died and his remains were brought to
Verviers, his birthplace, Ysaye carried in the procession the violin and
bow of the virtuoso on a black velvet cushion fringed with silver.

When Ysaye first appeared in America he was a mature artist, the
recognised leader of the Belgian school of violinists, the first
professor of violin at the Brussels Conservatoire, and the possessor of
many decorations and honours bestowed upon him by various royalties.

Before he had been in America a month he was acknowledged to be the
greatest violinist who had visited this country for many years.

A man of large and powerful physique, he plays with a bold and manly
vigour, and yet with exquisite delicacy. He is a master of phrasing and
of all beauties of detail, has a wonderfully perfect technique, but that
quality which places him at the head of all rivals is his musical
feeling, his temperament. He has been compared to Rubinstein and to
Paderewski. He inspires his hearers, or, as it was once expressed, very
neatly, "he creeps up under your vest." He disarms criticism, and he
seems to be more completely part of his violin and his violin of him
than has been the case with any other player who has visited these
shores for some years. He has given the greatest performance of the
celebrated Bach chaconne ever heard in America. He has been declared to
be not inferior to Joachim in his performance of this work, though he
has not so broad a tone as the latter, nor as Wieniawski. He combines
Sarasate's tenderness of tone and showy technique with more manliness
and sincerity than Sarasate gives.

The student, perhaps, can learn more from Cesar Thomson than from Ysaye,
but he will receive from the latter the greater inspiration.

Ysaye is noted, too, for sincerity of purpose and seriou