Jascha Heifetz's transcriptions for violin and piano: a study of their genesis and style

When most people hear the name of Jascha Heifetz, they think of him as one of the twentieth century’s most influential violinists. Few know him for the multitude of transcriptions he created for the violin and piano, and which he used as recital encores. Most of his transcription selections were based on popular tunes and were meant to display Heifetz’s virtuosic technique- both aspects of which readily entertained his eager audiences. In addition these works served as pedagogical devices to strengthen young performers, both in terms of technique and of their personal style. This purpose of this dissertation is to provide a new evaluation and interpretation of these often-neglected pieces of the violin literature. Heifetz’s transcriptions are important pieces in the violin repertoire due to their technical difficulty and to the compositional issues resulting from their derivation from well-known pieces. They simultaneously challenge the performer’s skills and make for audience appeal. Heifetz’s transcriptions typically take an existing piece of music, and distribute the compositional material equally between the violin and piano, to create a true musical partnership. In so doing, Heifetz transformed simple melodies into complex, virtuosic works, showcasing his own technique and throwing down a challenge to others. His arrangements cover the spectrum of the standard concert repertoire, including works for voice, piano, orchestra and chamber ensemble. Though the transcriptions are complex collaborations between the violin and piano, characteristics of the original versions always remain. Through these works, Heifetz enriches the violin and piano literature