Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst: Virtuoso Violinist

From 1840-57, Heinrich Ernst was one of the most famous and significant European musicians, often performing with Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner, Alkan, Clara Schumann, and Joachim. He was not only a great virtuoso violinist but also an accomplished composer, writing two of the most popular pieces of the nineteenth century - the Elegy and the Carnival of Venice. He is best known today for two solo pieces which represent the ne plus ultra of technical difficulty: the transcription of Schubert's Erlking, and the sixth of his Polyphonic Studies, the variations on The Last Rose of Summer. In this book, Mark Rowe illuminates the life of this most elusive figure, explores his cultural background, analyses his personality, assesses his importance as a violinist and composer, and provides a full discography and list of his works.