Henri Temianka

Background

Henri Temianka was born on November 19, 1906 in Greenock, Scotland; the son of Israel and Fanny (Hildebrand) Temianka, who were Jewish Polish emigrants.

Education

Temianka entered National Conservatory in Berlin as a violin pupil of Willy Hess, then studied at the Paris Conservatoire for two years. He made his solo debut in New York in 1928, and received his diploma in 1930 from the Curtis Institute of Music.

He also received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Fine Arts from Pepperdine University, and he was a decorated officer des Arts et Lettres (France).

Career

Henri Temianka began his career as a concertmaster and associate conductor with the Scottish Orchestra, in 1937-1938. He was the founder, conductor, and violin soloist of the Chamber Orchestra, in London, England, in 1936, and founder and leader of the Paganini Quartet, so-called because all four instruments used by the players had once been owned by Niccolo Paganini. With Paganini Quartet he played the world premieres of works by Darius Milhaud, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Benjamin Lees, among others.

In 1945 Henri performed at Carnegie Hall with pianist Artur Balsam. In 1946 he performed all the Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Leonard Shure at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

After moving to Los Angeles in the late 1940s, Temianka became the founder and conductor of the California Chamber Symphony, Los Angeles, a position he held for the balance of his career. Mr. Temianka taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara from 1960 to 1964, was an artist-in-residence and professor at California State University, Long Beach (1964-76), and a guest conductor with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He originated a popular and innovative concert series, "Let’s Talk Music." For his career, Temianka made appearances in more than 3,000 concerts in 30 countries, with some 500 concerts in the Los Angeles metropolitan area alone.

In addition to Temianka's anecdotal autobiography, Facing the Music, he also produced three music education films, which included interviews from jazz and classical artists alike. Temianka was a frequent contributor to popular magazines, including Saturday Review, Reader’s Digest, Esquire, Holiday, and Hi-Fi Stereo, and was a string editor for Instrumentalist.

Achievements

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  In 1935 Henri Temianka won third prize in the first Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Warsaw. He was also a recipient of Gramophone Award, Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award, Distinguished Teacher Award and Distinguished Service Award. In 2013, Chapman University endowed the Henri Temianka Professorship in Music and Scholarship in String Studies. A bust of Temianka, created by sculptor Miriam Baker, stands on the plaza in front of the Musco Performing Arts Center, between busts of Mozart and Puccini. The second bust has been installed at the McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock. In 2017, the Henri Temianka Archives were dedicated in a multimedia room at Chapman. The Archives consist of some 3700 letters, photographs, concert programs and others. In 2018 the Henri Temianka Audio Restoration Lab was endowed at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Facing the Music 1973
  • The Art of the Violin: Teachers, Teaching and Technique 2012

• music

  • Vintage Temianka 1987
  • 10 Sonatas for Violin & Piano 1946
  • Henri Temianka: Complete Parlophone Recordings, 1935-1939
  • Tchaikovsky: Trio in A minor & d'Indy: Violin Sonata in C Major
  • Handel: 15 Sonatas for Violin with Harpsichord

Views

Henri Temianka's playing was influenced by Eugène Ysaÿe, Jacques Thibaud and Bronisław Huberman.

Quotations: "It's easy to avoid criticism - just say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."

"You have a choice: to create, or not to create."

Membership

Adviser Young Musicians Foundation Served with overseas branch Office of War Information, 1942-1944.

Personality

Temianka was known for his flawless mastery of his instrument, a pure and expressive tone, and forceful yet elegant interpretations.

Quotes from others about the person

• Carl Flesch: "His violinistic personality is for the moment still above his human one. Life shall be his best teacher in this regard."

Connections

Henri Temianka married Emmy Cowden on January 28, 1943. The marriage produced two children - Daniel and David.

Father:

Israel Temianka

Mother:

Fanny (Hildebrand) Temianka

Spouse:

Emmy Cowden

child:

Daniel Temianka

child:

David Temianka