Advice from GBS to Heifetz
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Advice from GBS to Heifetz

By Warren Boroson March 6, 2010, 1:51 am Edit

At one time, it was said that the rarest creature in the world was a non-Jewish violinist. Jews — like Jascha Heifetz ““ dominated the field.

George Bernard Shaw, besides being a notable playwright, was an astute music critic.

Once, after hearing Heifetz perform, he dropped him a note:

My dear Heifetz:

Your recital has filled me and my wife with anxiety. If you provoke a jealous God by playing with such superhuman perfection, you will die young. I

earnestly advise you to play something badly every night before going to bed instead of saying your prayers. No mere mortal should presume to play as

faultlessly as that.

sincerely,

G. Bernard Shaw 13 June 1920

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