I implied that what Mr. Heifetz said might shock thousands of aspiring young violinists for whom he pointed a moral:  “Of course,” his answer was, “you must not take me too literally.  Please do not think because I do not favor overdoing practicing that one can do without it.  I’m quite frank to say I could not myself.  But there is a happy medium.  I suppose that when I play in public it looks easy, but before I ever came on the concert stage I worked very hard.  And I do yet—­but always putting the two things together, mental work and physical work.  And when a certain point of effort is reached in practice, as in everything else, there must be relaxation.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUOSE TECHNIC

“Have I what is called a ‘natural’ technic?  It is hard for me to say, perhaps so.  But if such is the case I had to develop it, to assure it, to perfect it.  If you start playing at three, as I did, with a little violin one-quarter of the regular size, I suppose violin playing becomes second nature in the course of time.  I was able to find my way about in all seven positions within a year’s time, and could play the Kayser etudes; but that does not mean to say I was a virtuoso by any means.

“My first teacher?  My first teacher was my father, a good violinist and concertmaster of the Vilna Symphony Orchestra.  My first appearance in public took place in an overcrowded auditorium of the Imperial Music School in Vilna, Russia, when I was not quite five.  I played the Fantaisie Pastorale with piano accompaniment.  Later, at the age of six, I played the Mendelssohn concerto in Kovno to a full house.  Stage-fright?  No, I cannot say I have ever had it.  Of course, something may happen to upset one before a concert, and one does not feel quite at ease when first stepping on the stage; but then I hope that is not stage-fright!

“At the Imperial Music School in Vilna, and before, I worked at all the things every violinist studies—­I think that I played almost everything.  I did not work too hard, but I worked hard enough.  In Vilna my teacher was Malkin, a pupil of Professor Auer, and when I had graduated from the Vilna school I went to Auer.  Did I go directly to his classes?  Well, no, but I had only a very short time to wait before I joined the classes conducted by Auer personally.

PROFESSOR AUER AS A TEACHER

“Yes, he is a wonderful and an incomparable teacher; I do not believe there is one in the world who can possibly approach him.  Do not ask me just how he does it, for I would not know how to tell you.  But he is different with each pupil—­perhaps that is one reason he is so great a teacher.  I think I was with Professor Auer about six years, and I had both class lessons and private lessons of him, though toward the end my lessons were not so regular.  I never played exercises or technical works of any kind for the Professor, but outside of the big things—­the concertos and sonatas, and the shorter pieces which he would let me prepare—­I often chose what I wanted.