In search of its true identity: Czech violinists as the main creators of violinism in Slovenian lands

Abstract

This paper discusses the strong influence of Czech violinism of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, which had formative importance for shaping the history of violinism in Slovenia and, consequently, a significant impact on the development of Slovenian symphonic orchestras. The features of the Czech school were manifold, although they were most pronounced in educational settings, because the number of Czech violin teachers was then at its peak. The Czech teachers introduced the Prague violin school, and in the twentieth century they also popularized Otakar Ševčík’s renowned method, which remains in use in violin instruction to this day.