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Henryk Wieniawski (10 July 1835 – 31 March
1880) was a Poland|Polish composer and violinist.

Image:HenrykWieniawski.jpg|thumb|Henryk Wieniawski
Born in Lublin, a Polish city under Russian rule
at the time, his talent for playing the violin was
recognized early on, and in 1843 he entered the
Paris Conservatoire. After graduation, Wieniawski
toured extensively, giving many recitals on which
he was often accompanied by his brother Józef on
piano. In 1847 Henryk Wieniawski published his
first opus, a Grand Caprice Fantastique, the start
of a modest but important catalog of 24 opus
numbers.

When his engagement to Isabella Hampton was
opposed by her parents, Wieniawski wrote Légende,
Opus 17, and this work helped the parents change
their mind and the couple married in 1860.

At the invitation of Anton Rubinstein, Wieniawski
moved to St. Petersburg, where he lived from 1860
to 1872, teaching many violin students and leading
the orchestra and string quartet of the Russian
Musical Society. From 1872 to 1874 Wieniawski
toured the United States with Rubinstein. In 1875
Wieniawski replaced Henri Vieuxtemps as violin
professor at the conservatory at Brussels.

During his residence in Brussels, Wieniawski's
health was in obvious decline, often stopping him
in the middle of concerts. He gave a farewell
concert in Odessa on April 1879 and died the
following year in Moscow. He is interred in the
Powazki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Image:Wieniawski-coin.jpg|left|thumb|Henryk
Wieniawski - Coin

Henryk Wieniawski was considered a violinist of
genius and wrote some of the most important works
in the violin repertoire, including two extremely
difficult violin concertos, the second of which (D
minor, 1862) is more often performed than the
first (F# minor, 1853). Wieniawski has been given
a number of posthumous honors. His portrait
appeared on a postage stamp of Poland in 1952 and
again in 1957. A 100 Zloty coin was issued in 1979
bearing his image. The town of Wieniawska, in the
Czechowka River valley is a recent community named
in his honor.

But what is sometimes called the "Russian bow
grip" ought to be called the "Wieniawski bow
grip": Wieniawski taught his students his own kind
of very stiff bowing that allowed him to play a
"devil's staccato" with ease.

The first violin competition named after
Wieniawski took place in Warsaw in 1935, and the
International Henryk Wienawski Violin Competition
has been held every five years since 1952.

== External links ==

*
http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/wien
iawski.html Henryk Wieniawski page at polish Music
Center
* http://www.wieniawski.pl/index.php?lang=en
Henryk Wieniawski Society (en)