Toscha Seidel

Who was Toscha Seidel?

Toscha Seidel was a Russian virtuoso violinist, born in Odessa. A student of Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, Seidel became known for a lush, romantic tone and unique and free rubato. In the 1930s he emigrated to the United States, making his way to Hollywood where he made a career in the studios of motion pictures. He was featured in several Hollywood productions, including the movies Intermezzo, Apomethe, and Melody for Three. He was also an avid chess player.

In 1934 Seidel gave violin instruction to Albert Einstein, and received a sketch in return, reportedly diagramming length contraction of his theory of relativity.

Seidel performed on violins by Antonio Stradivari "Da Vinci" 1712, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini 1786, as well as copy of the "Alard Stradivari" by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume 1860.