Julius Eichberg (1824-1893): Composer and String Pedagogue

Abstract

This document examines the life and string pedagogical contributions of German-American violinist, composer, and pedagogue Julius Eichberg (1824-1893). Biographical information about Eichberg is presented to demonstrate his expertise in the areas of education and performance, as well as to provide some context for his compositions. As little has been written about Eichberg and his contributions to music and music education, much of the information gathered about his life and musical background was found in primary sources in the form of scrapbooks compiled by Eichberg and his daughter. These scrapbooks are housed in the Special Collections at the Boston Public Library. Three of Eichberg's intermediate-level chamber works were selected for the dual purposes of examining their pedagogical worth and editing and clarifying the fingerings and bowings for use by current string students. The American String Teachers' Association Certificate Advancement Program guidelines and the Christina Placilla/Kenneth Law String Quartet grading guidelines were used in conjunction with one another to determine the appropriate placement of the three selected Eichberg works in the extant chamber repertoire. The document includes both facsimiles of the original works transferred from microfilm and the newly edited parts.