Gilbert Chang wrote:

>There has been a discussion about Hungarian conductors recently, which made
>me think of another question: Why are nearly all the greatest violinists,
>in the past 150 years or so, of Jewish origin? I can hardly think of a
>great master violinist that was not a Jew: ...

Popular wisdon was that Eastern European Jews played the violin because if
they were expelled from their homes and had to leave in a hurry, a violin
was easier to transport than a piano.

Of course that doesn't explain why so many gifted violinists now seem to be
young Asians of the female persuasion.

>Also, are there many great Jewish pianists (or other instrumentalists) and
>conductors?

Among pianists, Horowitz, Rubinstein, Serkin, Barenboim, Schnabel,
Feltsman, Friedman, Szell, Barere, Rosenthal, Lhevine, and Previn come to
mind.  I think Horszowski was born Jewish but converted to Christianity.
I don't know about Perahia.  I'm pretty sure Uchida is not.

I don't know that many instrumentalists, but I can think of Benny Goodman
(clarinet) and Piatigorsky (cello).

As for conductors, if they're in the USA, just assume they're Jewish
(apparently the default ethnicity) until you learn different!

Walter Meyer