Sascha Jacobsen (violin) - To a Wild Rose (MacDowell, arr. Hartmann) (1928)

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Sascha Jacobsen was born in Helsinki, Finland (then a part of Russia) in 1895. His family came to America, and in 1908 he became a violin student of Franz Kneisel at the Institute of Musical Art, New York City. He graduated in 1915 with the school's highest honour, and 'Musical America' reviewing his graduation recital - wrote of his 'far-reaching technique' and his tone 'luscious in colour and depth.'

In the meantime, his artistry had been recognised by the Victor Talking Machine Company, and he made his first recordings for them in June 1913. He made many recordings from that time until the late-1920s.

Subsequently, Jacobsen toured Europe, America, Canada and Mexico to great acclaim - but he lived at a time when there was huge competition from other violinists (such as Heifetz and Kreisler), and in 1926 - on Kneisel's death - he abandoned his career as a major soloist and agreed to succeed his late teacher as Head of the Violin Department at the Institute of Musical Art (which eventually became the Juilliard School). There, he formed the Musical Art Quartet. When it disbanded in 1945, he resigned from Juilliard and moved to California, where he performed and taught. He died in 1972.

'To a Wild Rose'' was recorded for Columbia in New York on 24 March 1928, with piano by Arthur Bergh.