For Subscribers

Violinist and composer Felix Yaniewicz – father of the first Edinburgh Festival

2022-11-24T10:35:00

Yaniewicz portrait with frame high res colour adjusted (2)

David Kettle discovers the history of the 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian violinist, composer and entrepreneur Felix Yaniewicz

Discover more Featured Stories  like this in The Strad Playing Hub

Read more premium content for subscribers here

The chance discovery in November 2019 of an 18th-century square piano, recently restored, up for sale online, led to the unearthing of a little-known but compelling figure in European music – violinist and composer Felix Yaniewicz. Just as importantly, however, it also shone a bright new light not only on Edinburgh as a vibrant musical centre around 1800, but also on the pivotal role that immigrant European musicians have long played in British musical life…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.