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Alard, Dancla, and Maurin were exponents of the French school, while in that of Belgium we have De Bériot, Massart, Vieuxtemps, Léonard, Wieniawski.
During her first tour she played at Nice, where a wealthy Russian lady, Madame Rosen, became interested in her, and provided the means to go to Paris, where she was placed under Massart. In 1880 Signorina Tua won the first prize for violin playing at the Paris Conservatoire, and the following year made a concert tour which extended through France and Spain to Italy.
At first she thought it was a baton to beat time with or to point to the music. Presently she found it had quite another use. One stupid boy did not take the proper position. Massart told him how to stand and the boy put his feet in the right place. Presently he changed one foot and down come the stick with a snap on the boy’s legs. “Oh!
About a year before this a man, who said he came from America, had appeared at the Conservatory to see Massart in relation to some music lessons he wished given to his sons. For convenience we will call this man the American. He is now dead and as his share in this story is not the most happy this title may take the place of his real name.
Of Massart’s pupils, three, Camilla, Lotto and Wieniawski have become famous the world over and are among the great artists now living. Besides her regular studies Massart advised Camilla to join a quartette in order to perfect herself in reading music at sight.
That stick flourished about as lively as ever. Her own fingers and limbs felt it once in a while when she became careless. It was not often now. She would be nine next Spring. She was getting to be a big girl and knew too much to be caught napping by Massart. The “German Tour” as she proudly called it had sharpened her wits and made her even more attentive and careful.
After Miss Harkness had been taught the elements of music by her mother, she went to Brussels to study under Wieniawski, and then to Paris, where she became a pupil of Massart She is said also to have taken lessons of Vieuxtemps and of Arno Hilf. In 1881 she won the first prize at the Paris Conservatoire, a feat which always stamps the winner "artist."
Lotto, Wieniawski, Teresina Tua, and a host of other distinguished violinists studied under him: among them also was Charles M. Loeffler, of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Massart was also an excellent quartet player and gave many delightful chamber concerts, with his wife, who was a pianist. He died in Paris, February 13, 1892.
Liszt's performance roused the audience to a perfect frenzy, but Massart nevertheless most dutifully returned and played the Kreutzer sonata, which fell entirely flat after the dazzling display of the great pianist.
M. Massart that hurt” cried the boy. “I meant it should,” said he. “Do it right next time.” If, thought Camilla, that is the way, I’ll remember it. Somehow it was not so easy. Massart gave a direction once and then came the stick. They must do it right once and for all. Before she knew it there was a slap on her own limbs. It didn’t hurt much because her skirts warded off the blow.
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