He plays the violin...

Uncle Paul, upon watching video of Maddie Kemp's violin practice, recounted his own experiences with playing the violin.  Paul Jr.'s love of the violin and of classical music, inspired all three of his brothers in their life-long love of music. 

Maddie and friends in concert (Maddie - center)

Here is Paul Jr.'s email, to which I've added some photos and background info as well.


From Paul Jr.:

Jon, 
That is really cute!  Now Maddie and I have the violin in common. She doesn't realize her great uncle is a virtuoso :-)

Paul Jr. - budding virtuoso

It's a tough instrument and the only way you can make nice music with it is with practice...... and more practice.  And that's where most kids turn off through boredom or fun distractions. My mom had trouble getting me to practice but I loved playing.

I had three teachers in the '30's. My second teacher was a pro lady way up in Laurel Canyon. Her name was Eunice Boyd and she was pretty well known for her musical events all around So. Cal.

How Mom and Dad ever could afford the lessons from her during the Great Depression I'll never understand.

We had to climb about 60 or 70 steps up this steep front stairway and into this dark menacing spooky old house with a big coat of armor standing in the corner of the living room. To a 6 or 7 year old kid it was really old and dusty and spooky in there.  And of course she verbally beat me up something fierce. She was one tough cookie.

We played in several different venues around So. Cal. and my proud parents would drive me miles and miles to Redlands, etc. where we played Eine Kleine Nacht Musik and Symphonie Espagnol, etc. Please don't be too impressed because I never played anything but 3rd or 4th violin, the simpler parts.

But I became infatuated with our beautiful solo violinist Eloise Roessler whose career I followed for quite a while. Gosh, was she pretty to my very young eyes.

From the Long Beach Pacific Union Recorder - November 1938

I changed to another teacher in the late 30's and the only thing of note there was that I became buddies with another pupil of his named Herbie Flam who became a world famous tennis player.

He and I got along great and played in a couple of concerts together and then went our separate ways, he to Beverly Hills High and me to Hollywood High.

And out of this, like with you, came a life-long attachment to classical music and opera that was one of the really huge gifts my parents gave me.

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Some background on Herbie Flam:  

Between 1951 and 1957, Herb Flam was ranked in the World's Top Ten four times.

His highest position was #5 in the world in 1957 (World Tennis Magazine). 

Flam was listed in the United States' Top Ten from 1948 to 1958 (except 1953-54, when he served in the U.S. Navy). 

He was ranked #2 in the U.S. in 1950 (behind Jack Kramer), 1956 and 1958 (behind Pancho Gonzales).  

Herbie Flam - Davis Cup 1951 - Life Magazine

An interesting tid-bit about Eloise Roessler from the October 13, 1938 Mar-Ken Journal:

"Eloise Roessler was given the most beautiful Stradivarius violin in the world recently by Countess de Zaruba.  It is valued at forty-thousand dollars.  The violin has been in the Countess' family for over two hundred years, and is in perfect condition.  It was made in 1723 at the height of Stradivarius' career.  There are very few left in the world today... The Countess met Eloise and learned of the hours she had spent in practice, and that she was devoting her life to the playing of the violin.  Therefore she knew that Eloise would appreciate it more than any other in the United States.  Eloise goes to Mills College every summer with her teacher, Eunice Boyd.  Madame Boyd has taught Eloise for ten years now, and is going to take her to New York in June for concerts."