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Abstract
This study is a survey of the life and work of Ivan Galamian's teacher—Konstantin Georgiyevich Mostras, who was one of the leading violin professors of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in the former USSR. Mostras taught Galamian at the Moscow Philharmonic School of Music for six years: from 1916 to 1922. The fact that Galamian's studies with Lucien Capet in Paris lasted only one year (1922-23) illustrates the critical importance of Mostras's influence upon Galamian's pedagogy.
The document is divided into five chapters with the introduction and the summary. Chapter One is a biographical sketch on Konstantin Mostras. It also provides the information about some of his prominent students and a brief description of Mostras's writings on the subject of violin pedagogy. The following three chapters are centered upon, but not limited to, a comprehensive analysis of Mostras's book Sistema Domashnich Zaniaty Skripacha (The System of Home Studies for the Violinist: Methodology Essay). Such an analysis allowed the author to introduce the main characteristics of Mostras's pedagogy to the world of English-speaking violinists. Until now, this group did not have the opportunity to study the works of this eminent pedagogue because none of his books has been translated into English language. Chapter Five contains a description of technical materials recommended by Mostras as a part of the violinist's daily practice routine. These include exercises and etudes composed by Konstantin Georgiyevich himself. The author's analysis of these compositions demonstrates the consistency of Mostras's theories with his practical pedagogy, revealing the essence of this pedagogue's method: the subordination of technique to the artistic aspects of violin performance which can be achieved only through the mental control over the physical processes involved in violin playing.
