Most mothers-to-be take prenatal vitamins, hoping to give their offspring a good start.
Arnold Steinhardt's mother took in prenatal concerts and played a recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto repeatedly during her pregnancy.
What better start for an international violin soloist and first violinist with the Guarneri String Quartet?
Steinhardt is coming to Lancaster to participate in the Pennsylvania Academy of Music's summer festival, "Music Naturally," performing in its various programs and presenting a master class for students.
He'll also be signing copies of his new memoir, "Violin Dreams," at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 23, at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1700-H Fruitville Pike.
*"Violin Dreams" stretches all the way back to the arrival of the first small, cheap violin in the 6-year-old boy's life. (Note to exasperated parents: Like most boys, Steinhardt was more interested in playing hide-and-seek than playing his violin back then.)
The book recalls the lessons — and the idiosyncrasies — of his distinguished teachers, some of whom fled Eastern Europe during Hitler's rise and found work providing sound tracks for motion pictures in his hometown of Los Angeles.
The story follows him into training at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, through various competitions, soloing and on to a teaching career at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Woven throughout are Steinhardt's dreams, vividly remembered things that prompt him to research the history of the violin and return to his childhood bedroom and open the closet where he kept his violin.
But the true "Violin Dreams" are about Steinhardt's search for the perfect violin and the perfect way to play what he considers the ultimate violin piece, Bach's "Chaconne."
Publishers Weekly called the book an "opus at once heroic and brilliant." Kirkus has called it "a backstage pass to the life of an accomplished solo and ensemble musician, held together by sheer love of music."
The book has much of interest to any young musician. It comes with a compact disc featuring Steinhardt playing Bach's Partita in D minor 40 years ago and just recently, on his Storioni violin. The liner notes feature a conversation between Steinhardt and actor Alan Alda.
*The book signing is part of Pennsylvania Academy of Music Day at the store. Academy supporters who use a special voucher with their purchases between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. can assure that a percentage of the net sale is donated to the academy. Vouchers may be printed from the Academy's Web site:
www.pamusacad.org.
Academy students will be performing during the book signing.
Steinhardt, teacher of the festival's artistic director, Michael T. Jamanis, Steinhardt previously was involved in the summer festival.
His performance schedule includes concerts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, at the Church of the Brethren, Lititz; and 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 22, at Barshinger Hall, Franklin & Marshall College. Tickets are $15.
Jo-Ann Greene is editor of the Books section. Her email address is jgreene@lnpnews.com.
