Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-22

a boy. He was born February ~. 1884, In
the little Bohemian city Wildenschwert
three hours from Prague, where his father
was q school teacher. one uncle an
organist and another a professor Of music
In the schools. He took up the violin in
his fourth year. entered the Prague con-
servatory when u, and studied With Ku-
belik under the celebrated sevcIk. When
s years old he made the Acquaintance OF
Franz spindler, who has been playing his
Accomplishments from that day to this. OF
the S25, 900 Guarnerius violin, vintage Of
l74l, given him by Miss Astor and now
used in all his concert work. Kocian says
little. Possibly he is modest. Or perhaps
he is merely sensible and knows when not
TO talk.
His Tour of America.
His American tour began November %
when he played in Carnegie hall with wal
ter Damrosch's orchestra of 100 instru-
ments accompanying. He was in the east
some time, then south, then at San Fran.
cisco, where an engagement for FIVE con-
certs had to be heightened to include
seven. From here he goes to Minneapolis,
then to a few Wisconsin cities and back
to New York, where he closes his tour and
sails for Bohemia early in April. Later he
VIII go to London for a season and after
That TO Morocco, Sultan Mullah Abdul
AziS having extended, through Mr.. Aron-
son, an invitation to Kocian to be the first
foreign instrumentalist ever to play before
him. The young mans career, Mr.. Aron-
son thinks, is eventually to be that Of con-
Quoting, as his interest and ambition seems
largely to focus In that. He talks of It
constantly and Is considered rarely gifted
for It.
The illness at Birmingham that pre-
vented his Milling his engagement here Feb
ruary % was the result Of a cold. but so
severe for q time that Kocian thought HIS
earthly career was to close right there in
a very lew hours. Frequently he has
played, he says. when he felt physically
miserable, but just at present he is enjoy
Ing the best of health.
Enjoys His Daily Life.
Every foreign artist while touring SAYS
he like America" Kocian says this as
though he meant It. The enthusiasm and
demonstrativeness of the Yankee audience
Is what pleases him. But that is perhaps
because he likes enthusiasm and ginger"
in everything. When not studying he de-
mands a advertisement that has life In II
and brings him in touch with animate
nature. In San Francisco he was SO pleased
with the sport Of the sea lions that he
wouldn't leave them until Mr.. Aronson's
legs had grown quite paralyzed with wait
ing. AT Chicago someone started the auto
graph craze and the obllginE Kocian wrote
after a performance until his wrist and the
managerial patience had given out entirely.
Always he is cordial and when a caller
leaves he receives first q handclasp and
then a bow that is genuinely courtly.
OF his skill only the critics are entitled
to write. The news %chronicler can go no
further than the bare statement that he
has mastered 1G0 OF the worlds classics,
some Of them requiring forty minutes in
their execution. Musicians say he repro
sents a new school, and is great even
to the extent Of being a phenomenon. The
caller only observes that ne is a modest,
animated, entertaining and altogether de-
lightful young chap.