Born in Liège, July 16, 1858
Died in Brussels, May 12, 1931
[EU-zhen ee-zah-EE]
- Eugène Ysaÿe was a revered virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor.
- Ysaÿe was the dedicatee of many violin works by his contemporaries, including Franck’s Violin Sonata in A Major, Chausson’s Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet and Poème, and d’Indy’s String Quartet No. 1 (among others).1
- As a performer, Ysaÿe championed the works of his contemporaries – over 50 works were written specifically for him to perform.2
- Fun fact – Ysaÿe never received formal training in composition.
- Ysaÿe’s most well-known compositions are his Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, each one written for a famous violinist of the time: Joseph Szigeti, Jacques Thibaud, Georges Enescu, Fritz Kreisler, Mathieu Crickboom, and Manuel Quiroga.
- As a conductor, Ysaÿe led an orchestra in Berlin that later became the Berlin Philharmonic. Later in life, Ysaÿe also led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
- As his health declined in the last couple of decades of his life, Ysaÿe prioritized conducting and composing over performing.3
- In addition to performing, composing, and conducting, Ysaÿe served as professor of violin at the Brussels Conservatory for over a decade.4
Learn More
Biography via Interlude
Sources
- Michel Stockhem, “Ysaÿe, Eugène(-Auguste),” Grove Music Online (2001),
accessed March 16, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000030732. - Thomas Kemp, “10 things you need to know about Eugène Ysaÿe,” The Strad (2018), accessed March 17, 2026, https://www.thestrad.com/artists/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-eugene-ysaye/8181.article.
- Michel Stockhem, “Ysaÿe, Eugène(-Auguste),” Grove Music Online.
- Thomas Kemp, “10 things you need to know about Eugène Ysaÿe,” The Strad.