David Hochstein (1892-1918) is a musician that has posthumously touched the lives of many Rochester, NY musicians. David was born into a family of Russian immigrants, and was given his first violin on his fifth birthday. He progressed very quickly and was provided funding for his musical studies by Emily Sibley Watson. At age 17, Hochstein graduated from high school and continued his violin studies in Vienna and St. Petersburg. At the age of 22, David was loaned two violins, a Landolphi and a Stradivarius by the philanthropist George Eastman. In 1917, David Hochstein joined the army. At the age of 26, this brilliant musician’s life was cut short at the 1918 Battle of Argonne. The David Hochstein Music School was opened in 1920 in his memory, providing lessons for all music students, no matter their financial means.
Hochstein composed a number of works and arrangements through the publisher Carl Fisher. You can find his Ballad for Violin and Piano in our digitized collection. For more biographical information on David Hochstein, you can read An Unfinished Symphony: The Story of David Hochstein by Grace N. Kraut.
