Emil Telmányi

Emil Telmányi (1890-1988) was a Hungarian violinist who invented the Bach bow, designed to play and sustain three or four notes on a violin for Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin. Telmányi was also an exponent of the composer Carl Nielsen, having recorded some of his violin sonatas and his violin concerto. Telmányi settled in Copenhagen and married Neilsen's daughter, Anne Marie, until 1933. One of his most famous recordings is a 1954 recording of Bach's solo violin sonatas and partitas played using a violin with what was referred to as the Bach (or Vega) bow, which could be adjusted so the player could play three or even all four strings of the violin at once.

References

* [http://www.audaud.com/audaud/APR05/reissues/recds2.html recordings of Emil Telmányi playing works by Carl Nielsen]
* [http://www.bach-net.org/docs/GBCnewsletter2003.pdf discussion of the Vega bow from the Global Bach community]