Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Neumann, Professor, Researcher, & Musician: Madeline’s Monthly Musical Tips Blog/Article for October 2021
Our Radio Show and blog celebrates the life and work of Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Neumann, professor, researcher, musician, husband, and father.
Many of the world’s medical doctors, mathematicians, biologists, chemists, scientists, engineers, political scientists, economists, writers, teachers, and others have studied and played musical instruments since they were children. These eminent individuals have integrated music into their thinking process. Included is an article on how studying a musical instrument strengthens children’s brains and improves their scholastic work.
Our article of the month is “Great Ideas Are Priceless” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
Radio Show Feature Question for October 2021: How did Classical music play a part of Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Neumann’s life as a professor, researcher, and musician and which musical instrument did he play?
https://www.madelinefrankviola.com/one-minute-radio-show-2021/
After graduating high school, I had the pleasure of studying violin with Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Neumann in Richmond, Virginia. He was teaching me Sonata No. 1, in G minor Adagio by J.S. Bach from Bach’s six Sonatas and Partitas. As I was playing the fast running notes of 32nd and 64th rhythms he said, “Don’t play them like a finger exercise!” He wanted me to vibrate all the notes to make them come alive. As a musician, I have always remembered that important lesson from Dr. Neumann and shared them with my own students.
Early Years:
Frederick (Fritz) Neumann was born in Bielitz Austro-Hungary (now Bielsko Biala Poland on Dec. 15, 1907. He began studying the violin at 6 years of age and studied with “the finest teachers.” (Ondficek, Sevcik, and Marteau in Prague, H. Kaplan in Berlin, and A. Busch in Basel.) His violin was a lifelong pursuit. He also spoke 5 languages.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/neumann-frederickactually-fritz
Education:
Dr. Neumann earned his first Ph. D. in 1934 from the University of Berlin in political science and economics. His dissertation was about “the market crash of 1929! From 1934 to 1937 he served as an export-market analyst in Prague.”
He then returned to studying the violin, “the instrument he had played since his early childhood. His violin studies took him to Berlin , Basel, Paris, and New York. In 1939 he emigrated to the United States and “served as head of the string dept. of the Cornish School of Music and Arts in Seattle (1939–1942).”
World War II:
Dr. Neumann “pursued admittance into the military and became an Army counter intelligence Master Sergeant at the front lines in WWII.” In 1943 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Second Ph.D.:
After WW II, he studied at Teachers College, Columbia University earning an M.A. in1947, and at Columbia Univ. earning a Ph.D. in 1952. During this time “he played professionally in New York, and taught violin at the Manhattan School of Music.”
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Neumann-Frederick.htm
Teaching & Performing:
Dr. Neumann “was professor of music and concert-master of the orchestra at the University of Miami from 1948-1951.” From 1955 -1978 he became professor of music at the University of Richmond, Virginia, concertmaster of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra from 1957–1964, and performed in chamber ensembles.” In 1955 he “founded the University Symphony” and served “as its conductor” through 1976. “He was also a visiting professor at Princeton (1970–71), Yale (1975–76), and Indiana (1978–79).”
Research publications & books:
Beginning in the mid 1960’s Dr. Frederick Neumann researched “authentic performance practice, particularly of the 17th and 18th centuries, a new career that was furthered by grants from the American Philosophical Society, the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. A singular recognition was accorded by the American Musicological Society in the form of the Otto Kinkeldey Award in 1987 for the volume Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart.”
His books on performance practices for the 17th and 18th centuries, Ornamentation in Baroque and Post- Baroque Music (Princeton, N.J., 1978), Essays in Performance Practice (Ann Arbor, 1982), Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart (Princeton, N.J., 1986), New Essays on Performance Practice (Ann Arbor, 1989), and Performance Practices of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (N.Y., 1992) ” are valuable contributions for performers and educators.
He also published, the books Contemporary Violin Technique (with I. Galamian; 2 vols., N.Y., 1966, 1977), Violin Left Hand Technique: A Critical Survey of the Literature (Urbana, 111., 1969”
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/neumann-frederickactually-fritz
Dr. Frederick, (Fritz), Neumann was a professor, researcher, concert violinist, conductor, husband, and father. He left a lasting legacy of teaching violin to over five generations of students and wrote many wonderful books on Baroque and Post Baroque Music, 17th and 18th century performance practices and violin technique which are marvelous resources to refer to. He died in Richmond, Virginia on March 21, 1994. His wife preceded him in death. He was survived by his son.
“Great Ideas Are Priceless” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.
My friend, Bob, seems to have a command of a bottomless fountain of great ideas. Whenever someone has a problem that they can’t seem to solve, Bob has a solution. He also has started, bought, and sold several businesses; some of which rewarded him handsomely.
Do you know of someone like my friend, Bob?
Most people do. You may say things like, “He has the Midas touch. Everything he touches turns into gold.” or “They seem to enjoy so many fantastic trips together…what is their secret?”
It all begins with a blank sheet.
Today’s society has conditioned us to be constantly on call for a response from a call, message, or email. When we are constantly in response mode, we sacrifice our creativity.
What would happen if you turned it all off for 15 minutes or an hour?
Maybe you would have time to think and write down an idea to solve one of your problems.
So, why not try it! Turn all your electronic devices off, take a blank sheet of paper out, and write down one or two ideas.
Earl Nightingale says in his book “Transformational Living” that he keeps paper and pen handy in all the rooms in his house and office to write down ideas as he thinks of them. He does not want to forget any of his ideas.
Nightingale, “There has never been a monopoly when it comes to getting good ideas, but the number of people who will take the raw material of a good idea and from it fashion reality in the world is small indeed. And it’s also true there is nothing in this world of less value than an idea about which nothing is done.”
Do you write down your ideas daily?
Do you take action on the ideas you have conceived?
Victor Hugo, “Nothing in this world is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.”
Do you have a place to think and write down your ideas?
Do you set aside time, each day, to think and solve your problems?
Dr. John C. Maxwell, one of my mentors said, “When I was younger, my thinking spot was a rock on a hill. Later, I set up a “thinking chair” in my office, which I use solely for that purpose. These days, I also do some of my best thinking while swimming laps in the pool. It doesn’t replace the writing time that I still schedule. (I just haven’t found a waterproof legal pad yet…) But an hour of swimming laps back and forth, with its silence and rhythm, gives me just what I need to focus on one or two specific problems or ideas.”
Dr. Maxwell continues, “Maybe deep thinking and introspection comes more naturally for you. Even if it does, setting aside dedicated time for creative thinking will help you be intentional. No one can afford to go about their daily life waiting for the muse to strike. Instead, chase after and tackle her, doing so in a way that works for you.”
Do you have a special place to think and write your ideas down each day?
Do you keep paper and pencil handy , where ever you are, to write down your ideas before you lose them?
Perhaps one of your ideas can solve a problem that you have!
Do you take action on your ideas?
Earl Nightingale: “Do you keep a list of your ideas handy? When was the last time you acted on them? Make it a goal to choose one idea a week or a month to investigate, improve, or act upon. See if there are ways to build upon the original ideas you generate.”
Earl Nightingale says, “Turn your problems into projects.” His friend, Parky Parkinson said, changing the word problem to project.”
Earl Nightingale’s 4 Simple Steps in Straight Thinking
1) Separate facts from opinions and analyze the facts.
2) Define the real problem and consider possible solutions.
3) Secure evidence on possible solutions.
4)Weigh the evidence and arrive at a sound conclusion.
“Anytime a person comes to you with a problem you feel you should help with, say, “Let me think about that. I don’t like to make quick decisions on important matters.”
How will you capture the important ideas running through your mind each day?
How will you turn your problems into projects?
Do you read books or take courses to get new ideas?
Many years ago, a young man decided he wanted to learn about stock investing. He bought and read a book by Benjamin Graham called The Intelligent Investor. The young man embraced Graham’s philosophy and system, Mr. Graham became his mentor, and the young man signed up to take classes from Professor Graham at Columbia University. “He even offered to work for the professor for free.”
Benjamin Graham in 1954, hired this young man to work for him at Graham-Newman, his New York investment firm, for a yearly fee of $12,000. (In 2021 dollars, $119,131.90 per year.) Graham retired two years later closing his investment firm.
The young man in 1957, began an investment partnership “with seven family members and friends who invested $105,000.” ($991,271.86 in 2021 dollars). The young man “investing $100 of his own money.” ($966.89 in 2021 dollars) Eleven years later in 1968, his investment partnership business was worth $104 million ($553 million in 2006 dollars). (8 Attributes of Great Achievers by Cameron C. Taylor, original story)
This young man throughout his life “continued to apply” Graham’s investment strategies. On September 8,2021, his net worth was $103.9 billion. This man’s name is Warren Buffett. He is 91 years old.
“Like most other overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.”
– Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart
Learning new skills is a process to follow with a mentor modeling how to do it step by step. It takes many years to master these processes.
What books do you read to stimulate your mind and give you new ideas to achieve your goals?
What mentors, courses, apprenticeships have you taken to develop your skills?
If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: [email protected]
“Music Training Strengthens Children’s Brains, Decision Making Network” (Nov. 14, 2017) by the University of Southern California.
“If the brain is a muscle, then learning to play an instrument and read music is the ultimate exercise. Two new studies from the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC show that as little as two years of music instruction has multiple benefits. Music training can change both the structure of the brain’s white matter, which carries signals through the brain, and gray matter, which contains most of the brain’s neurons that are active in processing information. Music instruction also boosts engagement of brain networks that are responsible for decision making and the ability to focus attention and inhibit impulses.”
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-music-children-brains-decision-making-network.html
The Secret of Teaching Science & Math Through Music” by Madeline Frank, Ph.D. is available in book form, and newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook:
com(Kindle)
“Musical Notes On Math” by Dr. Madeline Frank teaches your child fractions and decimals, the fun easy way, through the rhythm of music, Winner of the Parent To Parent Adding Wisdom Award is available in book form, newly updated as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, or iBook.:
com(Kindle)
Madeline’s Midnight Melodies- Music From around the World”. This CD complements her books with a blend of dance music, gigues, tangos, ballet and favorites including “Danny Boy”, Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro”, Debussy’s “Claire De Lune” and others. “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” is music to relax by and to move by for music therapy. “Madeline’s Midnight Melodies” CD is now available for purchase by downloading a song, downloading the album, or by CD by clicking below:
Download Your Copy Today! Amazon | iTunes |
Dr. Madeline Frank’s book “Leadership on a Shoestring Budget” is available through amazon. To order your copy as an e-book on Kindle click on the following link:
Wishing you and your family a happy October from your Non-Invasive Medicine…Music Expert, Madeline
For over 30 years, Dr. Madeline Frank has helped children and adults overcome problems through Classical music. Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM is an award-winning teacher, author, researcher, speaker, conductor, and concert artist. She has discovered a scientific link between studying a musical instrument and academic and societal success. Madeline Frank earned her Bachelor and Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music. Her education has included scholarships at the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the University of Cincinnati and she has a violin performance diploma from the North Carolina School of the Arts. (C) 2021 Madeline Frank