Paganini was an epoch-making artist. He revolutionised the art of violin
playing, and to his influence, or through his example, were developed
the modern French and Belgian schools. While Paganini was a genius, a
great musician, and a wonderful violinist, he combined with these
qualities that of a trickster, and the exponents of the modern French
school adopted some of the less commendable features of Paganini's
playing, while the Belgian school followed the more serious lines, and
became a much sounder school.

Alard, Dancla, and Maurin were exponents of the French school, while in
that of Belgium we have De Bériot, Massart, Vieuxtemps, Léonard,
Wieniawski.

Lambert Joseph Massart was born at Liège in 1811, and was first taught
by an amateur named Delavau, who, delighted with the remarkable talent
displayed by his young pupil, succeeded in securing for him, from the
municipal authorities of Liège, a scholarship which enabled him to go to
Paris.

On his arrival at the Conservatoire, Cherubini, who was splenetive and
rash, refused him admission without assigning any reason for his
decision, but Rudolph Kreutzer took upon his shoulders the task of
forming the future artist.

Notwithstanding Massart's great talent and excellent capabilities as an
artist, he never became a success as a concert player, because of his
inordinate shyness, but as a teacher few have equalled him.

Sir Charles Hallé, in his autobiography, tells a good anecdote
concerning Massart's shyness and modesty. Massart was to play, with