Stephane Grappelli

• was born in Paris, France
• lived from 1908-1997
• At a young age began taking piano lessons, but later switched to violin.  After returning home from World War I, his father gave him his first violin at age 12.  Stephane taught himself to play quickly, and was soon making money by performing on the street.
• He was soon offered his first job playing with a singer in a resturaunt in Paris.
• His father enrolled him in the Paris National Conservatory for music lessons.  Stephane was 13 years old, and this was his first introduction to music education.  He finished his education in 1923 at age 15 and began life as a professional musician.
• Became known as the world's greatest jazz violinist with a style that changed the way the violin sounded and how it is played.  He liked bending the strings, sliding up and down, and using harmonics by gently touching the string to play in higher octaves.