Martin Pierre Marsick

Martin Pierre Marsick (1847–1924), was a Belgian violinist, organist, singer, composer and teacher. Marsick was the owner of the Marsick Stradivarius.

Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick was born on 9 March 1847^α in Jupille (part of present-day Liège) to Pierre Joseph Marsick, a Tinsmith, and Anne Marie Bevers. At the time of his birth, Marsick was the youngest of 5 children and by 1868 was one of 18 children. Through his brother Louis François, Marsick was the uncle of the Belgian composer and conductor Armand Marsick [fr]. As a child Marsick was a member of the choir at St. Martin's Basilica in Liège, and was a member of the choir school at Liège Cathedral.

On 2 December 1854, Marsick enrolled at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, where he studied music composition, piano and the organ alongside the violin. Marsick would study violin under Rodolphe Massart, Auguste Dupont and from 1857 onwards with Désiré Heynberg [de]. In 1865, Marsick graduated with the Premier Prix in violin, a shared Second Prix in the organ and the Médaille en vermeil, the highest distinction for “exceptional merit”.

From 1865–1867, Marsick continued his music education at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, studying violin under Hubert Léonard and composition under Hubert Ferdinand Kufferath [de]. With the financial backing of patrons, Marsick studied violin under Lambert Massart at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1868–1869. Marsick was awarded the 1st prize for violin in 1869. From 1870–1871, a scholarship from the Belgian Government enabled Marsick to study in Berlin under Joseph Joachim.

In 1871, Marsick joined the newly established Société Nationale de Musique.^{[citation needed]}

In 1873, Marsick made his Paris début at the Concerts Populaires (present-day Pasdeloup Orchestra). Marsick formed the Quatuor Marsick string quartet with Guillaume Rémy [fr], Louis van Waefelghem and Jules Delsart in 1877.

Between 1875 and 1895, he performed in concerts in collaboration with the leading conductors in Paris - Charles Lamoureux, Jules Pasdeloup, and Édouard Colonne, while also touring the rest of Europe and the United States. In 1895, Marsick made his American début. He played additionally with Joseph Joachim and in a trio with the cellist Anatoliy Brandukov and the pianist Vladimir von Pachmann.

In 1892, Marsick replaced Eugène Sauzay as a violin teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris. Marsick students included Carl Flesch, Jacques Thibaud, George Enescu, Simon Pullman and Cécile Chaminade.