The Art of Violin (2000), which showcases violin performances and gives biographical details of many of the great violinists of the twentieth century. In 2008, he became patron of the Paris-based association "Inspiration(s)", whose aim is to make classical music accessible to all. He was a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music. He was a distinguished guest of the International Master Course for violinists and string players at Keshet Eilon Music Center. Violins At various stages in his career, Gitlis played on a 1699 Giovanni Battista Rogeri, which he sold to famed violin author Sidney Bowden, the 1737 "Chant du Cygne" Antonio Stradivari, and the 1740 "Ysaye" Guarneri del Gesù. Ivry Gitlis owned the 1713 "Sancy" Antonio Stradivari and a violin by Émile Marcel Français, Paris 1944 (won as a prize for the 1951 "Thibaud Competition"). Quotes "... don't be so polite with the music, it's like being in love!" (IG, during a masterclass, 31 October 2011) "Sheet music is a bunch of black marks; they have no significance ... I play violin, but in order to play well you have to be much more than a violin player. There is an entire world that lives together with it, like the currents in the ocean; and in any event, often I don't use sheet music at all, but improvise." (IG, October 2012) "... rubato is the art of playing in tempo..." (IG) (on answering the question: "what is your motto?") "... to be alive, to be aware, to hear, to know, to feel, to see, to love, to be loved a little bit sometimes." (IG, July 2011) Personal life Since the end of the 1960s, Gitlis resided in Paris, France. He died there on 24 December 2020 at the age of 98. Ivry Gitlis Edition - Rhine Classics RH-011 | 2CD | IVRY GITLIS - the early years RH-019 | 9CD | IVRY GITLIS - in memoriam "inédits et introuvables" RH-024 | 1CD | IVRY GITLIS - plays Bach Audio/video recordings Sortable lists, in chronological order. Commercial – official, studio and live releases Filmography References Notes Sources Gitlis, Ivry, L’Âme et la corde (2nd edition, Buchet-Chastel, Paris 2013) (FR) Further reading Ben Zeev, Noam: "At 90, master violinist wants to bestow his knowledge onto a new generation", Haaretz, 5 October 2012 Campion, Alexis: "Ivry Gitlis, esprit violon", le JDD, 14 December 2013 (FR) Coppey, Nicole: Interview to Ivry