city of Radebeul. The 1912 Marc Chagall painting Der Geiger was inspired by Sõrmus. Late career and health decline Sõrmus' performances met not only an enthusiastic reception, but also confrontation from bourgeois circles - on May 1, 1923, after the concert, the Magdeburg police broke Sermus' violin (this episode was reflected in the popular culture of that time - a photograph of the famous virtuoso with a broken violin was placed on a postcard). After that, in gratitude, he was presented with a violin by Giovanni Paolo Maggini of 1633. Sermus' performance was greeted with enthusiastic reception from the audience, including at such prestigious concert venues as Leipzig's St. Thomas Church. His last concerts were in the UK in early 1937. After that due to the health decline Sõrmus return back to Soviet Russia - Leningrad, and later - to Moscow. He died at the Botkin Hospital in Moscow whilst his wife, Virginia, was visiting her family in Britain. Family The first wife: Ida Samoilovna Sõrmus-Põder; 1887—1959); in 1916 she became the third wife of Viktor Chernov — one of the founders of the Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party, Minister for Agriculture in the Russian Provisional Government, Chairman of the Russian Constituent Assembly. The second wife: Francis Sõrmus (Hewlett) The third wife: Virginia Sõrmus, UK pianist Daughter: Pauline Soermus, UK Brother: Jaan Sõrmus 26.02.1872 (Lunia) — 21.01.1920 (Tartumaa) Sister: Juliane Pouline Liiv 01.06.1875 — 22.12.1900 (Tartumaa) Memory 1958: Giovanni Maggini's 1633 Sõrmus violin is donated by the widow Virginia to the Estonian Theater and Music Museum. 1966: Large freezing fishing trawler No. 441 "Eduard Sõrmus" was built at the shipyard in Nikolaev. Since 1968, the port of registry has been Tallinn. 1968: A book about Eduard Sõrmus by Estonian musicologist Harri Kõrvits was published 1975: The film "Red Violin" (East Germany-Russia), Victor Lorenz starring as Eduard Sõrmus 1978: Post Office of the USSR - envelope "Estonian revolutionary and musician Eduard Sõrmus 1878-1940", artist Pyotr Bendel; special cancellation dated July 9, 1978 “100 years since the birth. USSR Tallinn - Post Office. No. 12780 in the CFA catalog. References Sources Harri Kõrvits, Eduard Soermus - Der Rote Geiger. Translated from the Russian by Christof Rüger. Leipzig: VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1978. 1878 births 1940 deaths People from Luunja Parish People from the Governorate of Livonia Russian musicians Estonian musicians Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni University of Tartu alumni Saint Petersburg State University alumni