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Helmut Zacharias - The Violin was His Soul When Helmut Zacharias was born on January 27th, 1920, no one imagined that he would later be acclaimed as the "devil's fiddler". Yet his extraordinary talent was already apparent at an early age. At age two-and-a-half he played "Hänschen klein" on his first violin. At the age of six he performed on stage for the first time. By 1935 at the latest, with his performance in the legendary variety theatre Wintergarten in Berlin, he had embarked on an unstoppable musical career. Whether classic, swing or jazz: he enchanted people throughout the world with his infectious and inimitable music. When Helmut Zacharias died on February 28th, 2002 at the age of 82, he no longer knew that the world had once acclaimed him as a violin virtuoso. During the last seven years of his life Helmut Zacharias was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. On the occasion of his 80th birthday his friend Fred Weyrich wrote, "He put aside his violin without knowing that it was once his soul." His daughter Sylvia remembers how music still played an important role in her father's life. "Now and then in the first months of his stay in the clinic my father used to play on his violin, but soon his active life in and with music came to an end. What remained was only a passive life, which consisted of taking in music emotionally. When he heard himself emanating from the speaker, he often broke into tears. – Music remained the paramount path to reach his innermost feelings. It affected him deeply, brought him into contact with himself and soothed his spirit."" "Diagnose Alzheimer: Helmut Zacharias“ is available in German. To order please contact: Kuratorium der Hirnliga e.V., P.O. Box 1132, 51581 Nümbrecht, Germany, Phone: +49 2293 3436, Fax: +49 2293 3707