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    Technique and Interpretation in Violin-Playing
    Technique and Interpretation in Violin-Playing
    Technique and Interpretation in Violin-Playing
    Ebook108 pages1 hour

    Technique and Interpretation in Violin-Playing

    By Rowsby Woof

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    About this ebook

    Originally published in 1920, this neat little book is the result of the authors desire to tabulate in a concise form, his own ideas on violin playing, with regard to both the technical and the interpretive aspects of the subject. The authors views are placed before the reader in as clear a manner as possible. This little work should prove valuable to a wide circle of violinists - both amateur and professional.
    Contents Include: Chamber Music, Choice and Care of Violin Strings and Other Accessories The Lesson The Left Hand, Intonation The Left Hand, Position of the Wrist, Fingers, Thumb, Palm The Left Hand, Scales, Various Methods of Fingering, Hands with Poor Stretches, Trills The Bow Spiccato, Martele, Staccato Arpeggio, Ricochet, Legato Expression and Interpretation : Variety of Tone Vibrato Phrasing Rubato, Rhythm and Time Generally.
    Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateMay 31, 2013
    ISBN9781473391772
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      Technique and Interpretation in Violin-Playing - Rowsby Woof

      TECHNIQUE AND INTERPRETATION

      IN VIOLIN-PLAYING

      CHAPTER I

      CHAMBER MUSIC—CHOICE AND CARE OF VIOLIN

      —STRINGS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES

      To attempt a description of the historical development of the violin family would be out of place in a manual intended primarily as an aid to the understanding of the potentialities of the violin itself. The reader must seek for such information in more learned treatises. A brief description of the tonal qualities of the various instruments of the string quartet may, however, be of interest to some readers.

      The most usual combination of strings in chamber music consists of first and second violins, viola, and violoncello. Even an inexperienced listener should have little difficulty in recognizing the individual sounds of the violins, viola, and violoncello. The rich and somewhat morbid tone of the viola stands out in marked contrast to the more brilliant one of the violins, or the deep, full notes of the ’cello, which is in many respects the most beautiful of the three. Each instrument seems the complement of the others, and it may be questioned whether for sheer beauty any combination of musical instruments is equal to that of the string quartet.

      Greater variety may be obtained by the addition of one or more instruments—pianoforte, clarinet, horn, etc.—and many unusual effects are produced by uncommon associations of instruments, as in B. J. Dale’s Short Piece for Six Violas, or Brahms’ trio for pianoforte, violin, and horn. I have, however, always felt that, æsthetically, much that is lovely in the music is stultified by the intrusion of a foreign element, such as the clarinet, even in the hands of some of the world’s greatest masters—Mozart and Brahms. Enormously increased sonority is obtained by the addition of an extra, viola or ’cello, or both, to the usual four strings of the quartet. Witness in particular the first movements of Brahms’ sextets for strings in B flat major and G major, which can be perfectly intoxicating to both listener and players, given adequate interpretation by competent artists.*

      The great charm the stringed instruments possess is their almost human capacity to sing. Every shade of all the emotions may be revealed by a violinist, viola player, or ’cellist, with the gift of expression. In these days (or have we already outgrown them?) of the idolatry of technique, this supreme distinction of the artist may be overlooked. The subject is too wide a one to be touched upon here, and will be allotted a chapter to itself, and considered in its relationship to technical equipment. Even the absence of words need not be an irremediable defect in instrumental music, if the player be endowed with emotional powers and an all-too-rare sense of tone colour.

      The delights of quartet playing can only be appreciated by string players, whether amateur or professional, who possess sufficient enthusiasm to meet regularly, at least once a week, for an hour or two’s practice together. Work of this description repays the trouble taken in a hundred ways. It is often difficult to arrange such meetings, and still more so to maintain them with any degree of regularity, except in cases (I have known several) where a complete string quartet can be formed by members of the same family. Often the viola player is the difficulty. This need not prove an insuperable obstacle to the formation of a quartet party. Any moderately good violinist, with a small amount of practice, may become sufficiently proficient to play the viola part of many of the quartets of Mozart or Beethoven.

      For a beginner, the size of a violin naturally depends largely on his or her age. A child of six (an ideal age to commence fiddling) will require a half-size violin. If he or she rapidly develops physically, especially as regards size and flexibility of the hands, it may not be necessary to procure a three-quarter size violin at all. Some well-developed children are quite capable of handling a full-sized violin at the age of ten. Where this is possible, I am always very much in favour of it. An adult pupil should play on a full-size violin from the commencement of his tuition.

      Pupils with small hands or short arms should avoid choosing a violin with too great a breadth across the shoulders—that part of the body of the violin nearest the neck.

      In cases where the necessary expense is not a hindrance, a violin by one of the Italian masters (there are many besides the half-dozen famous ones) is the best choice, provided that its condition is still moderately good—i.e., without too many or bad cracks or any trace of worm. Even a violin which has been cured of worm trouble should be avoided. The next best violins are those of the French school, by Lupot, Sylvestre, Pique, etc. I believe that the French and more modern Italian violins will ultimately appreciate very much in value, as the Strads, Guarneri, etc., become more and more prohibitive in price, and are gradually lost to their original purpose by the growing custom amongst owners to bequeath them to municipal collections or institutions connected with the educational side of music. Some good instruments have been made by English, Dutch, Irish, and Tyrolese makers.

      A good violin should be able to stand any test to which it may be submitted by a player of ability. Not infrequently hidden faults of tone, such as wolf (impure notes), inequalities, or notes of inferior quality, are revealed when it is examined by an expert. In this connection I refer to an expert player, not an expert luthier. Although volume of tone in a violin when combined with a good quality is to be prized, it is a mistake to overrate the former attribute at the expense of the latter.

      The violin should be kept in good order. It should be wiped with a silk handkerchief after using, and if played on much should be cleaned with some good preparation, such as Vipol (Beare, Wardour Street), at least once a month. No spirit of any kind should ever be used for this purpose. In our humid climate rosin very soon cakes upon the upper table, and the beauty of a fine varnish is, in consequence, much impaired. Even quite an ordinary violin should be treated in the same way. No violin sounds well when covered with dirt and rosin, with the inside full of dust, and the f holes partly blocked with a mixture of all three. To clean the inside, purchase a few ounces of shot; pour it through the f holes, shake the violin well, then

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