Part 4
No. 26.
To be played with the upper third of the bow:
[Music]
You will observe that Fiorillo makes decided contrasts in his études. The twenty-sixth naturally assumes a more lively character. It opens with a crisp, bright staccato in the upper third of the bow. The last two measures of the first line are naturally played somewhat near the point of the bow. Perfect freedom of wrist and forearm is desired. The form of the second line is like that of the first line, and the same bowing is used. Now we contrast the staccato and legato passages. If the octaves seem difficult, lead the student to practice the octave studies of Halir and Schradieck. The legato triplets in octaves are near the point of the bow. Note at this point that the quarter notes extend throughout the upper legato groups. It was a strange idea of the Peters edition to introduce the groups with an up-bow. In our present-day study we seek to make études “fit into” modern solos. This style of bowing is almost obsolete.
The bowing is now reversed, the first note being short, the next two slurred; but we soon return to the original method. If the group opens with a high note followed by a low note, then a high note again, the bowing is as follows:
[Music]
If the notes ascend the scale, they are most frequently bowed thus:
[Music]
The arpeggios that follow are legitimate, being easily played in the upper part of the bow. The tempo governs the length of the bow. Pupils learn to _feel_ for bowing; in fact, to make few errors in passages of a similar nature, because they have been trained to play correctly, if the Massart bowings[18] are used with the study of Kreutzer.
Play this measure in the middle of the bow, raising the bow slightly for each group; accent the second note of each group:
[Music]
FOOTNOTE:
[18] See footnote, p. 25.
No. 27.
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This étude should not be played too rapidly, a light stroke in the upper third or upper half of the bow being somewhat easily secured. The first note of the groups of three notes must be played without pressure upon the bow. It is a light staccato. The bow lies well over two strings. Take the second position at once. Do not try to make the bow-strokes uniform in length. Freedom is at first secured at or near the point of the bow, the wrist being very supple. Do not release the fourth finger entirely from the bow-stick. Varied bowings are not desirable, as the wide range of violin literature demands a knowledge of the specific content of études. The bowings required in the Fiorillo études ought to be familiar to students long before they reach this point in their study.
Before the change into a new key, play a crescendo of two measures. Do not rest at the base of the first finger unless necessary. Avoid the vibrato. Relax the thumb. Hold firmly with the chin. Rapid changes to new positions require a simultaneous movement of the first and fourth fingers. Relax the wrist. The thumb is usually in advance of the first finger and remains thus. Play the last line at the point of the bow very lightly. If it is necessary to move the thumb from under the neck of the violin, do so; in extreme cases it may rest against the body of the violin, but this is not usually necessary. In high positions, the hand is raised and the fingers fall vertically. Raise the arm high in the upper positions; arch the fingers well over the four strings, with a slight turning inward, if three or four strings are required. Be careful of false intonation in the last two lines. Press lightly upon the bow-stick when playing in the very high positions:
[Music]
No. 28.
[Music: With the middle.]
There are no new principles of bowing to be presented in this étude. A running light legato at or near the point of the bow is desirable. Keep the bow well over two strings. If by this time the legato is not free, analyze each measure and introduce chords. Also practice in the middle of the bow.
This practice gives the bow poise upon the strings, and enables the student to understand the fundamental basis of string-transfers. Another excellent plan is to play each group several times in twos, fours, and eights. Other excellent methods are to play the entire measure in one bow, or two measures in one bow. Occasionally play a little below the middle of the bow, raising the bow slightly for each stroke.
This is a free stroke with the principle of the flying staccato. An excellent bowing is this:
[Music]
These bowings, however, can only be used in portions of this exercise. At any point in the study of Fiorillo, if the student has not developed freedom of bowing, return to the Sitt double-stops. Also use the third, fourth, and fifth Sevcik books (_4,000 Bowings_), the Schradieck _Arpeggios_[19] with varied bowings, and my _Three Octave Scales_.[20] I very frequently use the Tartini _Art of Bowing_[21] in connection with Fiorillo, as a further illustration of bowing. A review of the Kreutzer (first twelve) Études[22] is very useful. The student must understand that the more solid the technic of the bow and left hand is fixed in America, the more rapid advancement will be in foreign music centres. It is not wise to neglect details or principles. Naturally, from our conditions of life, we cannot always obtain the same high standards in America as in Prague, Berlin, and Paris.
FOOTNOTES:
[19] Henry Schradieck, _Technical Violin School_, Part III. Exercises in the Different Modes of Bowing. Also _Chord Studies_. Price, each, 50 cents. Published by Carl Fischer, New York.
[20] _Daily Exercises and Three Octave Studies_, by Edith L. Winn. Published by Carl Fischer, New York. Price, $1.00.
[21] J. Tartini, _The Art of Bowing_. _Fifty Variations on a Gavotte by Corelli._ Price, 50 cents.
Special Concert Edition of Ten of these Variations by Ovide Musin. Price, 75 cents. Published by Carl Fischer, New York.
[22] See footnote, page 3.
No. 29.
[Music]
We have now had so much practice in double-stops that this étude offers little that is new or interesting; nevertheless, it is valuable. Do not allow the accompaniment to stand out too prominently. Keep the theme as an example of pure legato playing. The bow must lie well over two strings, and no note in the accompaniment should be held too long. Notes must fall simultaneously, if so written. The tempo must be maintained throughout. The movement is earnest, yet not adagio. _Grave_ refers to the character of the work, not to its tempo.
At this point play the up-bow notes with a running stroke, not the short staccato:
[Music]
Observe the same manner of playing in the last line:
THE MODERATO.
[Music]
It may be a good plan to play the staccato and legato notes with a decided contrast in style. The French school teachers play the staccato notes short and crisp near the point of the bow. The German school prefer a less detached stroke, using about one-third of the bow. You will observe that the short bowings are more frequently required throughout the study of Fiorillo than a broad style of playing. The wrist must be very free. The bow-stroke is not a lateral one. Do not make a wide difference in length of bow-stroke. Sing the theme. Place the fingers on the strings at once. Read in advance of the measure which you are playing. Anticipate string changes with the wrist in short transfers. Do not _slide_ into positions.
In the sixth and ninth lines _think_ the position changes at once. If we can sing a theme before taking a position, true intonation is assured. Many students who are beginning the study of the second position, using the Wohlfahrt and Sitt studies, ask if the second and fourth positions are useful. One must turn to the études of Kreutzer, Fiorillo, Rode, and Gavinies, showing many examples. As a means of ear training I consider the second position very valuable. The student who has difficulty with the fourth is likely to have the same with the fifth and sixth positions. One cannot stress too much the value of the careful study of positions. Beginning at the second page of this étude, it is well to play a somewhat shorter staccato stroke. The string-transfers are made by throwing the wrist over the string, in cases in which one goes from G to A or D to E. I sometimes review parts of the étude with spiccato bowing at the middle of the bow, single strokes. You will observe the term _sempre staccato_ in some editions. Play a little broader stroke than this term would indicate. The last three lines, not including the last line, are very difficult. Play lightly, using little bow. Move the left thumb far round. Keep the middle joint flat. Bend the finger toward the G string to command the positions; also keep the fingers down when not in use. Do not use the vibrato in any case except one in which a broad free bowing is desired, as in an adagio movement. Be very careful of intonation.
[Music]
No. 30.
[Music]
As a preparation for this étude, use the Schradieck and Sevcik works. I find Schradieck’s _Technical Exercises_ and _Scales and Arpeggios_ valuable, though I prefer the method of playing scales as advocated by Halir, because Schradieck repeats the fundamental note, thereby making a perfect legato well-nigh impossible. The order of Schradieck’s scales I do not deprecate. The stroke here used is a short staccato in the upper third or a _martelé_ in the middle of the bow. I have already explained how to cross one string without playing upon it. Throw the bow by a short quick stroke of the forearm well over the string, keeping the arm high, out from the body. Make a curve, not an angle.
If the very high positions and rapid changes seem too difficult, play the intervals on the piano a few times. _Think_ the tone. Do not strive for speed. The bowing and intonation are of first importance. Play the slurred notes in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth lines legato, until freedom is secured. Altogether this is a most difficult étude, and it should be practiced even when other études are under our consideration.
The entire étude is not played with a very short staccato stroke. The fingers must seek their positions at once. Avoid an awkward arm stroke.
No. 31.
[Music]
As we have played several études of this type, I use varied bowings.
(1) The lower third, second group flying staccato. (2) Middle spiccato. (2_a_) Upper third, legato. (3) Single measures on one bow. (4) In groups of four notes. (5) Running legato at point.
[Music]
From a technical standpoint this étude is not as difficult as some that precede it. At the fifth line it would be wise to play a rather short stroke near the point of the bow. Show the pupil examples of similar bowings in the 8th Rode “Concerto,” the 22d and 23d Viotti, the Bach “A Minor,” etc. As an example of the pure spiccato, refer to the “Perpetual Motions” of Ries and Bohm. As a type of running legato use Schubert’s “The Bee.” As an example of octave and tenth study, point out passages in the “Polonaise” of Vieuxtemps. Short detached strokes, two notes on one bow, below the middle of the bow, are very useful. Broad, vigorous strokes with the upper third of the bow are excellent toward the close:
[Music]
Throughout all étude work I stress the great fundamental principles of bowing. I cannot see that the playing of a great many études counts for much if we neglect _principles_. When we go abroad, all our work ends until we correct bad habits and master principles which ought long ago to have been mastered. It is all very well to say that Mr. X——, a great artist, does not adhere to the particular creed of his school. Perhaps he cannot be bound by a method. The rank and file of us must cling to something. Elastic rules cannot be made for amateurs. There must be definite rules of action. To clinch a point, I may select many illustrations. It is better to settle it, once for all, than to pass on and return to it with a brain dazed by many principles and multiple illustrations totally unrelated. _Teach thoroughly what you teach._
No. 32.
[Music]
This étude must be played with a singing tone, the accompaniment being clear, smooth, and elegant, as in étude number two. The lower notes must strictly be in time and of proper duration. This type of accompaniment, found in the Bach unaccompanied “Sonatas,” the solos of Paganini, the “Twenty-second Concerto” of Viotti, and other works, is one of the most interesting forms in solo violin playing. While it is free, graceful, refined, and elegant in the sonata and concerto, rhythmic abandon is hardly allowable in an étude. The melody must always be supported by absolute precision in the accompaniment. While this étude is an excellent example of pure cantabile playing, its graceful accompaniment relieves it from the somewhat rigid style of the mere étude. In that respect it is superior to number thirty-three from a musical standpoint. In the third line you will observe a staccato run. Make this a running staccato, not short and crisp. Do not hasten the tempo; rather hold back in order to obtain a dignified cantabile. In the fifth line sing the theme, and dip the bow slightly for the running accompaniment, which must occur exactly in time. Do not accent the accompaniment notes too much. Give them only their value. Keep the bow as close upon two strings as possible:
[Music]
No. 33.
[Music]
Students ask, “Is this a short staccato? Where do I play such a passage?” The value and tempo of a work govern bowing. Avoid meaningless bowing. Play broadly when possible. One must study the classics and discriminate between the style of different schools and periods if one is to judge of methods of bowing. In this case, play with a free, somewhat broad tone, in the upper part of the bow. Produce a resonant, singing tone. Do not decrease the tone in an ascending passage. It is a good plan to play the arpeggios separately, that is, repeating each line over and over, until they are mastered. If the student has difficulty with them, review the twelfth Kreutzer étude. The second and fourth positions require much more careful practice. Use a free forearm stroke when it is possible. Passages of this nature may be played near the point of the bow:
[Music]
Note the octaves in the eleventh line. They should be played in the middle of the bow, slightly detached, the bow being raised by a flexible wrist stroke, the first note of the group being accented. Certain teachers prefer a perfect legato at the point of the bow. The stroke at the middle is freer. Do not press upon the bow-stick, as the bowing must be light, especially in the chromatic passage:
[Music]
The single detached notes of the last line are more easily played with spiccato bowing at the middle of the bow. They may also be practiced with a short, crisp, light staccato at the point:
[Music]
No. 34.
[Music]
There are three methods of playing the first part of this étude. One is a broad detached stroke, middle to point. The second is a short staccato stroke near the point of the bow. The third is the spiccato at the middle. As the position changes are difficult, use the most easily acquired bowing at first. That would be a forearm stroke. Practice the sixth position passage separately until mastered. Each position change should be mastered before going to the next. It might be well to select certain arpeggio studies of Schradieck and Kreutzer in connection with this étude, for the sake of a mastery of principles. Varied bowings should follow a mastery of the content of such études. Note in the eighth line the groups of two slurred notes. These may be played lightly at the point, also at the middle of the bow, with a free wrist stroke combined with a slight movement from the shoulder, a form of bowing often used in orchestral works, a freer style than that at the point of the bow. When the étude is mastered technically, I often teach it with the spiccato bowing at the point of the bow, followed by the bowing indicated in legato passages. When crossing the strings hold the arm high, the wrist leading in string-transfers. The practice of the F major scale in the sixth position with varied bowings is recommended. To keep up a continuous spiccato is not desirable, hence the detached bowing in the upper third of the bow is not practical. This étude is one of the most difficult and exacting of the entire book, hence the necessity of frequent reviews. If possible, analyze the content of the work, calling attention to the structure of each passage and the basis of arpeggios.
No. 35.
[Music]
There are so many double-stop études of more practical value than this one that it is wise to review the excellent double-stop études of Kreutzer, Sitt[23] and Dont,[24] although the last named are the least practical. However, if one is to teach Fiorillo, one must use this étude. A few rules may be useful:
1. Read in advance of the measure played. 2. Strive for a pure singing tone. 3. Keep the theme prominent, the accompaniment legato. 4. Use a broad free style of bowing. 5. The fingers must fall simultaneously in double-stops. 6. Analyze the work phrase by phrase. 7. Memorize difficult passages. 8. Do not draw the strings from side to side. The fingers must fall into position and remain fixed. 9. If the pitch is not at once secured, do not slide the fingers up and down as if in search for the exact tone. Practice the passage until the fingers fall into correct places at once.
MODERATO ASSAI.
[Music]
Nothing new presents itself at this point in bowing. A free detached forearm stroke instead of the short staccato is desirable until the technical side of the étude is mastered. I generally take the first three measures, contrasting them, then memorizing them. I also refer to certain well-known progressions in the Schradieck arpeggios. Very few students after a week’s practice can play this étude without mistakes in the progressions. It is, therefore, desirable to study it line by line. The second line follows the same progressions as the first, though we begin a whole tone higher. Sometimes I oblige my students to write down each line from memory, in order to master the progressions mentally.
Again, I listen to related measures repeated several times. The question may arise, “Should the teacher first play the étude to the pupil?” The teacher should explain the bowing of each étude assigned for the next lesson, but should not, as a rule, play it. The student should analyze it and get all he can out of it before bringing it to the teacher. This develops the power of reasoning and concentration. He thus learns to stand alone. So many students play merely by imitation, that it is a question in modern violin study whether it is wise for the teacher to illustrate too much. Teach the pupil to deduce conclusions himself. Hear his version, then show him the way. Do not play études too much with him. Play the passage alternately with him. Do not play a concerto to a student before he has practiced it. His conception means more to him than yours. It is equally true of the other fine arts. No great painter was ever made whose pictures were sketched for him. The creative and analytical instinct must precede pure imitation. I recall the study of the Bach solo “Sonatas.” In Berlin we studied them very rigidly, but when away from that atmosphere we played them with freedom. These suggestions do not excuse the teacher from frequently illustrating. A teacher who sits and listens to violin students all day because he is too indifferent to play, cannot guide well. Again, the teacher should be able to give a perfect example of a style of bowing or phrasing. Teachers who play no more are not wise educators.
As far as intonation is concerned, this étude is one of the most difficult of all, yet it is very useful from the standpoint of modulation. The last three lines require a free wrist stroke (legato) at the point of the bow. As more than two strings are included, the stroke is an arm and wrist one. The elbow must move out in the same plane as the forearm and wrist. Absolute freedom of all parts of the arm is necessary.
FOOTNOTES:
[23] Hans Sitt, _Technical Studies_, Op. 92, Part I, Book 3. Price, $1.00. Published by Carl Fischer, New York.
[24] J. Dont, _Twenty-four Exercises_, Op. 37. Price, 50 cents. Published by Carl Fischer, New York.
No. 36.
[Music]
[Music]
DIFFERENT ARPEGGIOS FOR PLAYING THE PRECEDING CHORDS.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Before beginning this étude, review the chord studies of Sitt[25] and Kreutzer, using with the first Sitt study the following bowings:
1. Whole bow. 2. Lower half. 3. Two notes to a bow, middle, point and heel. 4. Four notes to a bow.
I prefer this study to the Sevcik _4,000 Bowings_, Section V. I would, however, use the Sevcik studies for securing a flexible wrist stroke.
Also use Schradieck’s _Technical Violin School_, Books II and III.[26] I make some changes in the chords of this étude, as follows:
[Music: 1) 7th measure. 2) 16th and 17th measures.]
Use also the following bowing:
Single detached chords down bow, lower half.
[Music]
The wrist must be very flexible. The whole arm is used. Play the three notes simultaneously. Play also thus, whole bow:
[Music]
We now come to the pure legato at the point, middle, and heel of the bow.
Two notes tied, four and eight. Vary this by playing the first two notes legato, the second two staccato at the point of the bow; the first two legato, lower half, the second two flying staccato.
We will now turn to two styles of legato bowing: eight notes to a bow; two tied notes followed by six tied. Use the whole bow, also upper and lower half. The next bowing is two tied followed by the short staccato at the point of the bow. Then use two tied, two cut, at the middle or point of the bow. Apply the principles of Sevcik, _4,000 Bowings_, Sections III, IV, and V.
I would introduce a style of bowing very much used in solo and orchestral work: a running legato at the point in triplets. Same at the middle of the bow. Same at the heel. Three tied legato, followed by three flying staccato, lower half of bow. Three down-stroke middle, spiccato, three up-stroke.
These are all the practical bowings I use, but notes played in one bow, at the point, are useful.
FOOTNOTES:
[25] Hans Sitt, _Technical Studies_, Op. 92. Part I, Book 3, Double Stopping. Published by Carl Fischer, New York. Price, $1.00.
[26] _Technical Violin School_, by Henry Schradieck. Part II, Exercises in Double Stopping. Price, 40 cents. Part III, Exercises in the Different Modes of Bowing. Price, 50 cents. Published by Carl Fischer, New York.