Carl Schroeder

“ To render a piece of music with taste, signifies the reproduction of the same so that the hearer perceives through the player a complete [Pg 73] understanding of it, and throughout its performance receives a correct impression of its character. If an artist has given expression to all the composer’s written dynamic gradations of tone colour with understanding and feeling, it will be artistically refined; if infused with his own individuality, and if no awkwardness appear technically with respect to the manipulation of his instrument, his performance will be regarded as tasteful. ”

“ It is still harder than in compositions by violinists or in pieces marked by them, to make the right changes of bow in the sense of the phrasing in the works of composers who are not thoroughly familiar with the technical handling of the violin, and whose indications of bowing are somewhat eccentric, or merely mark the difference between staccato and legato. ”

“ Ability to judge properly the merits of a violin,—whether new or old,—comes only with experience; beginners should therefore before purchasing consult a player or teacher possessing the necessary knowledge. Violins by the same maker, to all appearance exactly alike, yet frequently differ [Pg 4] greatly in tone quality, and an instrument of bad tone is a stumbling block in the path of progress, disheartening the learner. ”

“ Violin composition and technique were brought by him into definite form, serving as a sure foundation for later times. Like all the violinists of that period, Corelli was also a composer, and in this capacity stood prominently forward. His music has lasted to our own day, the complete edition having been brought out by Joachim and Chrysander, and separate sonatas arranged for violin and piano by G. Jensen, and others. Living chiefly in Rome, Corelli was held in extraordinary esteem as violinist and composer, and a great number of pupils crowded round him. ”

“ The real “holding”—as regards the weight of the instrument—is done at the other end by the chin pressing the violin against the collar bone. What further steadying power is necessary, the lower joint of the thumb must supply, rather than the first finger. Players who have attained considerable freedom are able to play certain passages without any portion of the side of the index finger coming into contact with the neck. Chin-rests of various patterns should be tried, and that which best suits the particular player selected, as bodily proportions differ. ”

“ The worth of a bow to its possessor consists in its firmness and elasticity, and in its proving fit to execute every kind of bowing with certainty.
Care of the instrument.
The instrument must always be kept clean and in order; every part should always be in proper condition. The dust from the resin must, every time after playing, be wiped from the upper table, fingerboard and bridge with a soft cloth. The strings, fingerboard and neck are then rubbed with an old silk handkerchief, taking care not to rub the strings to and fro, but always in one direction, else small fibres may be loosened. ”

“ The old Italian violins have been so closely copied by many makers, with regard to model, wood, varnish and appearance of age, that it is difficult to discriminate between the genuine and the spurious. It is still more difficult when the copy possesses a fine quality of tone. It needs a practised, keen eye to determine the genuineness or spuriousness of an instrument, and it may well be that many, believing themselves to have bought a real old Italian instrument, have only obtained an imitation thereof. ”

“ Upon this subject no exhaustive treatise will be given, but only some observations upon intelligent phrasing as applied technically to violin playing. As in singing, and in wind instruments the breath, so in the playing of stringed instruments the change of bowing, is the potent medium through which phrases are divided, distinguished from each other, and rendered clear. Stringed instruments present considerably greater difficulty in this respect than singing, on account of the manifold kinds of stroke in bowing,—often within the compass of a short phrase the most varied bowings occur ”

“ The use of the vibrator permits the production of curious and often striking effects, especially in light and flowing playing, as, perchance, in chorales, when three, four or more parts become audible in regular harmonic sequence. The tone of the violin is caused to resemble very much that of the harmonium, and nuances from the lightest piano to at least mezzo forte are obtainable. ”

“ The technique of violin playing. Attitude of the player.
When playing from notes the player places himself opposite the desk a little to the left, so that the violin does not hide the notes from view. The body should be erect, but not stiffly so. The right foot is put outward, the left straight, so that the toes are in a line. The weight of the body must rest chiefly on the left foot. ”

“ The easiest keys for beginners are G, D and A major, as in these keys the open strings may all be utilized; the fingers fall more naturally into position, and do not require to be “set back” a semitone, as in C major (F on the E string) and in the keys with flats. The scales and easy melodies in G, D and A might therefore, be practised with the following exercises, or if deemed advisable, precede them. ”

“ The bow must be drawn [Pg 26] steadily to its point, and exactly parallel with the bridge, whereby the wrist is compelled to move, and at the end of the stroke, on reaching the point of the bow, sinks so that the little finger only rests at its extreme tip upon the stick.
The upper arm is so held that with down strokes the elbow remains below the shoulder, until a third of the bow is left over. If the production of a louder tone is desired, the bowing is made closer to the bridge and in piano passages further away from it. ”

“ To set the strings in vibration, the hair of the bow must be rubbed with resin. Its German name “Kolophonium” is derived from the Grecian town Kolophon, from whence it was first procured. The unprepared hair of a new bow requires a small quantity of powdered resin rubbed into it. Before the bow is used, the hair should be tried upon some instrument not in use, or upon a stretched string. During the ordinary rubbing upon the hair, care must be taken that the resin is not rubbed hard, but allowed to glide lightly over the hair. ”

“ From the penetrating character of the tone, new violas are invariably harsher than new violins or violoncellos, but fortunately several good makers of the last century have left a number of instruments which have now become matured, and the demand being so much less than for violins, a good medium sized viola may often be obtained at about half the cost of a violin of the same quality. ”

“ In Italy it was termed the “Viola di braccio” to distinguish it from the larger viols which rested on the ground or were supported by being placed between the performer’s knees. “Viola” or “Alto” the Italians now term it, the music written for it being in the alto clef (middle C on the 3rd line) :—
The German term “Bratsche” is simply a corruption of “Braccio”. “Quinte” is the name by which it is usually called in France, indicating that it is tuned a fifth lower than the violin.
The tuning is as follows:—
The G and C are both covered strings. ”

“ Testimonials from great artists concerning these and other attempts at improving the violin frequently appear; meanwhile, the artists themselves are well content with the bridge and the instrument generally as left by Stradivarius. One would not desire to deny the possibility of further improvements to the instrument, yet nearly two centuries of ceaseless experimenting have yielded no result that has been considered worthy of universal adoption. ”

“ Another invention has been produced recently by Herr Christopher Scheinert in Berlin. It consists of a vibrating hammer or tongue for stringed instruments. This is a little instrument placed under the bridge of the violin, so that, (it being furnished with a slender hammer) , elastic metal tongues vibrate freely between the upper table and the strings. The vibrating hammer is set in motion through the strings by the bow, through which simultaneous movement the power of the instrument is increased, and the tone colour elicited. ”

“ The sketch shows the amount of slope to be made on the E side; the distances for the notches to receive the strings, and the amount to which the feet must be thinned in an ordinary full sized instrument. The height of the bridge is dependent, (for convenience of stopping) , upon the height of the fingerboard. A high bridge gives more power, but often the quality of tone is not so good. The E string being harder to press down (by reason of its greater tension) is kept a little nearer the fingerboard than the others. ”

“ The pizzicato.
The most usual method of playing pizzicato is by means of the index finger of the right hand, by which the string is gripped and plucked. The thumb is placed against the fingerboard. In pieces to be played pizzicato throughout, the thumb may be employed. In this case the violin is held down (underneath the right arm) , as, for instance, in the Serenade in Don Giovanni, when the violin replaces the mandoline:
[Listen]
The sign used is pizz., its cessation, arco. ”

“ The encrustation of resin upon the surface of the strings may be removed with spirits, observing that nothing drops upon the upper table, to injure the varnish.
To keep the neck quite smooth it may be occasionally rubbed with pulverized pumice stone put into a little muslin bag. [10]
The dust that accumulates inside the violin may be removed by warming some very fine gravel or grains of wheat, and throwing them inside. The instrument is then shaken about, and on shaking the grains out again through the f holes, the dust comes away also. ”

“ The quality of the wood in a bridge,—whether hard or soft—and its thickness (according to Otto, its weight) , materially affect the tone of a violin. Bridges as supplied by dealers are usually almost twice the proper thickness, to allow for rubbing down with sandpaper. The best bridges are the genuine “Aubert” (with the name stamped inside an oval) ; those with large and decided reddish markings showing hardness of grain, and the less distinct markings a softer quality. ”

“ Even our classical composers have not always been sufficiently strict in this respect, and the appropriate phrasing has been supplied by many violinists, as for example in the Quartets of Mozart and Beethoven. [Pg 78]
The fingering is just as essential to correct phrasing as the bowing. Generally the changes of position are made so as to suit the requirements of the phrasing, that it may be rendered smoothly. This is particularly needful in long sequences of notes on one string.
[Listen]
In the first four bars the positions are not so well suited to the phrasing as compared to bars 5 and 6. ”

“ It is essential to a correct rendering that, even in the first pieces played by a beginner, a perception of the phrasing as a whole should be acquired; not, as is usually the case, regarding the bowing marks and the legato signs as exclusively determinative of it. In this respect, unfortunately, there is nothing offered for the student’s enlightenment and the improvement of his taste in the existing violin methods ”

“ The tone of the stringed instruments is often quite overpowered by the predominating force of the wind instruments. This is especially noticeable in opera orchestras, where their space will seldom permit of more than 10 or 12 first violins, and the same number of second violins; for instance in the instrumentation of Wagner’s Nibelungen Ring. In its production the wind instruments need so much space in the orchestra, that instead of a corresponding increase in the number of the strings, they must often be lessened, naturally occasioning a want of balance. ”

“ In old violins, if the belly has yielded to pressure under the right foot of the bridge, it is well after playing to let down the first string. If a string is too flat, pull it up about a tone above the proper pitch, let it so remain for a few seconds and then lower it to the correct pitch. ”

“ When frayed, they should be removed, the quality of tone they then yield being very bad, affecting the other strings. If gut strings of good quality are bought, and the strings carefully looked at before playing, breakages at awkward moments will seldom occur, as the strands generally give warning before breaking by showing symptoms of unravelling, especially at the knot end, or under the bow,—when they should at once be replaced. ”

“ If the notes of the different positions are not bound together by means of legato signs, this sliding of the finger must take place so quickly that no notes are heard between. If the notes are bound together to be played in one bow, then the portamento or slide will be audible. The player must beware lest the portamento from one tone to another becomes exaggerated, or perhaps the entire enharmonic scale lying between the notes will be produced. ”