[17] See footnote, page 29.
No. 24.
[Music]
In somewhat decided contrast as to style, this étude is played with a
short staccato stroke; the position work, with the fourth finger in the
lead, must be free, the thumb and first finger perfectly relaxed, the
violin being held firmly with the chin. Double-stops require perfect
freedom and uniformity of finger action; the fingers move with the
hand, and the thumb and hand move in the same plane. The octaves are
played in the upper part of the bow, with as broad a stroke as the
tempo permits. One should not play allegro if unprepared for the tempo.
The tenths are to be played very lightly near the point of the bow,
using about three inches, at least, of the bow. Relax the wrist as
much as possible, and play near the outer edge of the hair. Marked
depression of the wrist makes the position of the hair variable on the
strings. Again, the movement of any fingers, especially the fourth,
to and fro on the bow-stick, produces an uncertain legato. Play the
tenths as before indicated. The seventh line reproduces the form of the
first line, the first and fourth fingers, at least, remaining on the
strings constantly. The upper third of the bow is used. The tenths are
frequently played with staccato bowing in the middle of the bow. This
gives a free stroke, but the upper part of the bow is preferred. Make
a slight accent on the first note of each group of two. Also slightly
raise the bow for this attack, and swing the staccato up-bow quickly
along the string. This is a somewhat free style of playing, which suits
the passages of tenths and gives them vivacity rather than heaviness of
character.
Now note the rapid running legato at the point of the bow:
[Music]
This is easily played, if the thumb moves freely and if the fourth
finger slides along the strings. The first and fourth move together in
octaves. It is also true of tenths. The followers of the French school
always play chords in an arpeggio style. This is not true of the Berlin
school. The followers of that school fall with force upon the strings,
taking three or four notes simultaneously. For the development of such
a style see Sevcik’s _4000 Bowings_, Section V (Part 3).
No. 25.
[Music]
This étude furnishes an excellent example of phrasing and style. Before
beginning the study of it one might well play Halir’s runs up and down
each string for the pure legato and position work. The student gains
freedom in this way. Do not press too heavily on the bow-stick for the
higher positions, as a rasping sound results. The crescendo and legato
must not be sacrificed. Note the reappearance of the theme on the E
string. As broad a bowing as possible is desired. The sixteenth notes
fall about in the middle third of the bow, the thirty-second notes
lying nearer the point of the bow. The fourth line begins a new form
of the original theme. The up-stroke is rather a broad staccato, not
a spiccato bowing. The bow is not raised from the string, but swings
along the string lightly. Notes marked with a dot have variable
meanings, according to the tempo of a work. In this case the short
staccato would be too trivial. The following measure should be played
in the upper part of the bow very firmly, gradually diminishing in the
next line to a pianissimo near the point of the bow:
[Music]
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]