"The work of the responsible editor of modern violin music must have
constructive value, it must suggest and stimulate. When Kreutzer,
Gavinies and Rode first published their work, little stress was laid on
editorial revision. You will find little in the way of fingering
indicated in the old editions of Kreutzer. It was not till long after
Kreutzer's death that his pupil, Massart, published an excellent
little book, which he called 'The Art of Studying R. Kreutzer's Études'
and which I have translated. It contains no less than four hundred and
twelve examples specially designed to aid the student to master the
_Études_ in the spirit of their composer. Yet these studies, as
difficult to-day as they were when first written, are old wine that need
no bush, though they have gained by being decanted into new bottles of
editorial revision.
[Illustration: GUSTAV SAENGER, with hand-written note]
"They have such fundamental value, that they allow of infinite variety
of treatment and editorial presentation. Every student who has reached a
certain degree of technical proficiency takes them up. Yet when studying
them for the first time, as a rule it is all he can do to master them in
a purely superficial way. When he has passed beyond them, he can return
to them with greater technical facility and, because of their infinite
variety, find that they offer him any number of new study problems. As
with Kreutzer--an essential to 'Violin Mastery'--so it is with Rode,
Fiorillo, and Gavinies. Editorial care has prepared the studies in
distinct editions, such as those of Hermann and Singer, specifically for
the student, and that of Emil Kross, for the advanced player. These
editions give the work of the teacher a more direct proportion of
result. The difference between the two types is mainly in the fingering.
In the case of the student editions a simple, practical fingering of
positive educational value is given; and the student should be careful
to use editions of this kind, meant for him. Kross provides many of the
_études_ with fingerings which only the virtuoso player is able to
apply. Aside from technical considerations the absolute musical beauty
of many of these studies is great, and they are well suited for solo
performance. Rode's _Caprices_, for instance, are particularly suited
for such a purpose, and many of Paganini's famous _Caprices_ have found
a lasting place in the concert repertory, with piano accompaniments by
artists like Kreisler, Eddy Brown, Edward Behm and Max Vogrich--- the
last-named composer's three beautiful 'Characteristic Pieces' after
Paganini are worth any violinist's attention.