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Scan 68
A dictionary of musical terms, 1889
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1says that twenty-seven inches was the length of the bow in his time, the "sonata bow," fig. 3, according to tradition, being only twenty-four inches, the common "fiddle-stick" being still shorter. The form of the bow, which was anciently employed for all stringed instruments of the violin kind, known now as the "Corelli bow," fig. 4, is to a certain extent preserved in the double-bass bow as at present employed in England.
3Most of our stringed-instruments can be traced to an Eastern source, but as the earliest figure of the bow is found in MSS. relating to this country, it has been supposed that it is of British origin. There are many representations of it in MSS. as early as the Anglo-Saxon period (see Sandy's "History of the Violin," pp. 52, 53, &c.), and later through successive generations, besides existing specimens of actual ancient bows, all of which partake of the bowed character, as seen in fig. 1. The curved bow was still in fashion until the death of Handel, if any trust is to be placed in contemporary pictures and drawings.
5The little that is known of the early bows gives the notion that they were incapable of producing anything like delicacy of tone; and it was not until the early part of the 17th century, when violin-playing began to be cultivated, that we find that any attempt was made to improve either the form of the bow or the means of stretching the horse-hair, so that an even pressure might be obtained. The alteration from the bowed form is said to have been made after a suggestion by Tartini [1692-1770]. There is every reason to believe that the improvement in violin-playing due to him could only be effected by means of a better bow than the clumsy one of his time. The earliest improvement was made when a metal band, with teeth-like edges, was introduced, with the design of regulating the position and tension of the hair at or near the handle. This helped to prevent the hair assuming the cord-like form which players found to be awkward and clumsy. But it was reserved for François Tourte [1747-1833] to devise the plan of keeping "the hair flat by means of a clasp." Tourte also introduced the screw and button for slackening or tightening the hair at pleasure, and was the first to choose Brazil-wood as a material in bow-making. It was the father of Tourte who attempted the first improvements in bow-making, but it was the son above-mentioned who introduced the most valuable inventions. The bows of the younger Tourte are almost as much sought as those of the elder Dodd [1705-1810], who lived to the great age of 105 years, but the works of the last-named are most highly valued. Panormo, Tubbs, and Chanot are counted among the chief of modern bow-makers.
7Bow-hand. The term is employed by violinists to describe the power and skill with which a player produces the tone of his instrument.
9Bowling. The art of managing the bow, so as not only to bring out the best tone the instrument is capable of, but also so to phrase the passages played that the best possible character may be imparted to the music. The importance both to a violinist, and a composer of music for the violin, of a thorough knowledge of the art of bowing, cannot be overrated. By varying the system of bowing, a simple musical sentence may be changed in its character, almost indefinitely. Formerly, very little attention was paid to this subject, the system of bowing being left very much to the discretion of the players, who only occasionally had such general directions as legato or staccato. There always, however, existed certain traditional rules, e.g. that the down-bow should be used at the first beat of a bar, or where any great emphasis was required (as in some cases of syncopation); also, that where no directions are given, the passage should be bowed, that is, the notes should be alternately played by an up and down bow. But it is evident that in simple music, of triple measure, these rules will clash, for, alternate bowing will lead to the recurrence of an up-bow on every alternate down-beat. Hence, even if an excellent band is playing music up to the date of, and including that by Handel, it must have often been observed that the bowing is far from being uniform. In modern music, every direction is given to the performers which is requisite for the production of absolute uniformity, and more than this, the various effects which are capable of production by the different systems of bowing are used as part of a composer's material. The prominent features in modern bowing are the more frequent antithesis between legato and staccato, and the use of at least three kinds of the latter. When notes have the ordinary dot placed above them they are bowed staccato; when the dots are under a slur, they are played with one bow (that is by the movement of the bow in one direction) the short length of the sounds being brought about by keeping the bow always lying on the string, so that any movement of the bow which has produced a sound shall be followed by absolute silence. The third kind of staccato is produced by holding the bow as lightly as possible and allowing it almost to dance upon the string. In this manner rapid passages may be played either by one bow up or down, or by an alternate bowing, during which the movement of the bow at right angles to the string is so slight that it seems to rise and fall almost perpendicularly. A favourite division of four rapid notes is to make two
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