Books › An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925 › scan 193
Scan 193
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
19 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 165. See the scan on archive.org.
1first few measures my neighbor exclaimed "He is playing on hangman's rope!" that is, "He has the devil's own luck!" (In France a bit of the rope which has been used to hang a man is supposed to bring good fortune to its possessor.) Incidentally, the amusing incidents which take place in the concert hall supply valuable documents with regard to the mental state of audiences, and later I hope to mention some which will introduce a measure of humor into a work which is otherwise serious and purposeful.
3As has already been remarked, the charlatans of violin technique must be opposed in an energetic manner, and the violinist should content himself with using the technique placed at his disposal by Gaviniés, Rode, Kreutzer, Baillot and their illustrious predecessor, Paganini.
5In this connection it may be well to give some exercises calculated to develop the strength of the fingers, of the hand and of the lower arm:
61. Open and close the hand slowly, keeping time to a metronome beat of 100.
72. Clench the fist, using considerable power, then turn it very slowly to the right and to the left.
83. Lay the hand flat on a table and then slowly raise the fingers, to let them fall back again forcefully.
10These three exercises are better calculated to develop the strength of the hand than any exercise a technician might be able to invent.
12The time has come to take serious measures for relegating technical acrobats to an inferior rather than a superior place. True musicians should receive recognition rather than gymnasts of the E string!
14It is all a matter of endowment. If you are really gifted, you will reach art's Parnassus with three hours of hard work a day; if you have missed your vocation you may practice ten hours a day, and the only advance you will register will be along the line of mechanical development. It is only just to remark, however, that example counts for a great deal in the development of talent, and that for this reason every student should endeavor to entrust himself to the guidance of a good teacher.
16The popular fallacy that the violin virtuoso rarely makes a good teacher is of course not founded on fact or the real experience of talented students. There is, after all, nothing comparable to a virtuoso who is willing to take the trouble to teach; from such an instructor the intelligent pupil can derive an immense advantage and much serious profit.
18In art there is but one truth and one logic: that each individual must himself discover the road which leads to the sublime and the beautiful.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.