Books › An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925 › scan 198
Scan 198
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
20 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 170. See the scan on archive.org.
1The staccato should not come from the wrist, but directly from the elbow, and in a passage of some length the arm has an involuntary tendency to stiffen.
3Those players who produce their staccato from the wrist, have a staccato which is too weak, and is absolutely lacking in vigor.
5THE SPICCATO
7It is the dream of every violinist to have a perfected spiccato; yet this is one of the most delicate features of violin technique, and in order to gain a certain measure of perfection in this bowing it is necessary to work very hard and, in particular, to devote the utmost attention to studying the wrist.
9One may secure a "leaping" spiccato only with the exercise of great patience and by commencing to study it with the following exercise, which should be played in the middle of the bow:
11Largo
13The same exercise should also be studied at the point of the bow.
15It is generally understood that the spiccato should be produced at the middle of the bow; but violinists merely fix the middle of the bow as the point best suited to their physical requirements, or most advantageous for the handling of the bow itself. Sarasate has a marvelous spiccato, and he produced it at the point of the bow; other violinists play their spiccato exactly at the middle, and still others play it considerably below the middle of the bow. The majority of the best violin teachers declare that the spiccato should be played with the first third of the bow.
17It is impossible to give exact indications here as to how the spiccato is to be played in each individual case. I merely give advice which is based on a large experience, and will leave every reader to select what best answers his own needs.
19One should guard against hurrying when playing spiccato passages, although undue precipitation in movement when playing them, to tell the truth, is often caused by accompanists. These indispensable auxiliaries to performance are in many cases averse to keeping strict time, and must constantly be sermonized in order to compel them to observe the proper tempos. To choose a tempo and adhere to it strictly is, naturally, quite a complicated process; yet the violinist should be able to control his nerves sufficiently to do so without bolting or growing confused. The greatest aid in achieving this end is the metronome, which may always be referred to with confidence.
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