Books › Essentials of music / 2 The American history and encyclopedia of music / W.L. Hubbard, ed, 1910 › scan 94
Scan 94
Essentials of music / 2 The American history and encyclopedia of music / W.L. Hubbard, ed, 1910
11 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 64. See the scan on archive.org.
1ity (this is especially true of the first violinist), though mere virtuosity should never be a conspicuous feature of the good quartet player.
3The love for chamber music has usually been awakened early in the life of a quartet player. As a student he will probably have sought the instruction of teachers, who while encouraging fine technical skill will also have guided and developed his taste for the best in the literature of music.
5While a thoroughly developed left hand is indispensable for a quartet player, the art of bowing is perhaps of even greater importance, for the flexibility of each member of the quartet in adapting his playing to the others, so that unity of expression may result, is actually dependent on his skill in the use of the bow.
7Quartet players should start out with the determination to prepare each work offered for public performance so that every bar shall be perfectly clear and transparent. Only by making it possible for the listeners "to follow the thread of the story" can the complete attention of an audience be gained and held. Distinctness in the presentation of the themes should be the aim at rehearsals, under all circumstances, and only when this has been attained can the phrasing, the nuances in the polyphonic structure and the conception of the work as a whole be approached.
9It is needless to say that euphony, i.e., beauty of tone, is a vital factor, and while this can be acquired by careful and thoughtful treatment of the four parts, the instruments themselves must necessarily be of superior quality, in order that the players may obtain tonal varieties of a high order. It is natural that the instrument of the first player should possess more brilliancy than that of the second and that the latter should be just a shade darker in color. The viola ought to be one of large size and somber in quality. A special effort should be made to obtain a viola with good G and C strings. It must be remembered that the viola is only a fifth lower than the violin, whereas the 'cello is a full octave lower than one of two readings
10It is needless to say that euphony, i. e., beauty of tone, is a vital factor, and while this can be acquired by careful and thoughtful treatment of the four parts, the instruments themselves must necessarily be of superior quality, in order that the players may obtain tonal varieties of a high order. It is natural that the instrument of the first player should possess more brilliancy than that of the second and that the latter should be just a shade darker in color. The viola ought to be one of large size and somber in quality. A special effort should be made to obtain a viola with good G and C strings. It must be remembered that the viola is only a fifth lower than the violin, whereas the 'cello is a full octave lower than one of two readings
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.