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Scan 503
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
43 lines. Read by computer on 5 September 2026. Printed page 439. See the scan on archive.org.
1BOWING
3Paganini, the famous violinist, to open a new era in the art of bowing; he developed the method of holding the bow, and by using freely every imaginable movement in connexion with it he was able to produce all the different shades of tone and expression.
5(2) In order that a player may execute correctly a musical phrase, it is necessary that there should be a settled method of marking which will show the wishes of the composer—in this sense we speak of the 'bowing of a phrase or passage.'
7If the passage is to be played legato, a slur, or bind, is placed over the notes (—), but if it is left without marks, it is taken by the performer to mean that each note is to be played with a separate bow.
9It is not necessary, however, for the composer to mark every change of bow in a legato passage, and so one slur is sometimes used to cover an entire theme, in spite of the fact that it is obviously impossible, at a slow tempo, to play the whole passage in one bow. In such a case the player changes the bow when necessary, but in such a manner as to disguise the change and not to interfere with the continuity of the phrase. It may even be essential to introduce two or three changes of bow into a passage marked by the composer with only one slur, the necessity arising from the marks of expression which indicate that more, or less, tone is desired. (To play forte or to make a crescendo requires a quicker movement of the bow across the string than if the tone is to remain a level piano—see the opening passage of Wagner's 'Siegfried Idyll').
111. (a) As marked.
13(b) As played.
15There are many varieties of bowing used for the execution of detached notes. The saltato, spiccato and similar styles are produced by making use of the natural vibration of the stick of the bow and the tension of the hair in various different ways, the player, by keeping the exact balance with his wrist and the poise of his right hand, being able to make the bow ricochet on the string at any speed desired. In the martelé and détaché bowings, however, the hair of the bow remains upon the string the whole time, the hammered effect, or attack, being produced by the sudden release of pressure. The fingers of the right hand allow the bow to bound forward lightly upon the string, and the pressure is exerted only between the actual sounds. For rapid passages requiring a moderate amount of tone it is usual to play more or less in the middle of the bow, that being the natural place of balance for a rapid movement.
17Though many modern stylists differ as to the exact position of the hand on the bow and the various movements of wrist, fore and upper arm muscles, etc., the broad fact emerges that to obtain a fine and singing tone from the instrument the most essential thing is that every movement of every portion of the arm should be absolutely free, and the bow itself must in all circumstances be kept parallel with the bridge of the violin.
19A few examples will serve to show the vital importance of bowing as a means of interpretation.
212. (1) Tranquillo. (2) Leggiero.
23(3) Agitato. (4) Scherzoso.
25(5) Pesante. (6) Martelé.
27(7) Molto leggiero.
29It will be seen that the same passage bowed differently entirely changes its character.
31The bowing of No. 5 is known as the Viotti bowing and is productive of very powerful accents.
33W. H. R.
35BOWMAN, HENRY, published at Oxford in 1678 a thin folio volume bearing the title of
36'Songs for one, two and three voyces to the Thorow-Bass. With some Short Simphonies. Collected out of some of the Select Poems of the incomparable Mr. Cowley, and others, and composed by Henry Bowman, Philo-Musicus.'
38A second edition appeared at Oxford in 1679. A MS. Miserere is in B.M. Add. MSS. 33,234 and in Ch. Ch.; also the MS. of 'I'll sing of heroes,' one of the songs above mentioned.
40W. H. H.
42BOXBERG, CHRISTIAN LUDWIG (b. Sondershausen, Apr. 24, 1670), studied at the school of
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