Books › Modern violin culture in America, 1916 › scan 4
Scan 4
Modern violin culture in America, 1916
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1N contemplating the vast yearly output of violin publications, even the casual observer cannot help but notice how immeasurably superior the offerings have become during the last few years, as compared with those of a former generation. Modern taste, higher development and discriminating demands both as to quality of contents, editorial supervision, and attractive appearance have been responsible for a degree of excellence in present-day violin publications, which has never before been equalled. In speaking of violin publications such as these I will refer in particular to two distinctive classes, each of which represents a distinct phase of violin art and each of which has been raised to a higher and more inspired sphere of usefulness through modern masters, than has probably ever been the case in the past.
3The two classes of violin publications referred to include (1) arrangements of music not originally written for the violin and (2) original compositions.
5The history of violin-playing teaches us that its literature for a long time was entirely dependent upon those who became famous as players of the instrument. Founders of the old Italian school, such as Corelli, Tartini, Vivaldi, Veracini, and Viotti were all acclaimed as masterly players and each one left a wealth of violin works, all of which testify to the remarkable development they brought about in violin playing and to the unquestionable musicianly abilities of their writers.
7With the advance of musical art, the advent of our classic composers, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, the cultivation of the string quartet, and the achievements of violin soloists up to Paganini's time, a marked change took place in music for the violin. Then came the romantic era of writers, which produced such works as the Mendelssohn, Brahms and Bruch violin concertos and no end of music influenced by the immeasurable possibilities of Richard Wagner's creations, as well as those of his inspired school of followers. All this left its mark upon violin writing, until now-a-days, the utmost technical problems impossible for a violinist of a former period, seem to have been reached in the orchestra with an obligato such as Richard Strauss wrote for his Heldenleben and in such violin solo works as the specializing genius of a Kreisler, a Godowsky, or a Leopold Auer can invent.
9The knowledge of what has been written in the past for the violin is generally well-known and practically common property. But what our living players and composers are doing for the violin's literature at the present day of writing, is not so well-known and I shall therefore endeavor to point out some of the memorable things our great players of today are accomplishing and mention some of the works recently published, which in my opinion mark the furthest limits which modern artistry and musical development in violin composition and arrangement can boast of.
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