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Scan 191
The violinist, 1900
13 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1his achievements were not universally recognized and appreciated. Violinists of great reputation preferred to play on an Amati, a Stainer and even a Klotz, and this can be understood if we consider their artistic intention and technical equipment. It is, therefore, to the credit of Corelli that he played a Stradivarius and also probable that he advised and encouraged the master in his ambitions.
3Corelli, 1653-1713, was the greatest violinist of his time and the first who treated his instrument systematically. In his compositions we notice an unusual amount of skipping over the strings and it would appear that the violinists of those days were highly accomplished in that kind of playing. In other respects we find the art of violin playing in a modest condition. The musical productions of the beginning of the seventeenth century amounted to about the same thing as church-hymn playing does today; however, it was not long before the possibilities of the violin were recognized. Monteverde a violinist himself and a composer of great ability, took the lead here. For the first time he made it necessary to go in the 5th position: something unheard of until then. He also used some broken chords and a few other rudimentary figures. Little as this seems to us, it furnished enough material to keep the violinists busy for the next sixty years.
5It is strange to remark that the G string was not used until 1640: by Merula. Violinists experienced a great deal with the possibilities of their new instrument and they were eager to bring their results before the public. From many new acquisitions of this time I mention: the first grace-note, used by Marini in 1620 and the first double stops used by Farina 1628. Of course the new material was not universally adopted; for instance, Corelli, who died in 1713, never used the violin higher than in the 3rd position. According with this practice in composing and playing we find the original fingerboard of Stradivari three inches shorter than that in use today.
7The modern use of the violin has made it necessary to have a longer base-bar and change the neck so that the higher positions might be used with more ease. When we set aside the few changes made necessary from modern usage, and which are no improvements on the violin itself, we must acknowledge that Stradivari has given us an instrument of great perfection. All experimenting, all speculating and all science have failed to produce results equal to Stradivari's; and we can say with Mr. Hill, the acknowledged authority on Stradivari, that: "These instruments, produced two centuries ago, are still for practical purpose superior to any which have since been made."
9Keeping the Eyes and Ears Open
10BY C. DICKINSON
12Technic is ordinarily supposed by a young learner to consist of striking a certain number of notes with accuracy and evenness, legato or staccato, in a certain specified time. The pupil should be made to feel, however, that quality as well as quantity of tone, and the balance, adjustment and blending of sounds to produce a rich and finely shaded effect upon the sensuous ear, are also included in the province of technic. An unharmonized scale or trill, a detached chord or arpeggio, may arouse a sense of beauty through the management of tone color alone. The ear should be trained to appreciate and demand this element in the beautiful. Many students are not keenly conscious of the effects they produce; they are so occupied with the perceptions of the eye that the ear is only half awake. This organ should be developed at the same time with the fingers; it should be alert to the most subtle distinctions of pitch and the most exquisite gradations of timbre in the piano, violin and the human voice.
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