Scan 42
Violin master works and their interpretation, 1925
14 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Fuge should be taken at a moderate tempo and the player should see to it, in particular, that the theme:
3always is clearly enunciated, whether presented piano or forte, and whether it appear in the upper voice, the middle voice or in the bass. At D, for example, the theme lies in the upper voice, and at E in the bass. It should be played with the maximum amount of breadth at L, where the theme appears in the bass while the three remaining strings play chords. The Fuge makes a deep impression when played in the manner indicated, and when the dynamic marks prescribed are followed with the greatest exactness.
5The "Siciliana" in B flat major, which follows is a beautiful singing number, beautifully worked out and very colorful if the two voices which continually return:
7(the upper voice frequently is embellished with thirds and sixths) are differentiated, and the accompanying bass (in most cases moving on the G string) is clearly and distinctly marked.
9The concluding Presto movement is a brilliant musical composition and an excellent study for détaché and spiccato bowing. Only an exact observance of the nuances of shading indicated when playing it will permit it to produce the desired impression upon the auditor.
11The Second Sonata in B minor is in the form of a suite,* and comprises six movements of varying length, of which two in dance rhythm, the "Sarabande and Double" and, especially, the "Tempo di Bourrée and Double" deserve particular attention. Both the "Sarabande" and the "Bourrée" are old French dances, of which the first demands a somewhat leisurely
13* It is in fact a suite, and yet the word "sonata" is not incorrectly used to describe all six of the works. Bach himself called Nos. 1, 3, and 5 "Sonatas," and gave the name "Partitas" to the Sonatas 2, 4 and 6. The word "Partita" is a synonym for "suite," but—the Italians called a suite a sonata da camera or "chamber sonata," to distinguish it from the regular sonata da chiesa, "church sonata." Hence the "Partitas" are quite correctly "chamber sonatas," and the custom of centuries has approved the title "Sonata" for all six of these works for solo violin.
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