Scan 46
Violin master works and their interpretation, 1925
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1character already has been described. The entire "Partita" or "Sonata" in E major, when played in an artistic manner, is one of the most characteristic and grateful works which may be included in a recital programme.
3Among Bach's other original compositions for violin the two Concertos, respectively in E major and A minor call for mention. In my "Violin Playing As I Teach It" I already have expressed my individual opinion with regard to these two compositions. I have said that with the exception of the two slow middle movements which demonstrate Johann Sebastian Bach's genius, especially the slow movement of the E major Concerto, these works cannot claim to rank with the Master's other violin compositions,* either musically, or as regards virtuoso interest or pedagogic value.
5Unquestionably Bach's most important work in this genre is his Concerto in D minor for two violins: it is rich in invention from its beginning to its last note, and the middle movement stands out by reason of its wonderful duo between the two violins. It exists in various excellent editions published by German and by American publishers. I myself have heard the Concerto played in an unforgettable manner by Eugène Ysaye and Mischa Elman in New York. As they played it, it did not represent a battle for supremacy between two great solo artists. Each player was absorbed by the work itself, each surrendered himself to the work as a whole, without for a moment forgetting the requirements of an ideal, perfected reproduction, musically and technically.
7Not only is this Concerto one of the most touching and moving numbers in all violin literature, but it also contains one of the loveliest of those melodies which Bach's genius created as a heritage of beauty for the generations to come. The
9* There is a Concerto in G minor, by Bach, for Violin with accompaniment of string orchestra and organ edited by Tivadar Nachez, which is of real musical interest. Mr. Nachez quite properly has called his work a "reconstruction to its original violin form." Bach's original violin concerto was transcribed by him for the clavier, a half-tone lower, into F minor; in the Nachez version it is once more put into G minor and the arrangement has been made with all reverence for the spirit of the work, Bach's own orchestration being retained, and an organ part taking the place of the original harpsichord, which does not "sound" on the modern concert platform. The Concerto shows the influence of Vivaldi. The initial Allegro molto moderato, in two-four time, and the concluding Presto in three-eight time, both in G minor are decidedly effective; but to my thinking the most beautiful of the three movements is the Largo in B flat major, in four-quarter time, which ending in G major is a tenderly expressive uninterrupted violin cantilena embellished with the richest ornamentation, and a wonderful study for sustained playing.
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