a beginner’s guide to baroque violin - the strad

8/10/2019 A Beginners Guide to Baroque Violin - The Strad

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A beginners guide to Baroque violin

Pauline Nobes, tutor in Baroque and classical violin at the Royal Northern College of Music, offerssome advice for new starters in Baroque music

January 14, 2015
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There used to be two distinct schools of playing, Baroque and modern, of which it was thought that neerthe twain shall meet. Now, however, there seem to be bandwagons travelling constantly between the two;period-instrument groups frequently import modern players and in their turn modern orchestras invite old-music specialists. To facilitate this cross-fertilisation, what compromises can be made regardingequipment and the various elements of technique?

Using modern instruments for all periods of music is a hefty compromise. However, combiningspecialisation with earning a living is hard, especially considering the requisite nancial outlay for at leasttwo quality instruments and three or four different models of bow. Makers today often offer half-conversions, less expensive than full conversions, to keep costs down for players, as well as producingne modern copies. But, although the sound of the modern instrument differs considerably from that of period instruments, with a few modications their use is arguably another of many compromisesnecessitated by modern-day performance and recording.

If players wish to stick to their one, beloved instrument in modern set-up, to what extent can historicalperformance practice be pursued? The bow can be a simple place to start copies are relativelyinexpensive and widely available. Most Baroque bows are signicantly lighter than modern bows with thebalance point generally lower: holding a modern bow slightly away from the frog approaches this lighter


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balance. When choosing strings, there is a wide selection of high-quality gut strings available now, of thesort that were in common usage.

Playing without a chin rest affects sound and projection as much as many technical aspects such as vibratoand shifting and is enlightening for a historic approach. After all, Baroque repertoire was conceived forviolins without chin rests: the one invented by Spohr only started to be introduced around 1820. LeopoldMozarts comfortable position at the neck varies considerably from a modern-day hold where one freelyturns pages with the left hand.

Pitch is a question of choice too. Baroque pitches varied between 392Hz and 41.5Hz, with Classical andearly Romantic periods ranging between 430Hz and 438Hz, according to studies of contemporary windinstruments and organ pipes. Baillots attempt to nd order by standardising 440Hz came in the middle of the 19th century. Slackening down to 475Hz, a semitone lower, may come as an enormous relief to an oldinstrument, as well as altering articulation possibilities. Also, harmonic rather than melodic intonation wasexpected, as equal temperament was not yet established as the norm.

Then, as now, what was deemed good taste in performance style, le bon got , varied enormously thecriticisms of and contradictions between the French and Italian schools at the turn of the 18th century areinfamous. The typical elegance and poise characterised by the dances of the French overture suite contrast

greatly with the extrovert virtuosity displayed in the Italian concerto, both sometimes far removed fromthe rules of the Berlin school described by the often conicting accounts of Quantz and C.P.E. Bach.

Many controversies arise from the fact that details of performance style transcend notation, not only withexpression but also when interpreting rhythms and adding embellishments. Inegalit was assumed bymany non-French composers such as Bach, Telemann and Purcell. This is a loosening of the rhythm,where equally written separate notes are swung in a strongweak manner. Generally a smootharticulation, it affects notes that are half the value of the main beat, particularly during stepwise motion,unless counter-indicated by slurs, dots, or instructions such as gale .

The limits of notation and traditional shorthand may also necessitate over-dotting in dotted rhythms, aswell as aligning semiquavers with pervading triplets and eliminating other rhythmic inconsistencies. Thishappens especially when intensifying or conrming the musical affect , a word used to describe theemotion of the moment. Bear in mind that making the music consistent may sometimes defeat thecomposers wishes, especially when intensication or expression are called for.

Details of phrasing and dynamic shading are expected although not notated. In his Tables, showing theproper execution of each note, Quantz indicates strong, weak and crescendo moments but says that youmust not always take these words in their extreme degree; you must proceed as in painting, where so-called mezze tinte or half-tints are employed to express light and shadow. Notated dynamics, mostlypiano and forte (or dolce and forte), sometimes indicate solo and tutti passages rather than extremities of

volume. The correctness of instrumental imitation of vocal slurs is also debatable: a certain adding of slursis recommended, as is being true to the composers score, although inconsistencies are common inoriginal sources and markings between parts sometimes even oppose.

Cadential trills and other ornamentation were also assumed. Rules of upper-note trills are welldocumented and generally fast notes require a quick trill with little emphasis on the upper note whereasslow notes demand more expressive, possibly accelerating trills with appoggiatura and maybe atermination. French-style music requires decoration by way of trills, mordents, battements, port de voixand other twiddles, whereas Italian style and cadenza points require improvisation with harmonicconsequence: there are many written-out examples and explanations of both types to learn from. Bachincluded embellishments in his scores rather than risking defamation of his art by overzealous performers.

The quintessence of Baroque style is hierarchy, with some notes taking more importance according tocertain rules for example rst beat stronger than second, dissonance stronger than resolution, with notesgrouped and graded like syllables in a word. Musical language was seen as a rhetorical expression of


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various Passions, such as Fury, Resolution, Grief, Pleasure, like speech, combining poetic nuance withpunctuation between phrases and sub-phrases. Leopold Mozart recommends that good violinists shouldknow their grammar and syntax as well as being great grammarians, or better still rhetoricians or poets.

Choice of tempo, too, has a huge impact on style, so consultation with rst-hand contemporary descriptionis recommended. Detailed descriptions of the character of various dances and their relative tempos areabundant and where no specic markings are given considerations include harmonic pace, the nature andcomplexity of the counterpoint conventions of time signatures, exact meanings of given tempo andcharacter markings and any afliation to dance. These may in turn be affected by traditional moodassociations coming from key or melodic make-up, compositional intent and even the size and resonanceof the performing venue.

Modern-day tolerance of dissonance has been raised by post-Classical tonal developments, over-shadowing many subtleties of Baroque harmonic tension. The strengths of various gured-bassdissonances are carefully listed in Quantzs Art of Playing the Flute, but for the little experienced, hesuggests simply playing louder when there are a lot of numbers!

The omnipotent rule of down bow, codied in Muffats observations of Lullys bowings, reects theimportance of hierarchy, organising strong beats to be played with a down bow, assuming that the up bow

is the weaker. The coveted equalisation of down- and up-bow strokes which developed later isinappropriate when administering Baroque bowings and articulation, regardless of which bow is beingused. With the modern bow this effectively means working against certain inherent design features inorder to make sense of the rule.

The ideal sound is pure and sweet. Mozart demands that violinists aspire to the qualities of the voice; healso advises playing with earnestness and manliness, criticising hare-brained violinists who imaginethe greatest inaudibility to be sweet. He complains too about shrill sounding open strings which piercethe ear too sharply.

Vibrato (also called tremolo or close shake) was considered an improvement to the sound rather thanan integral ingredient. Mozart describes it as a small, slow movement used to intensify the expressioncreated by the bow and criticises its consistent use, likening it to the appearance of palsy. Geminiani, afterpraising the effect of vibrato on long notes, writes that when it is made on short notes, it only contributesto make the sound more agreeable and for this Reason should be made use of as often as possible. It isnot known precisely how more agreeable sounds, but in general the many descriptions imply that thepreferred vibrato would not have been automatic, particularly wide or continuous.

Orchestrally, it may be that a consensus of staying in low positions, using well-sounding open strings andlittle vibrato would offer the aspired-to purity of sound. In the solo repertory higher positions were normalfare: the methods by Geminiani, Herrando and Nogueira clearly indicate shifting and practising in

position, while Mozart recommends that slurs should be kept on one string wherever possible for an eventone.

Mozart suggests slurs for notes at close intervals but separate strokes for notes far apart andrecommends that this should be arranged to give pleasant variety. Quantz, whose ute method includes awealth of material specically aimed at string players, also calls for variety: You must adjust yourtonguing and bowing in such fashion that you give each note greater or less stress.

When playing separate notes with greater or less stress (and organising them into groups withoutslurring), a varied bow speed, as well as weight, is invaluable. During his lengthy exposition of bowdivisions, Mozart advises that the stroke in soft tone must be drawn very slowly; when increasing thetone somewhat quicker; and in the nal loud tone very quickly. He warns that each tone, even thestrongest attack, has a small, even if barely audible, softness at the beginning of the stroke, for it wouldotherwise be an unpleasant and unintelligible noise.


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Modern bow design and musical demands have encouraged power and continuity of sound, while thetapering of the Baroque bow favours the release of sound, its lightness and lower balance point assistingphrasing off with air between the strokes, as well as articulations which maintain a thread of soundbetween notes, such as bow vibrato, where repeated notes are played in a single bow. The slur isconsistently described as a phrasing off, an emphasis on the rst note followed by a release. Prepared andfollowed by a silence darticulation , a small clearance or an almost imperceptible placement, the way of playing a slur varies according to the prevailing musical character. This is also the case withappoggiaturas.

Lifting the bow at dotted rhythms is frequently recommended, although the amount of lift is notquantied. Geminiani gives a selection of signs including a staccato, where the bow is taken off the stringat every note, and Mozart summarises different expressions: Merry and playful passages must be playedwith light, short and lifted strokes, happily and rapidly; just as in slow, sad pieces one performs them withlong strokes of the bow, simply and tenderly. The attention to detail and contrast naturally demands theeradication of any technique that promotes equality, such as spiccato, sautill, martel or dtach, unlessspecically indicated. Even when equal stress is implied, contention arises: daggers also indicateseparation or emphasis and according to Quantz, the instruction staccato rarely intends a single speciesof note.

Read cellist Alison McGillivrays account of studying with Baroque specialist Jennifer Ward Clarke .

This article was rst published in The Strads September 2003 issue. Subscribe to The Strador download our digital edition as part of a 30-day free trial. To purchase single issues click here .

RELATED LINKS

Cellist Alison McGillivray on studying with Baroque specialist Jennifer Ward ClarkeSteven Isserlis on period instruments and his Stradivarius celloViolinist Nigel Kennedy accuses period specialists of pushing Bach into a ghettoEditors blog: trying a Baroque bow and the wobble board at the ESTA conference (but not at thesame time)

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