bowing techniques in prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 2 ...433479/s43629640_mphil... · his motion...

BowingTechniquesinProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2:Exploringthe

RightHand’sEffectonLeft-HandTechnique

CarolineHopson

BachelorofMusic(QueenslandConservatoriumofMusic)

MasterofMusicStudies(QueenslandConservatoriumofMusic)

AthesissubmittedforthedegreeofMasterofPhilosophyat

TheUniversityofQueenslandin2016

SchoolofMusic

ii

Abstract

Thiscriticalcommentaryseekstoclarifywaysinwhichbowtechniquecanenhanceleft-hand

technique,leadingtotheco-dependenceofthetwohands.Theimportance(andrelative

neglect)ofbowingpractice,isdescribedintheLiteratureReview,withreferencetomany

influentialperformersandpedagogues,andtheseviewsprovideacontextthatjustifiesthe

needforfurtherresearchinthisarea.Thiscommentaryemploysapractice-ledapproachto

research,whichgivestheworkanaccessibilityandrelevancetocurrentteachersand

performers.ItfeaturestheresearchofPercivalHodgson,apioneerofphotographic

experimentsofbowingpatternsintheearlytomid1900s.Thebowingpatternsanalysedin

hisMotionStudyandViolinBowingof1934areidentifiedandinvestigatedthroughacase

studybasedonpreparationofProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2,whichwasperformedaspart

oftheperformancecomponentofthisproject.Prokofiev’sSecondConcertoprovidesmaterial

forthenumerous,differenttypesofbowingdescribedbyHodgson,whilealsoprovidinga

myriadofpotentialleft-handdifficultiesfortheperformerthatcanbesolvedwiththehelpof

anorganizedbowtechnique.Byunderstandingthecircularmotionsofbowing,decidedforus

bynaturallaws,deficienciesinthelefthandcanbeaddressed.Myresearchsuggeststhe

potentialforphysicalandmentalfreedom,asaresultofanalyzingtheexactmotionsoftheco-

dependenthands.Thiscommentarywillnotonlyhelpthefutureperformerorteacherofthis

work,butanyviolinistseekingtofeelmorefreeintheirpracticeandperformance.

iii

Declarationbyauthor

Thisthesisiscomposedofmyoriginalwork,andcontainsnomaterialpreviouslypublishedor

writtenbyanotherpersonexceptwhereduereferencehasbeenmadeinthetext.Ihave

clearlystatedthecontributionbyotherstojointly-authoredworksthatIhaveincludedinmy

thesis.

Ihaveclearlystatedthecontributionofotherstomythesisasawhole,includingstatistical

assistance,surveydesign,dataanalysis,significanttechnicalprocedures,professional

editorialadvice,andanyotheroriginalresearchworkusedorreportedinmythesis.The

contentofmythesisistheresultofworkIhavecarriedoutsincethecommencementofmy

researchhigherdegreecandidatureanddoesnotincludeasubstantialpartofworkthathas

beensubmittedtoqualifyfortheawardofanyotherdegreeordiplomainanyuniversityor

othertertiaryinstitution.Ihaveclearlystatedwhichpartsofmythesis,ifany,havebeen

submittedtoqualifyforanotheraward.

IacknowledgethatanelectroniccopyofmythesismustbelodgedwiththeUniversityLibrary

and,subjecttothepolicyandproceduresofTheUniversityofQueensland,thethesisbemade

availableforresearchandstudyinaccordancewiththeCopyrightAct1968unlessaperiodof

embargohasbeenapprovedbytheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.

Iacknowledgethatcopyrightofallmaterialcontainedinmythesisresideswiththecopyright

holder(s)ofthatmaterial.WhereappropriateIhaveobtainedcopyrightpermissionfromthe

copyrightholdertoreproducematerialinthisthesis.

iv

Publicationsduringcandidature

Nopublications.

Publicationsincludedinthisthesis

Nopublicationsincluded.

Contributionsbyotherstothethesis

PercivalHodgson.

Statementofpartsofthethesissubmittedtoqualifyfortheawardofanotherdegree

None.

v

Acknowledgements

IwouldliketoacknowledgemyacademicsupervisorSimonPerry.Thankyouforyourtime

andpatience,andhelpingmeseethisthesisthroughtotheend.Iwouldalsoliketothankmy

wonderfulteacherAdamChalabiforhelpingmegettowhereIamnow.Iamforevergrateful.

Finally,thankyoutomyparentsforyourunfailingsupportthroughoutmyMastersdegreeand

previousstudy.

Keywords

bowing,co-dependence,practice,cyclegraph,motion,shifting,articulation

AustralianandNewZealandStandardResearchClassifications(ANZSRC)

ANZSRCcode:190407MusicPerformance,100%

FieldsofResearch(FoR)Classification

FoRcode:1904PerformingArtsandCreativeWriting,100%

vi

TableofContents

Introduction1

Chapter1:LiteratureReview3

Co-dependenceofthetwohands5

Hodgson’sCyclegraphExperiments6

Chapter2:ToneProduction9

Chapter3:StringCrossings 15

Chapter4:Shifting23

Chapter5:ArticulationandMixedBowings28

Conclusion32

References34

vii

ListofFigures

Fig.1.Hodgson,“Across”10

Fig.2.Hodgson,“Round”10

Fig.3.Hodgson,“CyclegraphofExtendedFigure8Pattern”13

Fig.4.Hodgson,“CyclegraphofAscendingForwardLoops”14

Fig.5.Hodgson,“MovementsAcrossandRoundTwoStrings”16

Fig.6.Hodgson,“Wavepatterns”18

Fig.7.Hodgson,“Forwardandbackwardpivotingloops”20

Fig.8.Hodgson,“BowMovementsinSpiccatoandSautillé”30

viii

ListofMusicalExamples

Ex.1.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,mm.1–9.11

Ex.2.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R16.mm.138–144.13


Ex.4.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R3.mm.32.17

Ex.5.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R11.mm.101-103.18






Ex.11.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R8,mm.69-73.26


Introduction

Muchhasbeenwrittenonthetopicofbowtechniquefortheviolin.Leadingperformersand

pedagoguesovermanydecadeshaveprovidedarangeoftreatises,exercisesandstudies,the

contentsofwhichgivethereaderasenseofjusthowcomplexbowtechniqueis.1Duetothese

levelsofcomplexity,bow-techniqueissuesareoftenisolatedforpracticepurposestosolidify

theseparatecomponentsindependentlyofthelefthand.Thiscommentary,however,will

focusonthecloserelationshipoftheleftandrighthandsandhowtheymightsupporteach

other.Specifically,itwillconsidertheeffectofusingbowtechniquetoimproveleft-hand

technique.Inordertogivetheseideasapracticalcontext,thiscommentarywillserveasa

guidetothepreparationandperformanceofProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2,through

detaileddocumentationofpracticemethodsusedtocoordinatethetwohands,withparticular

referencetothefirstmovement.Theworkischosenbecauseitisastandardrepertoryitem

andcontainsanexhaustivesupplyofsuitable“problems”forthetopicconsideredhere.The

documentationwillincludeananalysisofbowmovements,asclassifiedundertheheadingsin

PercivalHodgson’sneglectedworkMotionStudyandViolinBowing(1934).Specificbowing

challengesidentifiedintheConcertowillalsobesupportedbyrecommendationsofrelevant

bowtechniqueexercisesbyOtakarŠevčík.Ševčík’sbowingexercisescanbeusefultoteachers

andperformersbecausehismethodprovidesasimpleleft-handnote-pattern,whichallows

theviolinisttofocusonacountlessarrayofbowingvariations.Thesestudiesareuniquein

theirrelevancetoviolinistsofallagesandstandards,andcansupplementanyrepertoire,

becausetheyexploreparticularbowingprinciplesinasettingwherethetimingofthebow

withthelefthandisimportant.

Thiscommentaryemployspractice-ledresearchmethods.Thesemethodsemploytheidea

thatinsightscanbegainedthroughthecreativeprocessesthatevolveinpractice,whichcan

thenbewrittenupasresearch(DeanandSmith5).Thisparticularmethodusestheelement

ofpracticeastheprimarymethodofresearch(6).Thestudybeginswithanexplanationofthe

fundamentalprinciplesrelatingtoboththeleftandrighthands,articulatedbyleading

performersandpedagoguesintheliterature.Theseprincipleswillthenbeanalysedina

“reflection-in-action”processwhereIwillbeexperimentinginaction,or,becominga

1Forexample:IvanGalamian,PrinciplesofViolinPlayingandTeaching,3rded.(NewJersey:Prentice-Hall,1985),CarlFlesch,TheArtofViolinPlaying:Book1(NewYork:CarlFischer,1924),LucienCapet,Latechniquesupérieuredel’archet(Paris:MauriceSenart,1916),OtakarŠevčík,ViolinStudiesOpus3:40variations(London:Bosworth,2001),HaroldBerkley,TheModernTechniqueofViolinBowing(NewYork:Schirmer,1941),SimonFischer,Basics(London:Peters,1997).

2

researcherinthepracticecontext(Schön68).Thisperformanceresearchisdocumentedina

practicejournal,andinmyownpreparationandperformanceoftheConcerto.Ihavechosena

selectionofcontrastingsectionsthatdistinctivelyshowlinkswithHodgson’sresearchinto

motionstudy.Myresearchwillofferrecommendationstoperformersandteachersofthis

workaswellasextrapolatingthespecificoutcomesofthepreparationtowiderapplications

oftheleft-hand/right-handprinciple.TheperformanceoftheConcertoinmyfirstrecitalwas

fundamentaltoobservingtheeffectofbowingmotionsonleft-handtechnique.

Thebodyofthiscriticalcommentarywillcompriseofchaptersontoneproduction,string

crossings,shifting,andarticulationsandmixedbowings,whichwillbediscussedinthe

literaturereview.Theseheadingsrepresentfundamentalviolintechniques,whichwill

provideabasisfortheanalysisofspecificmusicalexamples.PercivalHodgson’sMotionStudy

willbethemainsourceofreferencethroughoutthechaptersinthisthesis.Itcontainsvisual

representationsofdifferentbowtechniquesintheformof“cyclegraphs”(58).Theseimages,

whilenotwidelyknown,showthemselvestobeanimportanttoolintheviolinplayer’s

understandingofhowtherightandlefthandsworktogetherseamlessly.Hodgson,himself,

stated:

Myfinalwordisaddressedtoanyadvancedstudentwhosuffersfromafeelingofinsecuritywhenperforminginpublic.Istronglyurgehimtosuspecthisrightarm,evenwhenfailureappearstobedirectlyattributabletothelefthand;unrecognizedbowingimperfectionsareresponsiblefornineoutoftencasesofscrambledandblurredpassages.Anaccuratelybalancedrightarmisabletoadaptitselftounequalleft-handfinger-workinanastonishingway,asitisasimplemattertoamplifyorcontractnaturalcurves,andeaseandsecurityresultwhensynchronizationofthetotallydissimilarfunctionsofthetwohandsbecomesacertainty.Iassureallnervousplayersthatcontroliscentredchieflyintherightarm(106).

3

Chapter1LiteratureReview

Thiscommentaryrevisitsthelesser-knownworkofPercivalHodgson,aviolinistand

pedagoguewhowasinspiredbytheGermanscientistDr.F.A.Steinhausen,2torecordthe

actualmovementsofthebowarm(Hodgsonx).Intheearly1900s,theideathatbowing

involvedaseriesofinevitablecurvesduetonaturallawswasarelativelynewconceptand

wasignoredbymany(x).SincethepublicationofHodgson’sworkin1934,performersand

pedagogueshaveagreedthatbowingisoftenneglected,butthereisstilllittlereferenceto

Hodgson’sMotionStudy.Thisliteraturereviewwillexplainsomeofthefundamental

principlesofthisstudy,whileplacingHodgson’sworkinthecontextofothertwentieth-

centurypedagogues.

HaroldBerkley,authorofTheModernTechniqueofViolinBowing(1941),statedthatmany

violinistswerewellawareofproblemswiththeirbowingbutdidnotknowhowtolocate

specificfaults,andthereforecouldnotremedythem(44).Hewentontosaythatfartoomany

studentsofhistimestilllookedupontechniqueassomethingproducedexclusivelybytheleft

hand(7).Helamentedthesmallnumberofstudentswhosebowtechniquematchedthelevel

oftheirlefthandandbelievedthatoneofthemainreasonsforthislackhadtodowith

teachersnotpursuingbowing-techniqueexercisesasrigorouslyastheydidwithexercisesfor

thelefthand(7).InTheModernTechniqueofViolinBowingheusedexcerptsfrommajor

worksoftheviolinrepertoiretoshowtheexactbowtechniqueinvolvedandthendiscussed

waystopracticethesesothatthebowwouldbecomethefocusofattention.

InRobertGerle’sTheArtofPractisingtheViolin,writtenin1983,theauthorclaimedthatbow

technique“willlargelydeterminetheartisticcategoryoftheplayer”(17).Hediscussedgiving

moreattentiontothebowarminpractice,claimingthatbecausethelefthandcontrolsthe

veryaudibleaspectsofpitchandmelody,itisprioritisedattheexpenseofbowing(17).Gerle

contendedthatasmuchasninetypercentofastudent’spracticetimewasspentonisolated

left-handissues(17).Gerle,inalaterworkdedicatedtothediscussionofbowing,statedhis

beliefthatamajordifficultywithpracticingbowingisthatits“goalsandproblemsaremore

subtle,itsprogressslowerandhardertomeasureandthesolutionstoitsproblemsmore

2AuthorofDiePhysiologiedesBogenfuhrüng,(1903).

4

elusive”(ArtofBowing10).CarlFlesch,involume1ofTheArtofViolinPlaying(1924),gave

anotherreasonforbowingdifficulties.Hestatedthat“thetechniqueof‘bowing’ismore

complexthanthemechanismoftheleftarm,becauseinthecaseofthelatterthefingerisin

directcontactwiththestring;whiletherightarmcomesintocontactwiththestringonly

throughthemediumofthebow-stickandbow-hair”(51).Thisstatementisareminderofthe

hugetaskdesignatedtothebow,andtheresultingimportanceofbowtechnique.Thefirst

steptounderstandingthefundamentalsofbowtechnique,istoanalysetheelementsthat

makeupgoodtoneproduction.

Fleschnamedtheimportantcomponentsoftoneproductionasbeingbowpressure,bow

speed,pointofcontactbetweenbowandstring,butalsocommentedonthecrucialelementof

smoothbowchanges(ArtofViolinPlaying1:81).Eventhoughthechangeofbowisa

fundamentalelementoftechnique,Fleschsaidthatitwasoftendescribedasonethatis

difficulttomaster,especiallyatthenut(59).Hewroteaboutthediscoveryovertimethat

flexibilityofthewristcombinedwithanelementofpartialfingerinvolvementwastheonly

waytocreatesmooth,inaudiblebowchanges(60).Hebelievedthatthistechniquecaused

problemsacrossalllevelsofviolinplaying.Duetothenatureofthebow(moreweightatthe

frog,lessweightatthetip)itisessentialthattheweightversuspressurebalanceisright(59).

Tomakebowchangessufficientlysmooth,theplayermustprepareforthebowchangeina

smallportionattheendofthefinishingbow(59).Inthisportionofbow,theperformer

createstimeinwhichtocontrolthecircularmotionthatinfluencesthebowchange(59).

Gerlewentontostatethat“therearefewhumanendeavoursmorecomplicated,sensitiveand

delicatethanthatofdrawingapleasingsoundfromastringedinstrument”(ArtofBowing15).

Hestatedthat,“theimportanceofbowtechniqueinstringplayingcannotbeoverestimated”

and,evenuptotheearly1990s,believeditstilltobeaneglectedelementinthetrainingof

stringplayersandonethatwastheleastdevelopedintheirperformance(9).Inhisopinion,

thethreemechanicalaspectsoftoneproductionincludebow-speed,bow-pressureand

distancefromthebridge(43).Hewrotetworulesheretoshowtheinterdependenceofthe

three:“1.Thegreaterthebow-speed,thelesserthebow-pressure,thegreaterthedistance

fromthebridge.2.Thelesserthebow-speed,thegreaterthebow-pressure,thelesserthe

distancefromthebridge”(43).Hetalkedoftheimportanceofdistinguishingnaturalpressure

(weight),fromappliedpressure(force)(44).Gerlealsodiscussedbowtechniqueasan

5

interpretativetoolandnamedbow-speed,pressure,locationandtimingasthebasicelements

ofbowtechniquefromwhicheveryothertechniquestems(56).

Co-DependenceofTheTwoHands

FrederickPolnauerwroteabouttheconceptofco-dependenceofthehandsinthe1970s,in

hisTotalBodyTechniqueofViolinPlaying(1).Hewasanadvocateforthetechniquereferred

toas“Motion-Gestalt”(1).Thiswasatechniquethatlookedatlinksinthebody,usingthe

philosophythat“optimalperformanceinviolinplayingdemandsatotalbodytechnique.”(1).

Polnauerwrote:“violinplayingcannolongerbemerelyviewedasthefunctionofasystemof

individualsegmentedcomponentswhichareunrelatedtoeachother”(1).

Adecadelater,thepsychologistYvesGuaird,describedstringplayingasan“asymmetric

bimanualactivity”(Guaird487).Thisparticularcategoryofmotionwaslessresearchedthan

itscounterparts:“asymmetricunimanualactivity”and“symmetricbimanualactivity”(488).

Guairdbelieveditwasmoredifficulttoresearchthiscategorybecauseneitherhandis

dominant,butbotharenecessary,difficult,andofequalimportance(488).Hementioned

“cooperation”betweenthetwohandsandbelieveditnecessarytoquestiontherelationship

betweenthesubtasksassignedtotheleftandrighthands,whichhereferredtoas“the

differentiatedlogicofdivisionoflabor”(489).Hewentontoexplainaconceptofcoordination

calledthe“right-to-leftspatialreferenceinmanualmotion”(493).Thismeansessentiallythat

thelefthandcreates“frames”whichtherighthandrecognizesandinserts“contents”(494).

Thisprocessrelatestothespatialreferencebetweenthemovinghands;itdoesnotmeanthat

thelefthandislifelessorimmobile(494).This“cooperation”ofthetwohands,asdirectedby

thebrainthroughdesignatedsubtasks,isapplicableinthestudyofeachtechniquediscussed

intheliteraturereview.

Inthesamedecade,theeminentpedagogueIvanGalamianwroteabouttheimportanceof

understandingtheinterdependenceofindividualelementsofviolintechniqueandthemutual,

organicrelationshipinwhichtheyareinvolved(2).Hementionedco-dependencewhenhe

discussedtheimportanceoftiminginPrinciplesofViolinPlayingandTeaching,published

aroundthesametime(22).Heusedtheterm“technicaltiming,”whichhedescribedas

“makingthenecessarymovementsofbothleftandrighthandsattheexactmomentand

6

precisespeedthatwillensurecorrectmusicaltiming”(23).Theconceptof“technicaltiming”

canbeappliedtoallofthefundamentalviolintechniquesthatinvolvethecoordinationof

bothhands.Oneofthosetechniquesisshifting.3

Shiftingreliesequallyonbothhands.Gerleacknowledgedthecollaborativeelementofleft-

handandarmmotionswiththeparticularbowspeedandtheamountofbowchosenfora

particularphrase(ArtofPractising17).Thiscollaborationwasagainmentionedinasection

dedicatedtoleft-handpractice,inwhichhespecificallyaddressedupwardanddownward

shifts(55).Tocoordinateupwardshiftsonanup-bowanddownwardshiftsonadown-bow,

hesuggestedworkingwithanaturalmirror-wisemovementasopposedtoparallel

movements(55).Hebelievedthatthis“natural”statewouldleadtoabetterbodybalanceand

thereforemoresuccessfulshifting(55).

GerlededicatedasectionofTheArtofPractisingtheViolintothedetailedanalysisofdifferent

typesofshifts,labelled“Acomprehensivetableofshifts”(96).Helistedtwotypesofshifts:

shiftsforpurelytechnicalreasonsandpurposes,andshiftsforexpressivepurposes(96).

Technicalshiftsaccentuatetheclearlyarticulatedinstrumentalcharacteristicsoftheviolin,

whiletheroleofexpressiveshiftsismoreemotive(96).Heexplainedtheprocessinvolved

with“expressiveshifts”andnotedthedependencyofthelefthandonthemotionsoftheright

hand(105).Againthetopicoftimingwasmentioned,nowinthecontextofaffectingbow

changesandviceversa(105).Hestated,“thistimingshouldnotbeleftuptochance”(105).

Gerle’sstatementsuggestedthatthecognitiveorganisationofthemechanicsofbothhands

wasthekeytosuccessfulcoordinationand,therefore,executionofeachphrase.

Hodgson’sCyclegraphExperiments

Hodgson’scyclegraphexperimentsareimportanttoolsinunderstandingthementaland

physicalchallengesofviolintechnique.Theywereconsidered“modernscience”inthe1930s,

becausetheycouldrecordthe“actualmovementsmadebythebowarm”(Hodgsonx).These

cyclegraphsprovidedproofthatthenatureofbowinginvolvedcurvedandcircularmotions,

asopposedtostraightlines.Hodgsonbelievedthatifthesecyclegraphswereobservedand

understood,aviolinistcouldsolvethemostcomplicatedright-handproblems(x).3Thetopicof“shifting”isdiscussedindetailinchapter4.

7

InHodgson’swork,theauthorcoveredanatomical,acoustic,mechanicalandgeometrical

aspectsofbowing.Hebelievedthat“bowingshouldbeginwiththevisualizationofthebodyas

amachine”andviewedthearmas“asystemoflevers”(3).Theupperarmcarriesthelower

levers,makingitthe“dominatinglever”thatmovestherestofthearm(6).Theupperarmisa

largemuscleandthereforehasthepotentialtomakelarger,freermovements,whilethe

smallerleversfromtheforearmdown,havetheabilitytocontrolsubtlemovements(6).

Hodgson’sapproachanalysedthephysicalmovementsofthemuscles,jointsandleversby

visuallyrepresentingtheminhiscyclegraphs.Chapter13definesacyclegraphas“a

photographicrecordofthetrackcoveredbyamovingobject”(58).Twopointsintheright

armareobservedhere,thesecondfingerandtheelbow(58).Throughobservationofthis

seriesofpictures,itbecomescleartothereaderthateverypicturerevealscircularmotionsof

somedegree.TheviolinistandteacherRobertGerleagreedwiththeimportanceofvisual

conceptionsofbowing,whichismentionedinTheArtofPractisingtheViolin(61).Hemakes

referenceto“figureof8”patterns,statingthat“beingabletovisualisepatternslikethis,like

fingerpatterns,helpsgreatlyinlearningcorrectbowmovementswhichthenfall

automaticallyintoplacewhenputtogetherwiththelefthand”(Gerle61).

Fromchapter8ofHodgson’sstudy,graphsofbowtechniqueswereexamined(35ff).This

involveddetailedstudyof“forward-curves”(35),“backward-curves”(39),“figureeight

patterns”(41),“wavepatterns”(45)and“loopseriespatterns”(49).Forward-curvesare

describedasclockwisemotions(35).Anexampleofaclockwisemotionwouldbeproduced

bybowinganopenDonadown-bowtoanopenAonanup-bow(36).Backward-curvesare

anti-clockwisemovements(35).Thebowingisswitched,so,intheaboveexample,theopenA

isnowonadown-bowandtheopenDonanup-bow(39).Whenthesetwostringsare

repeatedinanalternatingpattern,aseriesofellipticalcyclesareformed(36).Thebasic

conceptsbehindforward-curvesandbackward-curvesformthebasisofallotherbowstrokes

andbowingpatterns.Thesewillbediscussedinmoredetailfromchapter2onwards.

Chapter5ofthiscommentarywilllookatarticulationsandmixedbowings,whicharean

extensionofthebowtechniquespreviouslydiscussedinthisliteraturereview.Hodgson

discussedarticulationsandmixedbowingsinhischapter“Inherentqualitiesofthebow,and

theirapplication”(20),whichcontaineddetailedexplanationsofbowqualitiesattheheel,

8

point,andmiddle,balancedbowholds,bowmovementsinspiccatoandsautillé,andbow

movementsinsolidstaccato.Heuseddiagramsthroughouttoshowthebowworkingasan

“additionalleverattachedtothearm”(20).Inspiccatoandsautilléplaying,anextra

dimensionintheformofmovement“towards”and“awayfrom”thestringwasadded(22).

Thedifferentrolesoftheforearm,upperarmandwholearmwerediscussed,butHodgson’s

mainfocuswastopresentaconvincingargumentthatthemostnaturaluseofthebowisthe

mostefficient.Thismeansexploringthe“elasticity”ofthebowstickandbowhair,which

contributestothe“springing”qualitiesofbowstrokes(20).

LaurenDeutschhasworkedmorerecentlyin2011intheareaofmotionstudy.Herdoctoral

studyprovidedacomparisonofthemotorpatternsofprofessionalandstudentviolinists.She

continuedonfromHodgson,usingacombinationofvideocamerasandmotiontechnology

software(2).Shemakesthepointthatmuchpreviousresearchintobowingtechniquehas

beenconductedapartfromconsiderationsofrepertoireandwithadvancedequipment,

makingitlessthanidealforpracticalusebyviolinistsandpedagogues(2).WhileDeutsch’s

workfocusesonanalyzingbasicbowingmotionsinaparticularviolinpieceandcomparing

theviolinists’technicalapproaches,myworkwilldefinitivelyuseHodgson’sprinciplesasa

basisformyapproachtomychosenwork.

Thefactthatthisisarepertoire-basedcasestudymakesitunique,becausethetechnicaland

musicalaspectsofviolinplayingarecombinedtocreateamorecomprehensiveviewofthe

work.Hodgson’sworkisofparticularinteresttome,asheseekstohelpviolinists

“disentanglethemassofcontradictoryideasprevalentwithregardtoright-handmovements”

(Hodgsonix).Heuseshisownresearchtoexplorethe“inevitable”aspectsofbowing,orthe

aspectsthatoriginatefromnaturallaws,andthecommonelementsoftechniquefoundinthe

highestlevelofviolinists(ix).Forthesereasons,Hodgsonisaworthychoiceforconsideration

andcommentary.

9

Chapter2

ToneProduction

LeopoldAuerstatedthattoneproduction“mustalwaysbethemostimportanttaskofthose

whodevotethemselvestomasteringtheviolin”(18).Toneproductionatitshighestlevel

consistsofacombinationofrelevantcontactorsoundingpoints,bow-speed,bow-pressure,

bowdistribution,andconnectivitybetweenbowstrokesorchangesofbow(Galamian55).

Performersconstantlychangeandadapttheseelementsdependingondifferentmusical

contexts,andifsuccessfullyexecutedintherightcontext,theseelementswillformthebasis

ofahighlyfunctioningbowtechnique.TheperformanceresearchIhaveconductedonthe

firstmovementofProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2,leadstoconclusionsthattoneproduction

isnotonlyabowingissuebutthatitalsodirectlyeffectstheleft-handtechnicalprocessand,

therefore,thecoordinationofbothhands.

Thecontactpointorsoundingpoint(thetermsaretreatedhereasinterchangeable)relieson

astraightbowstroke,paralleltothebridge,foroptimumsound(Galamian51).Drawinga

straightbow,however,iscomplexandrequiresaseriesofsubtlecircularmotions(51).The

mostnaturalpositionforastraightbowiswhentheforearmandupperarmareatright

angles,whichformostpeopleisaroundthemiddleofthebow(52).Itisatthe“tip”and“frog”

ofthebowwhereproblemsareoftenfaced(52).Fromthepositionofthesquareshapetothe

tipofthebow,thearmisfullyextendedbymovingtotherightandthenslightlyforwardto

createastraightbow(52).Galamianattributedthe“necessaryforwardmotion”involvedhere

tothe“circularcharacterofthenaturalmovementsofthearm”(53).Hodgsonacknowledged

these“naturalmovements”byrealisingthe“inevitablyofcurvingmovements”inviolin

bowing,andrepresentedthesemovementsgeometrically(26).Heclassifiedbowmovements

accordingtothreecategories.Thefirstismovement“across”thestrings(Fig.1).This

representsthehorizontalmovementofpullingthebowperpendiculartothestring(26).The

secondismovement“round”thestrings(Fig.2),whichisthe“across”movementwithadded

stringcrossings(27).Thethirdmovementis“towardsandawayfrom”thestringswhichis

usedtocreatevariousarticulations(26).Hodgson’sdescriptionsoftheverticalandhorizontal

elementsinvolvedinbowingallowustounderstandmoreclearlytheconnectionofthebow

tothestring.

10

Fig.1.Hodgson,“Across”(26).

Figure1showsasimpledown-bowstrokeononestring(26).Examples(b)and(c)inthe

abovefigureshowthecircular,“pivoting”motionofthestrokeattheheelofthebowinboth

clockwiseandanti-clockwisedirections(27).Theconnectionbetweenstringsoccurswhen

theclockwisepivotconnectsthechosenstringtotheupperstringsandtheanti-clockwise

movementsleadstothelowerstrings,thusportrayingthefundamentalconnectivityof

bowingandthebeginningsofthelegatostroke(27).

Fig.2.Hodgson,“Round”(27).

ThediagraminFig.2aboveshowsanexampleoffournotes(oneoneachstring)slurredina

down-bowstartingattheheelofthebow(27).ThedottedcurvemarkedcommencingatH1

showsthecurvedmotionofthepivotactionwhilethearcdelineatedbypositionsH1toH5

showsthecurvedmotionwhenthepivotisfollowedthroughwithamovingbow(27).The

11

crisscrossedpointsbetweentheG,D,AandEsymbolsshowthepointoftransitionbetween

thetwostrings,whichallowsessentialconnectivity(27).

Iexploredtheelementsofconnectivityinvolvedinthesediagramsintheopeningmelodyof

Prokofiev’sconcerto.Inadditiontothis,IimplementedoneofSimonFischer’ssuggested

soundpointexercises.Hisefficientmethodinvolvespracticingwithrelevantbow-speed,bow-

weight,andbowdistribution,allatonce,identifyingdifferentsoundpoints4intheparticular

phrase(Basics48).Fivesoundpointsarenominatedwithinthespacebetweenthebridgeand

thefingerboard:(1)Nearthebridge,(2)betweenthebridgeandthecentralpoint,(3)atthe

centralpoint,(4)betweenthecentralpointandthefingerboardand(5)atthefingerboard

(47).Fischerstatesthatthiswayofpractising“instantlyincreasesyoursensitivitytothefeel

ofthebowinthestringsothatyouimmediatelygainthefinestcontrol”(48).Headds,

“Practisingonallfivesoundpointsishelpfulwhateverthesoundpointyouwilleventuallyuse,

andwhateverthestroke”(48).

Prokofiev’sopeningthemeprovidesapassageforinvestigationintosoundpointtechniques

andlegatoplayinginaneasilyobservableway.

Ex.1.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,mm.1–9.

IfthefingeringinEx.1isfixed,theperformercanbegintheprocessofanalysisintogoodtone

productionbyobservingthestringsthatwillbeusedandhowthenotesondifferentstrings

correlatewithProkofiev’sslurredmarkings.Thefirst,secondandthirdslurscontainnotes

playedsolelyontheGstring.Thefourth,fifth,sixthandseventhslurscontainnotesontheD

string.TheeighthslurcontainsamixtureofnotesontheG,DandAstrings,andthe

remainderofthephrasetorehearsalfigure1(m.9)involvesonestring-crossing,fromtheA

toDthestring.Iusedaslowbow-speedcombinedwithweightclosetothebridgetoexecute

theopeningphraseontheG-string.ItisnotuntilthesegmentstartingonthefourthslurthatI

4Fischerusesthisterminplaceof“contactpoints”or“soundingpoints”.

12

usedafasterbowspeed,whichIfoundcontinuedaneffortlesslyrichsoundontheDstring.In

thesixthandseventhslurs,anequalbowdistributiononeachnotewasused.This

distributionalignswithleft-handfingerarticulationtoproduceclaritythroughtheexpressive

descendingline.Savingbowatthestartoftheeighthslurcreatesnecessaryspacefora

smoothupwardcurveleadingtothetwotenutonotes.Ichosetoplaythesenotesinthelower

halfofthebow,toeliminateanypotentialunevennessinthephrase.Thisbowdistributionnot

onlyproducesabetterlegatosound,italsoconvenientlyallowsthebowtobepositionedat

thefrogforthenexttwonotes,whichrequireaconsistent,slowbowspeed,withinonewhole

bow.

ThestringcrossingsinEx.1canbeidentifiedinHodgson’sMotionStudy.Ifthepassagebegins

onadown-bow,thefirststringcrossinginthemiddleofm.3willbeaforward-curve(a

down-bowfromthelowerstringtoanup-bowontheupperstring)(36).Thestringcrossing

attheendofm.6displaysabackward-curve(adown-bowfromtheupperstringtoanup-

bowonthelowerstring)(39).Thethirdstringcrossingisabackward-curve(lowertoupper

stringsareslurredonanup-bow)(40).Thefourthisalsocategorisedasabackward-curve

(uppertolowerstringsunderadown-bowslur)(40).LeopoldAuer’swritingoftheco-

dependenceofthetwohandsisrelevanthere.Hebelievesthattheimportanceof“timingof

lefthandfingerrelease”,withthecorrespondingactionsofthebow,mustberealisedin

observationsoflegatoplaying(32).Heprovidedthefollowingadvicetoperformerswanting

toimprovetheirtoneproduction:“Donotraisethefingerononestringbeforethetoneofthe

nextstringsounds”(33).Inmyownpractice,Ifoundthatincreasingtheawarenessofthe

simultaneousactionsofthebowmotionswithsmooth,connectingmovementsbetweeneach

placementoftheleft-handfingers,createdasuccessfullegatoeffect.Iftheperformerisableto

mastertheseconnectionsintheopeningphrase,theseconceptscanbeappliedtosimilar

sectionsinthismovement,forexample,rehearsalfigures6,7,10and25.

TheopeningpassageoftheConcertocoversexamplesofcurvedmotionsinthebow.The

materialcommencingatrehearsalfigure16(m.138)providesanexampleofextendedcurved

motionsusedinlegatoplaying,whichthendevelopintocircularmotionsor“ellipses”

(Hodgson36).Theextensionexistsbecauseofthefrequentbowchanges(everyquavernote)

andstringcrossingsthatoccur.Thefirstsixbarsofrehearsalfigure16areasfollows:

13


ThefirsttwoandahalfbarsofEx.2showbackward-curvestringcrossings,whichform

circularfigure-eightpatternswhenthebowmovesbetweenthetwostrings.Figure-eight

patternsaredescribedbyHodgsonas“compoundcurveswithtwoloops”(41),seeFig.3.

Fig.3.Hodgson,“CyclegraphofExtendedFigure8Pattern”(58).

Halfwaythroughm.140,achangeinmotioncreatesaforwardcurve.Thispatternthen

repeatsitselfinm.141.Thewholeofm.142ascendsinaseriesofforwardcircularmotions,

whilethewholeofm.143descendsinaseriesofbackwardcircularmotions(excludingthe

forwardmotionbetweenthe6thand7thnotes).Hodgson’smotionstudyprovidesacyclegraph

ofascendingforwardloopsinanalmostidenticalpassage:

5‘R’standsfor‘Rehearsalfigure’asusedintheBooseyandHawkesEditionofProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2.

14

Fig.4.Hodgson,“CyclegraphofAscendingForwardLoops”(58).

InmyownpreparationofthisConcerto,Ševčík’sOpus2Part3exerciseshelpedtosolidifythe

curvedandcircularmotionsofHodgson’sgraphs.ItishelpfultoworkthroughŠevčík’s

“whole-bow”,“half-bow”,“middleofbow”,“legato”and“variouslegatostyles”exercises,as

theycorrespondwiththemelodicpassagesinProkofiev’sConcerto,andgivetheperformera

head-startinpractisingthebasicsoftoneproductionwiththeprecisetimingofcoordination

ofthechanginglefthandnotes(Auer33).Ševčík’sOpus2Part1exerciseswereanimportant

partofmystudyintotoneproduction,inparticularthe“Cresc./Dim.”variations.TheNo.6

exercisesareastudyinquavers,whichcorrespondswithRehearsalfigure16.Numbers10,11

and12arevariantsofthisexerciseandalsorelevantassupportingtechnicalwork.Itis

importanttobegintheexercisesonbothupanddownbows,astheoppositebowingwill

changetheremainderofthepatternssothateachandeveryforward-curve,backward-curve,

figureeightandloopingpatterniscovered.

15

Chapter3

StringCrossings

ManypassagesinthefirstmovementofProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2presentthe

performerwithdifferentcombinationsofproblematicstringcrossings.Hodgson’sanalyses

canbeappliedtoallrepertoire,andwillhelphelpingperformerssolvethemanyobstacles

theyfaceinProkofiev’sConcerto.ThreesectionsoftheConcertohavebeenchosenascase

studiesinthischapter,andtheseareanalysedandcategorizedunderHodgson’ssystemof

classifications.ThroughthecombinationofHodgson’sstring-crossingclassificationmethod

andmyownperformanceresearch,thetechnicalprocessesinvolvedindifferent

combinationsofstringcrossings,willbeoutlined.Thefirstsectionforanalysisisencountered

atRehearsalfigure3(m.28)intheConcerto.

Ex.3.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R3.mm.28–30.

Thebowingpatterninthefirsttwobarsofrehearsalfigure3(Ex.3)involvesaseriesof

ellipsemotions.

16

Fig.5.Hodgson,“MovementsAcrossandRoundTwoStrings”(28).

Fig.5showstheellipticalpaththatoccurswhensingle-notesemiquaversareplayedinrapid

successionontheDandAstrings(29).Inthiscasestudy,thestring-crossingsareunderstood

toworkonanytwoseparatelybowednotesonneighbouringstrings.Forexample,thefirst

patternatrehearsalfigure3consistsofanellipticalbowingmotionbetweentheGandD

strings.ThesecondvarianttothisbowingpatternisthatthepatterninProkofiev’swriting

doesnotconsistofalternatingstringsoneverysemiquaver.ThoughHodgsonadvisedusto

assumethatthealternationsofDandAstringsareinperpetualmotion,hethenexplained

thatitisthemotionbetweenpairsofnotesthatisimportant(29).Prokofiev’smusicprovides

uswithanexampleofthispatternattheendofeachgroupoffoursemiquaversinEx.3.The

ellipticalshapeisformedherebecausethenotefollowingthepairofstringcrossingnotes

(thefirstnoteofthefollowinggroupoffoursemiquavers)returnstotheoriginalstring.There

aretwomomentsinthisstringcrossingwherethebowwilltouchbothstringssimultaneously

(29).InFig.5,thesepointsareshownasnumbers1and3(29).Number1iswherethebow

starts(29).Hodgsonexplainsthepracticalityoftheellipticalshape,andhowtheshape

influencesmovementattheheelofthebow,aidingintheexecutionofcleanstringcrossings

(29).Ofthebowactionhestated:

Bymerelymakingadown-strokeactionacrossthestrings,itwouldobviouslyplayDandAtogetherindoublestopping.ToplayDaloneitmustsimultaneouslymoveawayfromAandthereforeroundD,therebyreachingsomesuchpositionasthatmarked2;moreover,inthecourseofthesamestrokeitiscompelledtocurvebackagain,orwillnotreturntothedoublestringpositioninreadinesstobeginplayingAwiththeupbow.Thiscurvecannotformpartofacircle,asthedistanceoftheheelofthebowfromtheDstring,andthereforetheradius,hasbeenlengthenedduringthepivotingroundthestring.(29)

17

Whenthebowarrivesatposition“3”onthediagram,thebowwillmoveroundtheAstring,

andonit’sreturntoposition“1”itwillhavecoveredtwopivotsinthecycle,resultinginthe

ellipsemotion(29).

Tofullyunderstandthecomplexnatureofthestring-crossingprocessinvolvedhere,Ichose

topractisethispassagewithoutthewrittenstaccatomarkings.Ifoundthatthesearticulations

werenotessentialintheearlystagesoflearningthepassage.Throughtheprocessof

practisingthepassagelowerinthebow(aroundthebalancepoint),andinaslowandlegato

manner,Ifoundthatwithincreasedspeed,theboworganisationIhadpractisedledtothe

successfulexecutionofanaturallybouncingbow.(Thespiccatostrokewillbeelaboratedonin

Chapter5.)

Analysisofthestringcrossingsinm.32andm.36willconcludethiscasestudy.Thesetwo

barscontainonlyforward-curves:

Ex.4.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R3.mm.32.

IfEx.4iscommencedonanupbow(thebowingasgiveninthescore)andstartsonthe2nd

fingerontheEstring,thestringcrossingsoccurbetweenthe2ndand3rdsemiquavers,3rd

and4thsemiquavers,8thand9thsemiquavers,andthe9thand10thsemiquavers.Apartfrom

theabsenceofthesecondslurmarkingandthefactthatitisontwolowerstrings,m.36has

identicalstring-crossingpatternstom.32.

Thecomplexpassagestartingatrehearsalfigure11(m.101)providesuswithanexampleof

manystringcrossingsunderoneslur.Thefirststepfortheperformeristodecidewhethera

simple,lowpositionfingeringwithmorestringcrossingswillbeusedinthefirsttwobars,or

whetheramorecomplexfingeringinvolvingshiftsbutfewerstringcrossingswillbeused.In

eitherscenario,thispassageasawholedoesnotbelongtoasingleclassificationofbow

movementunderHodgson’ssystem;however,hismotionstudystillprovidesuswithcluesas

18

toacombinationofbowingpatternsthatmaybeinvolvedhere.Iftheperformerbeginsthis

passageinfirstpositionandcontinuesinlowpositions(Ex.5),theformof“wavepatterns”

willoccurduetothenatureoftherapidstringcrossingsunderslurs(45).

Fig.6.Hodgson,“Wavepatterns”(45).

Ex.5.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R11.mm.101-103.

Mychosenfingering,however,involvesnumerousshiftstominimisethenumberofstring-

crossingsneeded.


Thisfingering,showninEx.6,createspatternsthatresembleasymmetricalversionsofthe

typicalwavepattern,asmanyofthenotesareplayedinhigherpositionsonthestring.The

actioninvolvedinmakingthewavepatternsoccur,happensattheendoftheslurredwhole

bowsinthisexample.Wavepatternsintheirsymmetricalform(seeEx.5)areeasyfor

19

performerstovisualise(Hodgson45).Eventhoughthewavepatterniselongatedand

fragmentedinEx.6,thevisualelementofthestring-crossingsisstillimportant.Insectionsof

technicaldifficulty,inthiscaseinbothhands,itmaybeusefulfortheperformertoobserve

thesectioninabroadersense,tobeabletosuccessfullyexecutethesmallerdetailsofthe

passageinperformance.Theleft-handdifficultiesinexamples5,6and7,revolvearound

problematicintonation,asaresultofconstantlyevolvinghandpositions.Chromaticintervals,

inconsistentsequences,shifting,andextensionsformtheleft-handchallenges.Thedifficulty

fortherighthand,istosimultaneouslyexecutestringcrossingsandchangesofbowunder

differingslurlengths.Therefore,theco-ordinationofbothhandspresentschallengestothe

performer.

Anewtwo-noteslurredpatternisestablishedfromthemiddleofm.103(Ex.7).


Tounderstandtheinterdependenceofthehandshere,afingeringmustfirstbechosen.The

fingeringshowninEx.7abovewasusedinmyperformance.Itwaschosenbecauseitinvolves

smallshifts,whichhelptheefficiencyofthelefthandinthisfastpassage.Continuingthe

bowingfromthebeginningofthepassage,thebowdirectionatthemiddleofm.103willbe

anup-bow.Thebow’spointofcontactwillbeintheupperhalfofthebow,resultingfromthe

previouswholebowdrawnonadown-bow.Thebowcaneitherstayintheupperhalfor

traveltowardsthemiddlepointorlowerasthepassageprogresses.Thebowinginm.105

providestheperformerwithameansoftravellingdownthebow.Thefirstbowedgroupof

fourandthelastgroupofthree,areplaceswheretheup-bowcanhelptheperformermoveto

thefrogwherethenextfigurewillbegin.Organisedbowdistributioninthispassagewill

facilitateeven-soundingandrhythmicstringcrossingpatterns.Measure103isplayedonthe

Estringuntilthelastsemi-quaver,whichresultsinabackward-curve.Thefollowingtwo-note

20

groupswillresultinforwardandbackwardellipsemotions.Ifthispassagewastobe

representedinacyclegraphformat,itwouldlooklikeaseriesofpivotingloopsjoinedquite

closelytogether,withtheloopsmovinginbothclockwiseandanti-clockwisedirectionsto

representtheforwardandbackward-curves(53),or,likeacondensedversionofthe

followingillustration.

Fig.7.Hodgson,“Forwardandbackwardpivotingloops”(53).

Thevisualelementofthesecurvesisimportant.InHodgson’sdiagrams,theperformercansee

theexactpointthatcurveshappeninaparticularstroke,andcanthenbegintoreplicatewhat

theysee,inrealmotion.Hodgsonasks;“Whynotteachthemovementswhichareactually

made,asprovedbymotionpictures,insteadofdescribingimaginaryoneswhichare

fallacious?”(xi).Inpractice,thenaturalmovementsofcurves,ellipsesandloopsbecome

consciousthroughvisualization,whichallowsthemtobesynchronisedmoreaccuratelywith

correspondingleft-handmechanisms.

Rehearsalfigure13(m.113)featuresanumberofthebowingmotionspreviouslymentioned

inthischapter.Theseincludeforwardandbackwardcurves,ellipticalloopsandwave

patterns.InEx.8theyareallcombinedinasinglesection,withtheaddedcomplexityof

doublestopping.

21


Ibowedthissectionstartingonanup-bowandthencontinuedthebowingasdictatedby

Prokofiev’sphrasingmarks.Measure113containsthreegroupsoftwo-noteslurs.These

showabackward-curve,forward-curveandbackward-curverespectively.Thefirstand

secondslurredgroupingsareconnectedbyaforward-curve,andthesecondandthird

groupingsareconnectedbyabackward-curve.Thecircularactivityinvolvedhereiscontained

underanoverridingwavepattern,whichoccursduetotheoscillatingnatureofthestring

crossings.Thefinaltwoquaversofm.113leadmelodicallytothefirsttwoquaversofm.114,

whichareshapedasaforward-curve.Thepatternofm.113isthenrepeated.Ifthedotted

rhythminm.115ishooked(separatednotesinthesamebow)withtwodown-bows,aseries

offorward-curvesfollow.Thiscontinuesuntilthepatternisbrokenwithabackwardcurveat

theendofm.117.Fromm.118,thebowingaboveallowstheforward-curvestocontinueto

theendofthesectioninapatternofellipticalloopsthatworkquitecomfortablyinthebow

arm(withoneexceptionattheendofm.121).Hodgson’smotionstudyshowsthatapassage

likethis,withdifficultiesincludingdoublestops,shifting,mixedbowingsandsingletodouble

noteslurredstringcrossings,canbemadesomewhateasierwithananalysisandvisualisation

oftheright-handtechniqueinvolved.

Asasupplementarystudy,Ševčík’sOpus2Part3variationsworkwellnotonlyfordetailed

workontoneproduction,butalsoforconcentratedpracticeofstringcrossings.Ifoundit

usefultofirstpracticethelegatovariationsfortheconnectionsbetweenbowstrokeson

differentstrings.Numerousoptionsforpractisingthesevariationsfollow,asproposedin

SimonFischer’sintroductiontotheexercises.Thesestudiesprovideabaseforexplorationof

Hodgson’sloopingmovements,whichbegininPartThreeofhisstudy.Inparticular,

“compoundcurveswithtwoloops”or“figureeight”patternsareaddressed,coveringthemain

forwardandbackwardcurvedmotions.Number30providesheightenedchallengesinthe

formofstringcrossings,which“jump”astring.Becausetheseexercisesreachbeyond

22

neighbouringstringcrossings,itiscrucialtomasterthemwiththegoalthatsmallercrossings

willthenseemmoreefficient.Thevariationsalsomovesystematicallythroughdifferentbow-

distributions.Thisboworganisationisanessentialelementofallofthestringcrossing

passagesinProkofiev’sConcerto.

23

Chapter4

Shifting

IvanGalamianclearlyanddirectlydefinedthethreefundamentaltypesofshifts:“1.Thesame

fingerplaysthenoteprecedingandthenotefollowingtheshift,2.Theshift(slidingmotion)is

performedbythefingerthatisonthestringwhentheshiftstarts,butanewfingerplaysthe

arrivalnote,3.Theshiftisperformedbythefingerthatwillplaythearrivalnote”(25).Inthe

contextofthisthesis,theseshiftswillbeconsideredinrelationtotheirtimingand

coordinationwithcorrespondingbowtechniques.Throughoutthischapter,thefundamental

shiftswillbereferredtoinaccordancewithGalamian’snumbersabove(types1,2and3).As

discussedearlier,Galamianbelievedtimingtobeanessentialfactorinthedevelopmentofthe

lefthand(22).Left-handpreparationhastobefastsothattheactionisnotdelayedin

comparisontothebow(23).Thebowalsohasitspreparationinrelationtoplacementonthe

stringbeforethenextbowstroke(23).Goodtechnicaltimingoccurswhentheleftandright

handsarepreciselycoordinated(23).Tobeabletomastertechnicaltiming,Galamianwrote

ofthesignificanceofthe“immediateandaccurateresponseofthemusclestothedirectivesof

themind”(23).Ibelievethisconcepttobedirectlyrelatedtotheinterdependentorganisation

ofbothhands.

Themusiccommencingatrehearsalfigure2ofthefirstmovementofProkofiev’sConcertoNo.

2(m.18)willserveasthefirstcasestudyinthischapter.Thephrasingandtoneproduction

elementsofthissectionaresimilartothoseoftheopeningphrase,butthispassagecontains

distinctexamplesofthecoordinationofshiftsandrighthandtechnique,inthecontextofa

legatoline.ItprovidesexamplesofeachofthefundamentalshiftsdescribedbyGalamian.


24

ThefingeringgiveninEx.9abovewasusedinmyperformanceoftheConcerto.Itwaschosen

withattentiontothevariedtonalqualitiesofdifferentstrings,andtheexpressivepossibilities

ofshiftsinthephrase.Whenpossible,extensionswereusedtoenableefficient,smooth

movementsinthelefthand,leadingtoasmootherconnectionbetweennotesinthelegato

phrases.Measure20showsanextensionfingeringbetweenBbandD,whilem.21involvesa

combinationofashiftandanextension.Theextensionelementoftheshifthappenstowards

theendoftheshiftingaction.Thiscreatesasmoothconnection,whilekeepinganelementof

releaseinthehand’sshiftingmotion,leadingtopossibilitiesofafreer,moreresonantvibrato.

Ifoundthistoresultinthemostphysicallyefficientoption.Thefirstnoteofm.22isalsothe

resultofanextension.Measure23containstwolargeshiftsunderseparateslurredmarkings.

Thefirstshiftisanexampleofa“type2”shift,whereitisexecutedbythesecondfinger,but

thefourthfingerplacesthenewnote.Thisshiftishelpedwiththecoordinationoftheright

handreleaseintheprevioussemiquaverrest.Inthisrest,therighthandalsogivestheleft

handtimetoprepareforthenextnote.Thesecondshiftinthebarisa“type3”shift,where

theshiftisperformedwiththethirdfinger.Thereleaseofpressureoftheleft-handfingerson

thestringisparticularlyimportanthereasthefinalnoteisaharmonic.Thebowhowever,

sustainsthesound,sothattheharmonicisclearandas“full”soundingaspossible.The

harmonic’ssoundwilllingerforamomentafterthelefthandfingerisreleased,givingtimeto

preparethelefthandforthestartofthenextphrasein3rdposition.Here,a“type1”shiftis

immediatelyimplementedbetweenC#andE.Thesustainednatureofthebowinthestronger

mezzofortedynamicmarking,movesthefocusfromtheshiftandintothelegatobow,creating

asmoothleft-handmechanism.Thechangeofbowattheendofthisphrasemarkingcanbe

usedtotheperformer’sadvantagetocreateaninaudible“type2”shifttotheC#.Extensions

areusedwherepossiblefortheremainderofthissection.

Rehearsalfigure6(m.52)alsocontainsshiftsunderlegatophrasingmarks.Duetothelyrical

natureofthemelodicmaterial,thissectioncontainsmanyopportunitiesforexpressiveshifts.

Prokofievmarkedanewtempointhissection—menomosso(crotchet=80)—andItookthe

pianomarkingtoimplyasignificant“colour-change”forthesoloviolinline.

25


Fromthefirstnoteofm.52,thechosenfingeringofthispassageallowsforexpressiveplaying

inthewaythattheshiftsandvibratoareexecuted.Ichosetostartthepassageonthe3rd

finger,whichinmycase,enabledafreersoundingvibratothanusinga4thfinger.The3-3

fingeringonthefirsttwonotesofthephrasecanbeplayedwithportamentobetweenthe

chromaticnotes.Ichosetouse“type2”shiftsfrommm.53to55.Theseshiftscoordinated

withthewrittenphrasemarks/changesofbow,allowforinaudibleshifts,andthereforea

cleanerexecution.ThetimingoftheshifttotheC#inm.53,andthecorrespondingplaceinm.

57,isdictatedbythetimingofthebowmovementinthephrase.Althoughthephraseis

legato,thesetwo-noteslurscanbeslightlyphrased-off,creatingaminisculespacefortheleft

handtoreleaseitspressureonthestringbetweenshiftingmechanisms.Here,thetwohands

canworktogethertocreateagracefulmusicalline.Theremainingshiftsinthisphrasewere

chosenformusicalpurposes.Ipreferredanaudibledifferencebetweentheextensionofthe

firstnoteofm.55,andtheexpressiveshifttotheclimacticfirstnoteofm.56.Thephrase

continuestotheendinasustainedmanner,withaconcluding“type2”shiftuptotheEinm.

58.

Thefollowingcasestudieswillprovideshortexamplesor“snapshots”ofshiftingprinciples

thatcanbeappliedtoothersectionsthroughoutthework.Rehearsalfigure8(m.69)shows

shiftsinmixedbowingpatterns.Iinterpretedthepianomarkingtosuggestamorewhimsical

sound,whichisachievedifthelightnessinthebowcorrespondswiththelightnessoftheleft

handshifts.

26

Ex.11.Prokofiev,ViolinConcertoNo.2,firstmovement,R8,mm.69-73.

TheshifttofourthpositionontheEinm.69waschosenbecauseitmetricallyalignswiththe

quaverpulseofthisscalicpassage.Becausetheshiftfallsonthefirstnoteofatripletfigure,

thenaturalarticulationoftheshiftunderaslurhelpstheclarityoftheleft-handnotes.The

fingeringinm.70workstogetherwiththeright-handmotionstocreatecleaner,easiershifts.

TheshiftuptothehighD,onbeatoneofbar70,isthelargestshiftinthispassage,and

dictatesthe“reset”ofthehandinahighposition.Iftheperformerconcentratesonthemotion

ofthebowmovingfromalighterup-bowtoaslightlymoreweighteddown-bow,theshift

movestowardsthebodyandintoplacewithafeelingofgravitas.Theresettingofthehandin

6thpositionalsoinvolvesanimmediate“opening”actionfromthebaseknucklejointsatthe

momenttheDisplaced,topreparefortheextensiontothehighA.Thehandthencontracts

into6thpositionuntilitshiftsbacktofirstpositiononthelowA.Thecleanlinessofthese

mechanismsishelpedbythearticulationmarkingsinthebow.Frequentbowchangesand

tenutomarkingsallowcrucialtimeinwhichtofinishpreviousleft-handactionsandprepare

newones.Similarly,lefthandarticulationcanaidtherhythmicallytimedshiftsinm.71.The

shiftdowntosecondpositionontheBisagainhelpedbythebow’stenutomarkings.

Theimportanceofthetimingofmotionsinbothhandsiseasilyobservableinthefirsttwo

barsofrehearsalfigure13(seeEx.8).Astheplayerexecutesthestringcrossingsdiscussedin

Chapter3,themotionsinthelefthandplayanintegralroleinthecoordinationofthe

techniqueasawhole.Thedouble-stoppingfiguresonthesecondquaverofeachgroupposea

challengetotheperformer.Thedifficultiesarisefromthestringcrossingfromasinglestring

toadouble-stopontwohigherstringsinthesamebow,whilehavingtoimmediatelyprepare

forthenextsequence.Thestaccatoarticulation,however,worksinfavouroftheperformeras

itoffersaslightbowreleasethatallowsthelefthandtopreparethenextnotequicklyin

27

advance.Theaccentsnecessitatethebowtopreparethestrokefromthestring,andalso

supporttheshiftingimpulse,helpingtheshiftingfingertofeelanchoredaccurately(ideally

withouttension),enablingthefollowingdouble-stoptositcomfortablyinposition.The

performermustmarkedlyarticulatetheaccentedup-bowgesturessothattheydonotsound

weakincomparisontothedown-bows.Anevenarticulationenhancesthemechanicalquality

thatmaybemusicallyappropriatetothepassage.Thisisanexcellentexampleofleftandright

handsworkingtogethertocreateasuccessfultechnicalresult,whichinturnwillproducethe

desiredmusicaloutcome.

Ševčík’sOp.8studiesforchangesofpositionprovideaseriesofusefulshiftingexercises.The

exercisespresentacombinationofshiftsbetweenhandpositions,rangingfromvariedshifts

between1stand2ndposition,throughtoshiftsfrom1stto8thposition.Eachexercise

includesshiftsoneachstring.Inmypractice,theseexerciseswerenotonlyusedforthe

analysisofshiftingmechanisms,butalsotoconcentrateonachievingpureintonationon

everynote.Thefirstexercisesinthisvolumecontainvariousshifts(upanddown)between

firstandsecondposition,includingfinger-replacementexercises.Theseareanexcellent

foundationforexplorationintolightnessoftheleft-handfingerconnectiontothestring,while

keepinganeven,consistentbowspeed.Fromexercise4,“type2”shiftsareintroduced.Tobe

abletohearthedetailineachshiftclearly,Ipracticedtheseinaslowtempoandchanged

bowsonlyaftershifts.Witha“type2”shift,thereleaseofthe“oldfinger”onthestringmust

beperfectlytimedsothattheplacementofthe“newfinger”isprecise.Thismechanismcanbe

practicedrepeatedly,keepinganevenbowspeed,sothatthehandsandarmsbeginrecognize

thefeelingofthismovement.Itisonlythroughrepeatingthecorrectmechanisminpractice

thattheshiftcanbereplicatedaccuratelyatwill.Whileworkingthrougheachvariationof

theseexercisestheperformerwillexplorethedifferentmechanismsusedinshiftsofallsizes,

usingtheseexercisesasatemplate.Thesmallershiftswillrequireaheightenedsenseoftouch

and,asthemovementgetsbigger,moreofthehandandarmbecomeinvolved.

28

Chapter5

ArticulationandMixedBowings

Inhisbook,PrinciplesofViolinPlayingandTeaching,Galamiandiscussedarticulationinthe

chaptertitled“TechniqueandInterpretation”(9).Heconsideredarticulationtobean

extensionoftoneproduction,describingtheimportanceofbalancing“consonants”with

“vowel”sounds(10).HemakesparticularreferencetoProkofiev’sSecondViolinConcerto,

illustratingavariationofdetachéintheformofdetachéportewhichisfoundatfigure16(m.

138)inthefirstmovement(68).AccordingtoGalamian,thenotesinthispassagewithtenuto

stylemarkingsaretobeplayedwithaslightswellingatthebeginningofthenotewitha

gradualreleasetowardstheend(68).Thistypeofdetachéisspecificallyusedtogive

expressionandshouldhaveaportato-likequality(68).

Themartelé,spiccatoandsautillébowingsinthismovementrequiremanydifferenttypesof

attack(84).Galamiandescribedthreedifferenttypesofbowattack(84).Theseinclude:(1)

theverysmooth,vowel-likebeginning,(2)theclearlydefinedconsonant-likeattackand(3)

theaccentedattack(85).Bowattacksandarticulationsincorporateelementsofbowspeed,

bowpressure,pointofcontactandchangeofbow.Variationstotheseelementscreate

dynamics,contrastandphrasingthroughadiverserangeofverticalandhorizontal

movements(85).Galamianbelievedthatthelefthandplaysanimportantroleinthequalityof

differentarticulations(85).

ThearticulationsymbolsinProkofiev’sViolinConcertoNo.2aremadediversebytheir

placementinpassagescontainingcomplexmixedbowingpatterns.Rehearsalfigure4(m.37)

isanexampleofstaccatoarticulationswithinmixedbowingpatterns.Whereasanormal

staccatoactionisabouncy,off-the-stringtypebowstroke,Galamiandescribedthebow

techniqueusedhereas“theclearlydefinedconsonant-likeattack”(85).Thistypeofattackis

appropriateinthissectionbecausethestaccatomarkingsneedcleardefinition,eventhough

theyarenotaccented(85).Galamiansuggestedthatthisattackisachievedbyplacingthebow

onthestringwiththesamepressurethatwillbeusedforthesuccessivebowstroke(85).

Hodgsonadvisedtheslowpracticeofmartellato(martelé)inapassagerequiringthistypeof

staccato(fromthestring)(81).

29


Bowdistributionandbowspeedcontributelargelytothesuccessoftoneproductionin

passagescontainingmixedbowingpatterns.Forexample,inthesectionmarkedppabove,

alternatingfastandslowbowsoccur,whichtheperformermustachievewithoutlosinga

good,eventone(Galamian86).Thebowspeedonthestaccatonotehastobequitefast,yet

light,andthecontactpointshouldbeslightlyfurtherfromthebridge(86).Itisimportantto

“catch”thestringonthefirstnote,sothatthenecessarybowspeedisestablishedatthestart

ofthenote(87).This“catch”canbedescribedasaslightpressureandreleaseinthebow-

handfingerswhenthebowtouchesthestring,allowingaclearstarttothenote.Iplayedthis

sectionintheupper-halfofthebow,whichresultednaturallyfrombowingouttheprevious

sectionaswritten.Iusedafullquarterofthebowlengthtoenablethefollowingthreenotes

tohaveenoughbowto“speak”.Theupper-halfofthebowispreferableinthissectionbecause

naturallythereislessweightatthetip,whichfacilitatesthepianissimodynamic.Thismeans

however,thatthecontactpointshouldbeclosertothebridge,andthe“catch”actionwillneed

slightlymorebowpressuretoproducethesameclarityasinlowerpartsofthebow.

Incontrast,rehearsalfigure3(seeEx.3)demonstratesaspiccatomovement,whichisanoff-

the-stringstaccatobowstroke(seeHodgson79).Thebowmovementsrequiredforthis

strokeincludemovementstowardsandawayfromthestring,andacrossthestring(22).

Hodgsonanalysedthesemovementsinthemiddleofthebow(appropriatetorehearsalfigure

3)(22).Hebelievedthat“forearmrotation”isthekeytooff-the-stringbowstrokes(22).

Throughhisownmotionstudies,heshowedthatforearmrotationgenerates“greaterrapidity

thanispossibleinanyotheractiveway”(22).Whenan“upperarmswing“isaddedtothis

action,theresultisspiccato(22).Hegoesontoshowthecircularmotionthatstilloccursina

spiccatostroke(23).

30

Fig.8.Hodgson,“BowMovementsinSpiccatoandSautillé”(23).

Figure8showsthefigure-eightpathofthehandasitplaystwospiccatonotes(down-bowto

up-bow)(23).Hodgsonexplainedthemeaningofthethreenumbersonthisgraphasfollows:

1indicatesthebowpositionbeforeimpact,2isthepositionatimpactandnumber3isthe

reboundafterimpact(23).Thesethreemotionshappenwithinthefirstdown-bowstrokeand

ineachsuccessivestroke(23).Thefigure-eightpatternoccursineverypartofthebowwhile

itisairborne(23).Tograsptheconceptthatthiscircularmotionexistsinoff-the-stringbow

strokes,istorealizetherelationshipbetweeneachofthebowstrokes.Thelefthand

preparationtimeisextendedbythetimeittakestoexecutethiscircularmovement.Thistime

allowsforpotentialconnectivitybetweenthebowstrokesandcorrespondingleft-handnotes.

Rehearsalfigure13(seeEx.8)isanexampleofacombinationofdifferentarticulations(in

thiscase,staccatoandaccentmarkings)andmixedbowingpatterns.Thesebowingpatterns

occurinaseriesofdetachedandslurredsinglenotesanddoublestops.InChapter3ofthis

commentary,theforwardandbackwardcurvesinvolvedherewereanalysed,leadingtosome

solutionsonconnectivitybetweenthebowstrokesinthissection.Hodgsondevelopedthis

furtherinhiswritingon“modifyingcurves”(76).Hewrote,“thebowingofdoublestringswill

proveefficaciousinkeepingcurveswithinbounds”(76).Bypracticingexercisescontaining

singletodoublenotetransitions,theperformercancalculatethepreciseamountofbow

lengthandpivotactionneededforoptimalefficiency(76).Theseprinciplescanalsobe

appliedtomm.128-130.

31

ŠevčíkOpus1,Part1containsimportantandrelevantstudiesthathighlightmixedbowings

andarticulations.Exercise29istitled“Exercisesinvariousstylesofbowing”(40).Ifound

theseexercisesparticularlyhelpfultopracticeaspartofmypreparationforthisparticular

concerto.Thisexerciseisusefulbecauseitexploresbowdistributionindifferentpartsofthe

bowwithdifferentnotelengths,variationsonslurredandseparatedottedrhythms,and

thoroughlycoversmanyofthearticulationsusedinProkofiev’sconcerto.Theextensivearray

ofmixedbowingpatternsprovidedinthisexercisearecompletelybow-orientated.Any

difficultywithleft-handtechniqueismoretodowithpreparingstringcrossingsandbeing

whollyorganisedinthebow.With170bowingvariations,thestudentislikelytofinda

challengingprojectinthisexercisealone.Exercises14,15and16inthisbookarealso

relevant.Theyincludeexercisesinsixths,octaves,ninthsandtenths.Thispreparatory

exerciseisanexerciseinstringcrossingsthatcorrespondswithrehearsalfigures13and14.

Ševčíkwritesdouble-stoppingoptionstopromotethepracticeofabsoluteconnectivityinthe

bowandbetweentheleftandrighthands.Ševčík’sOpus2,Part3exercisesarealsovery

usefultopracticeinthiscontext.Intheareaofmixedbowingsandarticulations,Ifoundthe

“variouslegatostyle”exercisesparticularlyhelpful.Ipersonallylikethemethodicalapproach

ofworkingthroughthevariousbowstylesinSevcik’sorder.Astherhythmsandtechniques

changeanddiversify,theperformerisconstantlyadaptingtothenewvariations.Thebowing

styleisoriginallylegatobutmovesthroughaseriesof“offthestring”strokes.Thesepatterns

aredirectlyrelatabletotheconcerto,makingthemusefulcomplementarystudiesofthis

work.

32

Conclusion

InHodgson’sownconclusionofhismotionstudywork,hespecificallydiscusseditslevelof

significance.Throughgatheringmotionstudydataandcollectingnumerouscyclegraphs,he

feltthathehadprovedaconnectionbetweenbowingmovementsandthenaturalmovements

ofthehumanbodyandthatinitself,thiswasenoughtovalidateanewwayofthinking(103).

LaurenDeutschmentionssomelimitationsofHodgson’sworkinherdoctoralthesis.She

statesthat“Hodgsondoesnotexplainhisdatacollectionmethodsclearly,anditisunknown

whetherhestudiedmanyviolinistsorjustoneviolinisttocomeupwithhisconclusions”(10).

Shealsopointsoutourlackofknowledgeregardingthetechnicalleveloftheviolinistsin

question,andbelievesthatwecanonlydrawlimitedconclusionsfromhiswork(10).Dueto

thefactthatHodgsonstudiedthenumerousviolinschools,analysedthetechniquesofthe

greatestviolinistsintheworld,andtookliterallythousandsofcyclegraphsofeverypossible

bowing,Ibelievethathisstudy(evenifnotdiligentlyrecorded)isaninvaluableeducational

source(xi).Itleadstotheconclusionthatallbowingmovementsarearguablygovernedby

naturallawsofcircularmotion.BybecomingmorefamiliarwithHodgson’swriting,Ihave

foundtheimportanceandrelevanceofhisworktobeclear.

InthepreparationandperformanceofthisConcerto,oneparticularperformancestoodoutin

mymind.Itwasapractice-performanceinwhichIexperimentedwithchanneling100%ofmy

focusonmybowarm.AsopposedtomyexpectationthatIwouldmissmanyshiftsandthat

muchofthepassageworkwouldbeoutoftune,manyoftheusualleft-handtechnical

problemsactuallyfellintoplace,andthefreedomIfeltinthisperformancewasunmatchedby

anypreviousexperience.Itwasmoredifficulttoperformwiththislevelofeaseinthehigh-

pressuresituationofmyMaster’srecital,butonreflection,IseethatstudyingtheConcertoin

thiswayhassolidifiedmytechnique,specificallythecoordinationofmytwohands,and

changedmyviolinplayingforthebetter.Fundamentally,myownpersonalexperienceofthe

physicalandpsychologicalaspectsofthisapproachwillinformmypractice,performanceand

teachingmethodshenceforth.Hodgsonmaintainedthathisanalysesweretobeusedasa

guidelineforfutureteachersintheirquesttorealizeandsolvestudents’problemsasthey

arise(103).Theidealoutcomeforanystudentorperformeristobeabletoexecutethefluid,

circularbowingmovementswithcompleteeaseandcommittingthesebasic,natural

movementstothesubconscious(103).

33

Ibelievethatthiscasestudyshedslightontheco-dependenceofthetwohands,andpresents

acaseforthethoroughpreparationandorganizationoftherighthand.Onlythroughsuch

organizationcanalinkbeattainedwiththelefthand,andthetwohandsthenworktogether

toproduceahighlyfunctioningcollaborativeresult.Ibelievethatthiscollaborationisoneof

thekeystoexceptionalviolinplayingandisasignificantmovetowardstechnicaland,

therefore,musicalfreedom.

34

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