Synopses & Reviews
Review
'He offers us a well turned-out knowledgeable and agreeable companion. Every violin-lover's home should have one.' Musical Times
Review
'[The book] provides a mass of useful information on the diverse attitudes of performers and teachers at a fascinating stage in the development of violin playing; substantial extracts from some of the most important voilin methods are quoted verbatim, making many of them available in English for the first time.' Music and Letters
Review
'For a player, or anybody with an interest in the violin, this book is a valuable guide to the foundations of modern violin-technique.' The Galpin Society Journal
Review
'Scholarship and practical music-making do not always go hand in hand, and their happy fusion in this valuable research by Robin Stowell is extremely topical and most enlightening. It must surely become essential reading for anyone interested in this repertoire.' Early Music
Table of Contents
List of illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgements; Fingering and notation; Introduction; 1. The development of the bow, the violin and its fittings; 2. The posture of the player; 3. Holding the violin; 4. Holding the bow; the fundamental bow stroke; 5. Fundamental left-hand technique; 6. Timbre and tone production; 7. Double and multiple stopping; 8. Bow strokes and their execution; 9. Special effects; 10. Pitch, tuning and intonation; 11. General remarks on expression, performance and style; 12. Phrasing and accentuation; 13. Specific ornamentation (agrements du chant); 14. Improvisation; Appendix; Glossary of specific ornaments.