Kirjahaku

This volume is one of the first to examine in detail the numerous violin treatises of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. It provides a scholarly historical and technical guide to violin pedagogical method, technique and performance practice during the most critical period in the history of the instrument. Extracts in translation from the most significant and authoritative sources are presented with introductions, commentary, illustrations, extensive musical examples and a glossary of specific ornaments. It will be of interest and use to students, performers, and historians.

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto was the only significant work of this genre to appear between Mozart’s five concertos of 1775 and Mendelssohn’s E minor Concerto of 1844. This handbook explores the background to Beethoven’s work, its genesis, its place in the composer’s oeuvre and the influences which combined in its creation. It describes contemporary reactions to the work both in the musical press and in the concert hall during its first crucial years, and explains how it was eventually accepted into the repertory, spawning numerous recordings and editions. The principal sources and many of the work’s textual problems are considered, including discussion of the composer’s version for piano and orchestra, Op. 61a. A detailed account of the work itself is followed by a review of the wide variety of cadenzas that have been written to complement the concerto through its performance history.

This practical guide is intended for all violinists and viola players who wish to give - or to understand and appreciate - historically aware performances of early music for their instruments. It comprises discussion of the literature, history and repertory of the violin and viola, the myriad relevant primary sources and their interpretation, and the various aspects of style and technique that combine to make up well-grounded, period performances. It also considers various related family instruments, contains practical advice on the acquisition of appropriate instruments, and offers suggestions for further reading and investigation. Many of the principles outlined are put into practice in case studies of six works composed c.1700–c.1900, the core period which forms this series’ principal (though not exclusive) focus. Music by Corelli, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms is examined with a view to recreating performances as faithful as possible to the composer’s original intention.

This practical guide is intended for all violinists and viola players who wish to give - or to understand and appreciate - historically aware performances of early music for their instruments. It comprises discussion of the literature, history and repertory of the violin and viola, the myriad relevant primary sources and their interpretation, and the various aspects of style and technique that combine to make up well-grounded, period performances. It also considers various related family instruments, contains practical advice on the acquisition of appropriate instruments, and offers suggestions for further reading and investigation. Many of the principles outlined are put into practice in case studies of six works composed c.1700–c.1900, the core period which forms this series’ principal (though not exclusive) focus. Music by Corelli, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms is examined with a view to recreating performances as faithful as possible to the composer’s original intention.