Violin Playing As I Teach It

Book Summary

Leopold Auer (1845-1930) belonged to that select company of violin virtuosos who not only established the level of artistic excellence for the nineteenth century, but also trained many of the violinists who surpassed that level in the twentieth. Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz and Efrem Zimbalist Sr. were among Auer's students. Himself a pupil of the great Joseph Joachim, Auer will always be regarded as one of the most important violin pedagogues in history.

This exemplary collection of principles and guidelines was set down by the master after a lifetime of playing and teaching. Auer taught by example, and he directs violin teachers to inculcate the intricacies of execution by means of the violin itself, not simply by verbal instruction. He then devotes the rest of his advice to the violin pupil: how to hold the violin and bow, how to practice, and how to approach such matters of technique as tone production, vibrato, bowing methods including the legato, left-handed technique, double stops, trills, pizzicato, harmonics, and phrasing. In the concluding chapter, Auer takes up the more general topics of style, stage fright, changes in the violin repertory, and, of great historical interest, his practical repertory hints, what he gave his own students to play. Many of the book's chapters are illuminated by biographical details and anecdotes about famous musicians whom Auer knew: Davidov, Wieniawski, Seidel, Wilhelmj, Sarasate, von Bülow.

Receiving poor direction at an early age is disastrous for a violinist. As Auer says, "There is no instrument who absolute mastery at a later period presupposes such meticulous care and exactitude in the inicial stages of study as does the violin". With this book every beginning violin student will have the benefit of the finest guidance.

CONTENIDO

Preface
Introduction
I. How I studied the violin
II. How to hold the violin
-The violin
-The position of the thumb
-The bow
III. How to practise
IV. Tone production
-Some hints on the subject of tone production
-The vibrato
-The portamento or glissando
V. Hints on bowing
-The détaché (Detached stroke)
-The martelé (Hammer-stroke)
-The staccato up-and-down bow
-The staccato volant ("Flying staccato")
-The spiccato sautillé (Spiccato with bouncing, springing bow)
-The ricochet-saltato (Rebound with springing bow)
-The tremolo
-The arpeggio
-The legato
VI. Left-hand technique
-The change of positions
-The pressure of the fingers on the strings
-Scales and other exercises
-Chromatic scales
-Fingering
VII. Double-stops. The trill
-Scales in thirds
-Scales in fourths
-Scales in sixths
-Simple octaves (1-4 fingers)
-Fingered octaves
-Tenths
-The trill
-Three- and four-note chords
VIII. Ornaments. Pizzicato
-Pizzicato
IV. Harmonics
-Natural harmonics
-Artificial harmonics
-Double harmonics
X. Nuance. The soul of interpretation. Phrasing
-Phrasing
XI. Style
XII. The nerves and violin playing
XIII. The violin repertory of yesterday and today
XIV. Practical repertory hints
-What I give my pupils to play

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