The Art of Violin Playing, Book One

A monumental undertaking, this translation of Carl Flesch's essential The Art of Violin Playing, by Eric Rosenblith, was eagerly awaited by teachers and students of the violin throughout the English speaking world. Mr. Rosenblith, a student of Carl Flesch and for 25 years, chairman of the String Department at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, has provided a version of Flesch's original "treatise" that preserves all the essential basic concepts, but presents them in more contemporary and idiomatic English. Hand diagrams and a table for the consistent use of bowing and fingering symbols have been added. The range of material covered by this massive book is enormous: Body Posture, The Left Arm (positions & fingerings), Vibrato, Bowing (including all varieties of strokes), Tone Production, Musical Memory and much, much more. The range of musical examples is huge and covers excerpts from the works of all the master composers for the violin from Bach and Tartini to Suk and Reger. There is also a foreword by superstar-violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, that is a very heartfelt appreciation of the extraordinary position that Flesch and "The Art of Violin Playing", Vol. 1 occupies in the education of string players.

CONTENIDO:

Editor's Preface
Preface by Carl Flesch
Foreword by Anne-Sophie Mutter
General Outline of Topics

I. General technique
A. The Instrument
B. Body Posture
1. Position of the legs
2. Holding the violín
3. Direction in which the Violín is Held
4. Head Position
C. The Left Arm
1. Position of the Left Arm
2. Intonation
3. Basic Motions of the Left Hand
4. String Changes (left arm)
5. Playing in Different Positions and Changing Positior
6. Vibrato
7. The Basic Forms of Left-Hand Technique
D. The Right Arm
1. General Remarks
2. Holding the Bow
3. Use of the Bow
4. Bow Change
5. String Changes (right arm)
6. Bow Division and Bow Distribution
7. Long Strokes
8. Short Strokes
9. Bouncing (Springing) and Thrown Bow Strokes..
10. Mixed Bowings
E. Tone Production
1. General Remarks
2. The Point of Contact Between Bow and String
3. Defects in Tone Production :
4. Dynamics
5. Errors in the Use of Dynamics
6. Tonal Studies
7. Tone Colors
8. Sound as a Means of Expression

II. Applied technique
An Overview
A. Practicing in General
B. Practicing of General Technique
1. Daily Exercises (Scale System)
2. Etude Material
C. Practicing of Applied Technique
1. Fingerings in General
2. Fingerings from a Technical Point of View
3. Fingerings as Means of Expression
4. Fingerings in Relation to Tone Colors
5. Bowings
D. Practicing as a Tool for Learning
The "Hygiene" of Practice
E. Musical Memory

Appendix A - Photos
Appendix B - Hand Diagrams
Endnotes
Index of Subjects
Index of Names
Index of Music Examples