You are on page 1of 8

C. famous luthiers (3rd paragraph) 1. Italian Town- Cremona- important center of making A. earliest known luthiers: 1. Andrea AmatiA.

born 1505 - died 1578 B. very small number of instruments survive today 1. dated between the years 1560-1574 2. most bearing the coat of arms of Charles IX of France C. work marked great elegance- awareness geometrical principles in design. 2. Gaspero de SaloA. born 1542 - died 1609 B. known for his violas and double basses 3. Nicolo Amati- (4th paragraph) A. born on Dec. 3 1609- April 12, 1684 B. started in 1630 1. by 1640 started to show originality A. known as Grand Amati C. no sons- first to take apprentices 4. Antonio Stradivari A. Born 1644- Dec. 18 1737 B. considered significant artist 1. estimated created 1,000- 1,100 instruments A. around 650 survived B. 450- 512 violins C. from 1700-1720 considered golden period 1. instruments of higher quality 2. june 21, 2011 1721 violin known as Lady Blunt auctioned for 9,808,000 ($15,932,115) A. all proceeds went to Japanese earthquake victims 5. Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Ges A. born Aug. 21, 1698- Oct. 17, 1744 B. rivals Stradivari C. carrer short 1720- 1744(death) 1. style copied by other luthiers 2.late 1730s til death work done hastily A. scrolls crudely cut, purfling hastily inserted, f- holes unsymmetrical/ jagged. 1. still created renowned sound 2. Concluding: These are only a few of the many outstanding luthiers that had a great impact of the violins form and technique, but one thing is certain the time between the 17th cetury and 18th century was when the violins were at their peak.

II. Structure- nothing is nailed all glued ( 4th paragraph) A. Body- special kind of box that amplifies sound 1. pine or spruce for belly(front) 2. made of 2 arched plates A. connected to garland of ribs with animal-hide glue 1. rib garland consists of top block, four corner blocks, bottom block, and linings (narrow strips)

A. linings- help amalgamate curves of ribs, provides extra gluing for plates. 2. ribs- sides of box 3. body shows hourglass figure formed by upper and lower bout 4. two depressed C bouts between sides corners form waist A. leaves clearance for bow. B. best woods been seasoned for years (5th paragraph) A. especially for plates B. seasoning continues after violin made C. glued joints held together with hide glue 1. other glue difficult to remove for future repairs 2. hide glue removed by heat and moisture or prying carefully with thin knife blade. D. conclusion- tended violin out live many players- must take careful view of violin. III.. Top- soundboard (6th paragraph) 1. made of quarter-sawn spruce 2. bookmatching at strongly clued joint down center 3. two sound holes (f- holes- resembles an f) A. placed between C bout and lower corners B. affect flex patterns of top(table) C. allows box to breath as vibrates 4. decorative inlaid- set of three narrow wooden strips- light colored surrounded by dark(purfling)runs along edge of top A. said to give crack resistance at edge B. some have two lines or knot-work ornaments inlaid in back C. painted on faux purfling sign of inferior instrument 5. slab sawn bass bar fitted inside top (7th paragraph) A. running lengthwise under bass foot of bridge 1. gives mass and resistance to top plate 2. cheaper mass- production instruments have integral bass bar- carved from top piece 5. top piece glued to ribs and linings with diluted hide glue-allow future removal with min. damage. IV. back and ribs (8th paragraph) 1. back-typically made with maple A. often with matching striped figure- flame B. can be one- piece slab- cut, quarter- sawn, or bookmatching quarter- sawn. 2. also pufled- less structurally important than for top. A. some old violinists scribed or painted rather than inlaid purfling 3. small semicircle extension on back button provides extra gluing surface for crucial neck joint(neglected when measuring length of back) A. have circle of ebony surrounds button either to restore material lost in resetting neck of old instruments or to imitate it. 4. ribs- typically made with maple A. bent to shape by heat B. curved shape reinforced by lining strips of other wood at top and bottom edges. 1. also provides extra gluing space for seams between plates and rib edges. V. Neck- maple (9th paragraph) 1. carries fingerboard usually made of ebony. A. but often other wood stained or painted black B. ebony more preferred because of beauty, hardness, and resistance to wear. 2. at top of fingerboard is a mall ebony or ivory nut (upper saddle) A. grooves to position tring as lead into peg box

3. scroll at end of peg box provides needed mass to tune resonance of instrument A. also provides area to grip when tuning with one hand with violin on shoulder. B. some are carved in shapes of animal or human heads rather than traditional spiral volute 4. maple neck not strong enough to support pressure from strings without distortion (10th paragraph) A. relies on strength from lamination with fingerboard B. if fingerboard comes loose- rival to loosen strings immediately C. shape of neck and fingerboard determines easiness of playing 5. fingerboards dressed particular traversed curve- has small lengthwise scoop A. slightly more pronounced on lower strings 6. neck no varnished- polished or lightly sealed- allow ease and rapidity in shifting positions. VI. Bridge- precisely cut piece of maple wood (11th paragraph) 1. forms lower anchor point for strings A. transmits vibrations to body of instrument 2. top curve holds strings at proper height from fingerboard A. each can be played separately by bow 3. mass distribution, flex- acting as mechanical acoustic filter- has great effect on sound. 4. tuning violin may cause bridge to lean toward fingerboard as strings tighten, of let go it may warp. VII. sound post- soul post (12th paragraph) 1. fits directly between back and top 2. helps support top under pressure of strings, has effec on instruments tone 3. part of adjustin instruments tone- moving sound post by small amounts A. both laterally and along axis o instrument B. sing tool called sound post setter 4. is not glued- held in place by string tension and being gently wedged between back and topmay fall over if all strings loosen at once. VIII. Bass bar- under opposite side of bridge (13th paragraph) 1. shape and mass affect tone, glued in position 2. fitted perfectly to inside of instrument at slight angle to centre joint 3. Baroque era- shorter and thinner A. modern players have asked luthiers to change Baroque bass bar to modern one in older instruments. IX. Tailpiece- may be wood plastic or metal (14th paragraph) 1. anchors string to lower bout of violin by tailgut A. today loop f nylon monofilament that rides over lower saddle goes around endpin B. endpin fit into tapered block in bottom block 1. ften endpin material chosen to match other fittings- ebony, rosewood, boxwood. 2. often E string will have fine tuning lever worked by small-screw turned by fingers. (15th paragraph) A. some time built into tailpiece B. fine tuners usually used with metal or composite strings that are difficult to tune with pegs. 1. are not used with gut strings. C. violinist- usually beginners or who prefer meal strings- use fine tuners on all strings. D. using single fine tuner on E string- built in tuner- limits tuners added mass affecting sound of instrument X. Pegs- at end of scroll (16th paragraph) 1. string run over nut into pegbox-wind around tuning pegs

2. strings usually have colored silk lining on ends A. identification and friction against pegs 3. peg shafts and holes shaved to standard taper- allows friction to be increased or decreased by player applying pressure along axis while tuning 4. different brands of peg compound or peg dope keep pegs from slipping 5. may be made of ebony, rosewood, boxwood, or other A. because of economy or minimizing wear on peg holes by using softer wood. XI. Bow- curved springy stick about 27in log that has a flat ribbon of consisting of more than 150 horsehairs attached to point of bow to sliding wood block called frog or nut at the other end. (17th paragraph) 1. turing screw set into end of bow allows player to move frog back and forth to tighten or loosen hair against strings. 2. frog can be decorated with shell 3. flat side usually made of ebony and shell cover mortise where hair held by wedge 1. metal ferrule holds wedge- shell slides in place 4. before frog- leather grip(thumb cushion) protects stick, provides grip for players hand. 5. before leather grip- winding servers similar purpose- and affecting balance of bow 1. winding- wire, silk, whalebone 6. stick made of pernambuco or less expensive brazilwood- some student bows made of fiberglass (18th paragraph) 1. recent addition allowed carbon-fiber to be used as material for stick 7. hair of bow traditionally comes from tail of white male horse- some cheaper bows use synthetic fiber. A. both must be rubbed in rosin so will grib strings and cause them to vibrate B. bow hair replaced when ribbon becomes skimpy or unbalanced from hair breaking or player feels hair has lost grip XII. Strings- four open strings- G, D, A, E- tuned in perfect 5ths (20th paragraph) 1. run from tailpiece-over bridge- runs parallel to fingerboard- connects to pegbox and scroll. 2. wound around four pegs mounted sideways through holes in pegbox. 3. bridge helps hold strings in place- pegs keep tension to produce vibrations. M. Strings 2- made of sheeps intestine- catgut- dried, stretched, twisted(21st paragraph) 1.. never made of real cats gut 2. plain gut used in modern and period music- recent years Baroque Historically Accurate Performance players use more often than musicians who play Baroque or later music in modern style 3. made by specialty string makers and some large string making companies. 4. 19th century metal windings developed for lower-pitched gut strings A. wound strings avoid floppy sound of light-gauge string at low tension B. heavier plain-gut strings at suitable tension inconvenient to play- difficult to fit in pegbox 5. many claims that ut strings are hard to keep tuned A. have more instability of tuning due to different rsponse to moisture and heat between winding and core 6. some players use olive oil to extend playing life- improve tuning stability by reducing sensitivity to humidity A. tend to hold sound til they break or excessively worn N. Strings 3 (22nd paragraph)- modern strings commonl either stranded synthetic core wound with various metals, steel core- wound with various metals 1. low-density cores-catgut, synthetic fiber- winding allows string to be thin enogh to playwhile resonating desire pitch 2. winding o steel string affects flexibility, surface properties, and mass 3. may be wound in several layers

A. part to control damping of vibrations B. influences warmth brightness of manipulating strength of overtones O. Strings 4- may be synthetic filaments, solid metal, braided or twisted steel filaments (23rd paragraph) 1. E- usually solid steel- plain or wound with aluminum to prevent whistling 2. gold plating delays corrosion of steel- also reduce whistling A. stainless steel gives different tone 3. synthetic core strings- most popular Perlon (another name for nylon)- combine tonal qualities of gut strings with greater longevity and tuning stability A. much less sensitive to change in humidity (gut strings)- change in temperature (metal strings) 4 solid metal stings- stiff when first replaced- tend to go out of tune quickly P. Strings 4 (24th paragraph)- price of different string types vary dramatically 1. most expensive are gut strings, synthetic core, student steel strings- lowest price 2. natural gut strings inexpensive especially for E and A 3. longevity of strings highly variable- highly influenced by style of play, chemistry of perspiration, interaction with string material- presence of fingernail, frequency of play etc. Q. Strings 5 (25th paragraph)- sound produced can be adjusted by choosing different types of strings A. most noticeable difference sound for violin is steel, artificial gut (perlon core) wound gut, plain gut. B wound gut have mellow sound C. steel and plain- both bright- different from wound soft-core and wound-gut strings 5. certain styles of music came to be played with certain strings A. country fiddling often all metal- orchestra and soloist wound gut or artificialBaroque/early music played with plain gut 1. no hard and fast rule in respect to musicians loking for his or her own sound XII. Acoustics- shape, arching, thickness of wood, physically qualities deterime sound of voilin A. sound and tone determind by by how belly and back plates behave acoustically B. patterns of nodes- places of no movement- made by sand and glitter sprinkled on plates with plate vibrating at certain frquencies- called Chladni Patterns- German physicist- frequently used by luthiers to verify work before assembling instrument 1. scientific notation- discssion of how wood detemones where nodes occur, whether plates move wth end or diagonally opposite points rising together or in various mixed modes. XIII. Sizes- children learning violin often use fractional sizes- , , , , 1/10, 1/16, sometimes 1/32- do not represent numerically accurate size- size not actually half length of full-sized violin. A. body length of full-sizeor 4/4 violin (not including neck) is 14in- or smaller in 17th century models. 1. is 13in 2. is 12in 3. - rarely found- 13.5in- sometimes called ladies fiddle B. viola size is not dtermined in fractional sizes but rather in inches. 1. full-size average 16in- may range 18-20in A. may be humorously called chin cellos XIV. Playing- holding instrument under chin- supported by left shoulder- strings sounded by drawing bow(arco) across or fingerpicking(pizzicato). left hand regulates sound length of strings by stopping them against fingerboard. A. Posture- possible to play violin holing it different ways.

1. most players hold violin between left shoulder and jaw- assisted by semi-attached chinrest and detachable shoulder rest. 2. if properly held- should be able to let go of violin with it still be held firmly in place 3. other ways to be held areA. carnatic style- scroll resting on foot B. dancing- masters kit- along forearm by lower margin of rib cage. C. morocco- violin commonly held upright resting on seated players thigh with left hand stabilizing instrument while fingering. B. chin rest and shoulder rest come in various styles and shapes- search may be long in some cases. 1.. player will usually aim for balanced, natural, comfortably feel- spine and neck straight. 2. violinist often have reddish mark on neck from continuous pressure on one spot- violin hickey or fiddlers hickey A. spot may be aggrivated by nickle plating on chin rest clamp or microbial pathogens present on instrument C. keeping left wrist nearly straight allows freedom of finger movement- reduces chance of repetitive strain injury. D. raising shoulders more than natural position- easy habit to produce- limits freedom of motion- increases chance of injury. 1. useful to pay attention to square produced right arm and bow- keeping it on flat planenoticing parts that lead in string-crossing motions E. Positions- placement of left hand on fingerboard characterized by positions 1. 1st position- nesrest to nut and furthest from players face A. lowest note possible in this possition is open G- highest note in this possition is the fourth finger on E (sounding a B)- or reaching up half step to C two octaves above middle C. 2. 1st position finger placed on E sring produces F#- pressing frst finger on G(still on Estring)called 2nd position 3. third position achieved when 1st finger presses down on A string etc. A. limit of violinists range determinies entirely on their skill B. skilled player can play more than two octaves on one string and more than four on whole instrument F. violinists change positions on lower strings- usually done to handle musical passage that would require fast switching or crossing of strings- also done to produce a timbre 1. same note will sound differently depending on which string is used to play it XV. Double stops and drones- stopped notes are played on two adjacent strings producing two-note harmony. A. more difficult than single- string playing- fingers must be accurately placed on two string simultaneously 1. moving to higher notes sometimes necessary to reach both notes at one B. double stopping used to mean playing on 3 or sometime all 4 strings at once 1. double, triple, quadruple stopping is called multiple stopping C. sounding open string along fingered note another way to get harmony 1. sometimes called double stop properly called drone- as drone note (open string) may be sustained for passage of different notes played on adjacent strings XVI. Vibrato- technique of left hand and arm which pitch of note varies in pulsatin rhythm. A. mechanically achieved by movements of fingertips which alter length of vibrating strings 1. several different stlyes of vibrato rangig of use just of the fingers, of wrist, whole forearm. 2. using different techniques speed and amplitude of vbrato can be varied B. often percieved to create more emotional sound- used in music of Romantic era 1. acoustic effect of vibrato largely to do with adding warmth to sound 2. well made violin point its sound patterns in different directions depending on variations in pitch C. violinsts move backwards- lower in pitch of actual note when using vibrato 1. aural perception favors high pitch in varying sound

2. students of beginner level taught to only use vibrato on extended notes or during emotional tension 3. difficult to learn- may take student several months or years to master XVII. Harmonics- lightly touching string with fingertip at harmonic node while bowing close to bridge can create harmonics- natural harmonics- rarely played at double stops(both notes are harmonics) A. instead of solid tone- wispy-sound of higher over tone is heard 1. each node is an integer division of string A. half-way along length of string 1. octave higher B. one-third along length of string 1. octave and a fifth higher 2. responsive instrument produced many possible harmonics along length of strings B. two types of harmonics- natural and artificial 1. artificial difficult to produce A. stopping note one one string- having another finger just touching another string fourth higher B. finger pressure and placement, bow speed, pressure, and sounding point essential to getting desired harmonic. C. traditional notation of artificial harmonics uses two tone on one stem 1. lower note gives a round note-head representing where string is strongly stopped with first fingerupper note uses open diamond note-head representing where string is lightly touched with fourth finger XVIII. Bowing techniques- increasing pressure on strings is primarily way to produce louder notes on violin, another way is increasing bowing speed. Both ways not equivilent, pressing down on strings creates harsher more intense sounds. Playing close to the bridge gives a more intense sound than usual, iving notice to higher harmonics. playing bow over end of finerboard goves a more delicate, ethereal sound. A. Dtach - The term dtach simply means "separated" and it can be applied to any notes not linked by a slur. Stopping the bow on the string deadens the vibrations and thus creates a muted accent, elastic dtach which covered off-the-string strokes, and dragged dtach (dtach tran) where smooth bow changes leave no audible gap between each note. B. Martel (French; Italian martellato) - literally "hammered," is a type of dtach stroke with a lightly hammered attack. A strong attack is referred to as Martellato. C. Coll - "stuck," or "glued," is a stroke that begins from a heavily weighted bow resting motion lesson the string. Ideally, the initial weight will be almost enough to cause an undesirable scratch sound. D. Spiccato - Technique that uses a bowing style that leaves the string clearly to produce a light "bouncing" sound. Despite major misconceptions, violinists play this technique with a horizontal stroke; the "bouncing" motion is only due to the natural resistance of the violin string and light weight of the blow. Spiccato becomes Sautill at faster tempos, due to the lower amplitude of the "bounce". Spiccato is usually performed at the balance portion of the bow. The balance portion of the bow refers to the area of the bow where weight is distributed evenly on both sides, allowing for maximum control. Spiccato articulation is indicated by a small dot placed directly under the note. E. Legato - Of successive notes in performance, connected without any intervening silence of articulation. In practice, the connection or separation of notes is relative, and achieved through the presence or absence of emphasis, Accent and attack, as much as silences of articulation; degrees of connection and separation vary from legatissimo (representing the closest degree of connection),tenuto, portamento, legato, portato, non legato, mezzostaccato, Staccato (the natural antonym of legato), to staccatissimo. Some of these terms have connotations going beyond simple degrees of connection or separation. F. Sautill (French; Italian saltando, German Springbogen, Spanish saltillo) - A bow stroke played rapidly in the middle of the bow, one bowstroke per note, so that the bow bounces very slightly off the string. If the bounce becomes higher at this speed, it is really a flying staccato or flying spiccato. It is not indicated in any consistent manner: sometimes dots are placed above or below the notes, sometimes arrow-head strokes, and sometimes the stroke is simply left to the performer's discretion. spiccato and sautill are sometimes used as synonyms, though

spiccato tends to be applied to a broader range of off-the-string strokes. G. Jet - Also known as "ricochet" bowing, this consists of "throwing" the bow on the string in the upper third of the bow on a down bow, so that it bounces and produces a series of rapid notes. Usually from two to six notes are sounded this way, but up to ten or eleven can be played. H. Lour (French; Italian portato) - This bow stroke, used in slow tempo, separates slurred notes slightly to articulate them, without stopping the bow. It is used in passages of a cantabile character. I. Arpeggio, arpeggiando, arpeggiato - A bouncing stroke, played on broken chords, so that each note of the arpeggio is played on a different string. J. Tremolo - Chiefly used for orchestral playing, this consists of moving the bow back and forth in very short strokes extremely rapidly, not in measured rhythm. K. Col legno - Occasionally the strings are struck with the stick of the bow ("with the wood.") This gives a muted percussive sound, and is most effective when employed by a full orchestral violin section. The eerie quality of a violin section playing col legno is exploited in some symphonic pieces, notably the "witches' dance" of the last movement of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. L. "Shuffle" - A repetitive pattern of slurs and accents, much used in some fiddling styles. Named shuffles include the Nashville shuffle, the Georgia shuffle, and the double shuffle, which is often considered to be a trick or showoff shuffle. M. "Chopping" - A more modern percussive technique, in which the hair near the frog of the bow is struck against the strings with a quick scratching sound of indeterminate pitch. XIX. Pizzicato- played by plucking string with finger of right hand rather than bowing. when bow hand is occupied left hand can be used. A. allows player to both play bowed notes while plucking on different strings 1. some players acquired trick of playing fast passages f pizzicato using two alternating fingers of right hand 2. players continue to play until indication to return to arco- playing with bow

You might also like