FRANCESCO G E M I N I A N I

THE ART O F PLAYING

ON THE VIOLIN

Facsimile Edition
Edited, with an Introduction, by
DAVID D. BOYDEN

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRES

Music Department, 44 Conduit Street, London, W. I
 CONTENTS
E D I T O R ' S I N T R O D U C T 1O N : the historical and technical importance of The Art
of Playing on the Violin; the violin treatises of Geminiani; notes on the facsimile. v-xii

T H E FACSIMILE
TITLE PAGE
PREFACE
TEXT F O R E X A M P L E1S
-XXIV
M u s ~ FcO R E X A M P L E1 S- X X I V
(The text is printed, paged 1-9, without any music examples. Then follow al1
the music examples, which, although csming directly after 9 pages of text, are
paged 1-33. Thus pages 1-9 occur twice without distinction. The general
topic common to each text example and to its corresponding music example is
listed below. The page of the music example is given first; the page of the
text example follows it in parentheses.)
ESSEMPIO (EXAMPLE)
IA The fingerboard.
IB The 'Geminiani' grip.
IC The seven 'orders' (positions of the hand).
ID Different ways of stopping the same note
IE Scales involving shifts of the hand.
11 13 scales both diatonic and chromatic.
111 4 diatonic scales transposed.
IV 9 transposed scales, diatonic and chromatic.
V 4 diatonic scales transposed; different shifts.
VI 6 transposed scales, diatonic and chromatic.
VI1 14 scales using al1 diatonic intervals (2-10).
VI11 20 scales for playing in time and tune.
IX 16 variations for bowing, time, intonation, and exccution.
X Scales involving modulation and shifts of the hand.
XI Example X transposed and witli a different accompaniment.
XII Shifting and bowing.
XIII 'An 'affecting Discourse'.
XIV 14 fast major and minor scales.
XV The 7 positions used successively.
XVI Different manners of bowing 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 notes.
XVII Another example.
XVIII 14 ornaments of expression.
XIX Applied to a single (Adagio) note. _
XX Bowings proper to different tcmpi nnd note values.
XXI Arpeggios of 3 and 4 notes.
XXII Al1 double stops, unison to octave.
XXIII Scales of double stops.
XXIV Bowing exercise on open strings.
C O M P O S I T I O N1S- X I I
 INTRODUCTION
T
H E followiiig pages reproduce in facsim'le a
farnous violin method, Geminiani's The &oi
Pluying on the Violin (Op. IX, London, 1751). First
published just 200 years ago, Gerniiliani's treatise has for
years been virtually irnpossible to obtain in an original
edition, and while certain passages have been quoted again
and again, the whole work has been read and studied
erelatively little in recent times.
Arnong other reasons, Gerniiliaili's work has been
ileglected because it describes a technique quite different
frorn that of the present. T h e publication of this facsirnile
and the recently published English translations of such
treatises as those of Leopold Mozart and C. P. E. Bach
may be attributed directly to an awakened interest in the
dctails of eighteenth-century performance necessary to
reproduce the sound of the rnusic approxirnately as the
cornposer intended. But onc rnust never forget that the
instructions given in eighteenth-century treatises are often
rneaningless or rnisleading when studied apatt frorn the,
instrurnents o'the time. In particular, the following fac-
sirnile will rcrnain prirnarily a work of archaeological
interest unless it is studied and practised by violinists who
have taken the trouble to secure instruments and bows
reconstructed according to conditions prevailing in the
rnid-eighteenth century (cf. footnote 2, p. vii).
T h e farne of this violin tutor rests not only on its histori-
cal position in violin playing but on thc inherent value of
its contents and on th'e occasional cloquence of its lan-
guage. The claini that Geminiani's book is the first violin
rnethod has long since becn abandoned, but it is none the
less one of the first mature expositions of violin playing.
Within the scope of its relatively few pages is covered quite
cornpletely the technical groundwork necessary to cope '
with alrnost any violinistic problern of its time except those
posed by certain special effects and by rnusic requiring an
exceptional virtuosity such as the 1,ocatelli Caprices.
Geminiani's treatise clearly shows the Italian origin
of its contents (cf. Notes concerning thg Facsimile, p. xii,
note 4), and at the same time illuminates the considerable
difference between the violin schools of France and Italy
with respect to aesthetic ideas pnd technique, a difference
that is part of the larger and recurrent struggle of French,
and Italian music in the eighteenth ceiltury. The early
French violin school exhibited a prosounced interest in
dance music and a strong descriptive tendency. I n fact,
the technical progress of French violin playing throughout
the entire seventeenth century was impeded by thr natural
lirnitations of dance music and by the notion that music
was good only in proportion as it portrayed something.
T h e abstract idea of the Italian sonata Ras at first incom-
prehensible and foreign to the French. It was not until
after 1750 that French aestheticians generally conceded
that music need not necessarily represent anything in con-
1
crete terms. However, during the early ycars of the century
some French composers tacitly admitted tlic validity of thc
Italian sonata by irnitating it, for about 1720 a strong
school of French 'sonatistes' appeared (e.g. Leclair). Thus
by, 1751, when Gerniniani published his treatise, the
rivalry between the French and Italian violin schools was
somewhat less pronounced.
Even so, a residue of earlier anta&onism- may be observed
<pXLI
C .
*.~ ~ l = ? " s
in c e r t a i l o f y , ~ g ~ ~ k " s . T T %1nF point 1s his
e o n to the so-called ' ~ u l of e Down Bow', codified
b;-the French prirnarily for the correct bowing of dance
rnusic. This rule states in effect that the first note of every ,
rneasure-or more generally, every rrietric$lly accented
beat or part of a beat as far as the ternpo perrnits-should
be played down bow. Strictly applied, this rule often
results in consecutive down or up bows. Gerniniani's atti-
tude towards such rational but restric'tive discipline is one
of furious impatipce. I n Exarnple VI11 he instructs the
pupil to bow the rnusic with alternate up and down bows
'taking Care not to follow that wretched Rule of drawing
the Bow down at the first Note of every Bar'.
, Gerniiliani also opposes the French tendency towards
the idea of irnitation in its rnost descriptive sense when he
inveighs against 'irnitating the Cock, Cuckoo, Owl, and
other Birds; or the Drurn, French Horn, Tromba-Marina,
and the like'. Neverthcless, an irnitation of a more musical
and less naive kind is irnplicit in severa1 passages. He con-
siders the perfect tone on the violin that which rivals thc
'rnost
-----" perfect h u m ~ y d Irnitation
. of spcech and ora-
tory i m h e n he says with respect to piano and
--- --.-
>ecialsi~nificance
" is Geminiani's insistence on the
role of emotional e x p r e s s k . His method contains irn-
portant Gnts-con-&e expressive style of playing the
violin in the first part of the eighteenth century. Gernini- 1
ani's expressive attitude permeates his remarks on certain
ornaments and bow strokes as well as his whole general
view of music. It is striking that Geminiani achieves an
irnpressive eloquence, quite rare in violin treatises, largely
in those passages concerning the ernotional character of
performance. For example, in the closing part of his
description of the vibrato ('Close Shake') occur these
remarkable words :
1 would besides advise, as well the Composer as the Per-
former, who is ambitious to inspire his Audience, to be first
inspired himself; which he cannot fail to be if he chuses a Work
of Genius, if he rnakes himself thoroughly acquaintcd with al1
its Beauties; and if while his Imagination is warm and glowing
he pours the same exalted Spirit into his own Performance.
(Example XVIII, 14th section.)
vi THE ART OF PLAYIN G ON THE VIOLIN
In Geminiani's eyes the technique of playing the violin
was inseparable from the expressive intention of any parti-
cular piece of music. Different manners of playing the
same passage are linked to different types of emotional
expression (Le. the 'Affect'). His instructions with respect
to the mordent ('Beat') begin 'This is proper to express
several Passions'; and these passions, ranging from rnirth
to horror, depend for their expression on the manner of
performing the mordent. - -
A similar range of emotions may be noted in his descrip-
tion of the manner of performing the vibrato, in itself one
of the most expressive devices of violin playing. Gemini-
ani's attitude towards the vibrato is prophetic of the future.
For the first time in the violin treatises there occurs in his
works a reference to some kind of continuous vibrato:
'when it [the vibrato] is made on short Notes, it oniy con-
tributes to make their Sound more agreable [sic] and for
this Reason it should be made use of as often as possiU,<.
Severa1 years earlier in his Rules for P G i n True Taste
(Op. VIII), Geminiani not only makes the same remark,
but emphasizes it by djstinguishing between the incipient
continuous vibrato, recomrnended for the violin, and the
vibrato as a specific ornament which he finds more appro-
priate to the German flute. The vibrato of the latter, says
Geminiani, 'must oniy be made on long Notes'. Thus with
Geminiani the violin vibrato as a s~ecificand occasional
ornament is replaced by what is in principle the con-
tinuous vibrato.
A considerable latitude of expression is indicated aiso in
the discussion of other technicai matters. Of the nurnerous
and varied bowings (cf. Example XX), none of the 'plain'
bowings of individual notes, with thc exception of semi-
quavers in Allegro, is considered good. It is the bowings
with nuance and those with slurrings or mixtures of bow:
ings that are superior. Geminiani's discussion of the,
appoggiatura, made indisputably clear by specific signs,
shows that his normal concept of its performance was one
of nuance from the appogiatura t i its main note. The
length of this ornament is related to its 'Affect'. Herlearly
prefers an appoggiatura of unusual length which is 'sup-
posed to express Love, Affection, Pleasure, etc.'. He allows
for the short appoggiatura but 'it will lose much of the
aforesaid Qualities'.
Geminiani's expressive ideas are not unique among
violinists of the time; on the contrary, they were probably
quite prevalent, especiaily among the Italians. I n spite of
the mysterious scarcity of Italian violin methods before
1750, other accounts of rnusicians, theofists, and aestheti-
cians clearly suggest that the true rnanner of performing
the music is submerged beneath the bare surface of the
printed notes of the scores. The performing artist was
expected to exert his imagination not oniy in an expressive
' Franqois Raguenet, ParallBle des Ifaliens er des Fran~ais,1702;
English translation and footnotes attributed to J. E. Galliard, 1709.
The Mirsical Quarferly for July 1946 reprinted the English translation
(cf. P. 419).
performance 'according to the intentions of the composer'
but also in improvising within the framework of the
printed notes of the composition itself, especially in Adagio
movements.
Corelli is a case in point. The notes of his printed scores
suggest a dignified, simple, even, austere musif and a
similar performance. But there is contemporary evidence
that Corelli played his Adagios in a highly florid manner
quite different from the printed notes, and that his man-
ner of performance was a passionate one. The florid ver-
sions of the Adagios of Corelli's solo sonatas 'as he played
them' were published in Amsterdam during his lifetime,
and while their authenticity has been challenged, Pincherle
in his book Corelli (1933) has demonstrated convincingly
their probable genuineness. A vivid picture of Corelli as -
a performer is drawn by a contemporary :' 1
1never met with any man that suffered his passions to hurry
him away so much whiist playing on the violin as the famous
Arcangelo Corelli, whose eyes will sometimes turn as red as
fire; bis countenance wiii be distorted, his eyeballs rol1 as in
agony, and he gives in so much to what he is doing that he
doth not look like the same man.
It is in the sense of expressive performance as much as
in the sense of technique that Geminiani preserves and
furthers the Corelli tradition. In a broader sense, it is
probable that The Art of Playing on the Violin of 1751
furnishes the key to the expressive and technical per-
formance of Itaiian violin music of the first part of the
eighteenth century. Nevertheless, Geminiani exhibits a
cautious sobriety towards'-ifnprovisation when he says
'playing in goocd Taste dothnot consist offrequent Passages
[i.e. florid improvisation], but in expressing with Strength
and Delicacy the Intention of the Composer'; and later,
'were we to make Beats [mordents] and Shakes [triils] con-
tinuaily without sometimes suffering the pure Note to be
heard, the Melody would be too much diversified'. But this
is simply a warning against excess of established practice, for
Geminiani and others left examples of their embellishment
of certain fast as well as slow movements of Coreili's w o r k ~ . ~
Compared to Leopold Mozart's Vmsuch einer gnind-
lichen Violinrchule, which appeared in 1756, Geminiani's
treatise looks primarily to the past. Udike Leopold
Mozart, Geminiani makes no mention of certain matters
which are related to the technicai equipment of later
violinists, for exarnple, consecutive trills, and trills in
thirds and even sixths. He says nothing of harmonics (also
disliked by Leopold Mozart), or of preserving the same
tone colour throughout a passage by using the higher posi-
tions on one string. While extensive, Geminiani's varieties
of bowing, their execution, and the types of bowings indi-
cated by dots and vertical strokes cannot be compared
with their treatment in Leopold Mozart's book.
Geminiani's beautiful ornamented version of an entire sonata of
Corelli (Op. V, no. g) is printed in Sir John Hawluns's A General
f
1"'
History o j the Science and i'racr~ce o j Music (reprinted, London,
Novello, Ewer & Co., 1875)~vol. u, pp. 9047.
 THE ART O F P L A Y I N G O N THE V I O L I N
Geminiani's manner of holding the violin is also rela-
tivcly old-fashioned. Although the French edition of 1752
shows a violinist (Geminiani?) holding the violin under
the chin, approximately in the centre over the tail-piece
(string holder), this manner of holding the instrument is
not that.desc;ibed either in the French or in the English
text both of which recommend holding the violin a; the
collar-bone. Neither text says anything about holding the
. . as is
violin under the chin at the left side of the tail-piece,
often claimed. By way of contrast, Leopold Mozart says
that collar-bone position looks well but is insecure for the
player; his preferred method is that of holding the violin '
under the chin at the right side of the tail-piece. The
modern way of holding the violin under the chin at the
left side of the tail-piece is advocated, apparently for the
first timc, by L'Abbé le Fils (J. Saint-Sévin) in his Prin-
cipes du violon (1761). T o be sure, theGerman translation
of Geminiani's treatise tells the violinist to hold the instru-
ment 'between the collarbone and the jawbone' with the
chin 'at the right and not at the left side'if the string-
holder'. But this translation could not have been issued
before 1789 (see footnote 2, p. x), more than twenty years
after Geminiani's death in 1762.' However, in view of the
technical demands of the vibrato and of shifting, which in
his examples require occasional awkward and large move-
ments of the hand, Geminiani must have had an extra-
olici-f&ity --
-.- in h -No ..~.-,.*-e
rC h ~ *<: l
and index finger; perhaps E l a p s e d o c c ~ a i r into
y the
&
-4WL-m
position shown in the frontispiece of the French edition
of 1752, reproduced on the cover of this book.
Geminiani advocates the typical Italian bow grip of the
first part ofthe eighteenth century. The French grip, which
gradually became obsolete after 1725, placed the thumb
under the hair of the bow with three fingers on the stick
and the little finger sometimes bracing on the player's side
of the stick. In contradistinction, Geminiani grasped the
bow with the four fingers and the thumb, which was
inserted between the bow stick and the hair. According,
to his teit, the bow is 'to be held at a small distance from
the nut [frog]', but the frontispiece of the French edition
shows the hand at a considerable distance from the nut
of the bow. Strength of tone comes from pressure by the
index finger which, in the frontispiece at least, grasps the
bow at the first joint. Although Geminiani's bow grip is
'modern' compared to the French grip, it is not that of the
advanced school. For the latter one must look to Leopold
Mozart, who describes a firmer grip in which thk bow stick
is grasped 'at its lowest extremity between the thumb and
the middle joint of the index finger, or even a little behind
' The date of Geminiani's death is firmly established, but the date
of his birth has been the subject of much speculation. In 1934 the late
Adolfo Betti finally showed beyond reasonable doubt that Geminiani
was born in 1687. Sce Adolfo Betti, Frai~cescoGontniani (Stabilimento
grafico, A. M . Amedei, Lucca, 1g34), p. 9. Betti's larger work on
Geminiani (La Vira e I'arre di Francesco Gemiriiali~)was announced for
publication in 1933 but ir never appeared. T h e whole chronology of
Geminiani's life should be re-examined.
vii
it'. As Mozart says, this grip permits a more robust tone,
an ideal which is that of a later time.
Another traditional feature of Geminiani's method is his
inclusion of the fingerboard 'for learners' (Example IA).
His information on the intonation s$tem is also more
proper to the past in that in enharmonic pairs of notes he
indicates such notes as G sharp lower in pitch than A flay
(cf. Examples 11 and IV). B~ way of paradox, these ed-
harmonic distinctions may possibly account for Gemini-
ani's 'advanced' chromatic fingerings, discussed below,
Viewed against the whole panora-ma of violin technique
in the eighteenth century,' Geminiani's horizon is rela-
tively limited, but on occasions his imaginative and in-
ventive mind intuitively foresaw the future. He appreciated
the inherent expressive possibilities of the continuous
vibrato. By a single simple illustration, later known as the
'Geminiani' grip (see Example IB), Geminiani clarified
and standardized for each individual player the correct
position of the fingers of the left hand on the fingerboard
of the violin. Significantly, L_EoO__Mozart =., adopts Gemi-
d.-.II.C
niani's g r i e n the second edition of his~Z7i%I;u"te",
' ( 1 ~ 6 ~ - ~ 0a )l ; t h r , u m ~ e " t * f m tbe first (1756).
Geminiani's instructions with respect to fingering each
note of chromatic passages with a separate finger was so
-
far in advance of his time that this fingering had to be
rediscovered in the twentieth century by Joseph Achron
andí expounded
i by Carl Flesch.
Some of Geminiani's information is less revolutionary
in implication, but it rekects relatively advanced practices.
In his text and musical examples, Geminiani indicates
seven playing positions of the hand ('orders'). Of parti-
cular interest is the example illustrating double stops that
necessitates the use of the seven 'orders' on al1four strings.
In his twelve compositions, however, Geminiani is some-
what more conservative. .
Geminiani's invention and experimental attitude are
shown in his fingerings for shifts, The various fingerings
which are used to shift from one position to another appear
to aim at presenting every pos'sible solution. The result of
such systematic completeness is a bewildering confusion
of choice. If any single dominating principle can be ob-
served among the numerous fingerings for shifts, it is that
the number of shifts is reduced by favouring shifts involv-
ing larger movements of the hand (e.g. fingerings I 2 3,
I 2 3; or I 2 3 4, I 2 3 4). Geminiani includes but does
not emphasize fingerings that are more 'modern' in that
they involve smaller movements of the hand in the interest
of greater legato and better intonation.
The same kind of systematic completeness may be
' For background details, including those of the eighteenth-century
violin and bow, see David D . Boyden, 'The Violin and its Technique
in the 18th Century' (in The Musical Qua~tellyfor Jan. 1950). For a
modern reconstruction of violin and bow according to eighteenth-
century playing conditions, sec Sol Babitz, 'Telltale Marks on Old
Violins' (The Erude for Aug. 1951). For intonation systems, see David
D. Boyden, 'Prelleur, Geminiani, and Just Intonation' (The Journal
of rhe A~nertcanMusicological Soclety, Fall, 1951).
 ...
vlll T H E ART O F P L A Y I N G O N T H E V I O L I N
observed in his scales, in broken scales including skips
over a string, and particularly in the variety ofhis finger-
ings for double stops. He gives al1 the possible double
stops up to and including the octave (Example XXII) and
including those unisons that require a whole tone extension
of the little finger. Parenthetically, it is significant with
respect to the performance of triple and quadruple stops,
that chords involving three and four notes are shown
mainly as arpeggiated (Example XXI). *
His bowing variants of set passages exhibit a surprising
variety of strokes (Examples IX, XVI, and XVII). Gemi-
niani's first bowing exercise on the open strings (Example
XXIV) can be and is used profitably at the present day.
But Gerniniani's attitude towards the desirabilityofcertain
bow strokes and their execution is difficult to understand.
His Example XX classifies the various bow strokes with
such designations as 'good', 'bad', and 'middling'. On
what grounds these distinctions are made is not clear
beyond the fact that bow strokes of individual notes with-
out nuance are generally considered mediocre. Even more
puzzling is his attitude towards the staccato in which 'the
bow is taken off the strings at every note'. The use of this
stroke is considered 'good' only for a series of staccato
quaver notes in Allegro and Presto; al1 other examples of
the staccato are labelled 'bad' or 'particular'. Strangest of
all, Geminiani makes no provision whatever for detached
strokes played on the string, the normal violin staccato of
the eighteenth- century. Can it be that the latter is lurking
under Gerniniani's sign (/) which indicates that 'the notes
are to be play'd Plain and the Bow is not to be taken off
the Strings'? If so, Geminiani admits no 'plain' legato
stroke. Finally, Geminiani considers dots over notes under
slurs 'particular', but in his text he does not even mention
this bowing or its execution.
A remark of some interest concludes his text on bowing.
He warns against marking time with the bow, and says
'in playing Divisions, if by your Manner of Bowing you
lay a particular Stress on the Note at the beginning of
every Bar, so as to render it predominant over the rest,
you alter and spoil the true Air of the Piece, and except
where the Composer intended it, and where it is always
marked, there are*very few Instances in which it is not
very disagreeable'. Geminiani is exceptional in his protest
against metrical accent, the use of which was commoniy
recornrnended in treatises of the time.
In presenting the material, Geminiani's text sets forth
almost too briefly the basic information, illustrated by long
music examples and complete pieces whose execution
Geminiani leaves largely to the student. In using Gernini-
ani's work most violin pupils would need a good teacher
without whom the problem of applying the basic principles
of the text to the lengthy examples and the music would
be too great for the average student's persistence and
imagination. Geminiani's work has the important virtue of
The most thorough discussion of Geminiani's music may be found
in Marion E. McArtor's Francesco Geminiani Composer and Theorisr
a carefully ordered subject-matter that taken as a whole is
systematic and relatively complete for his time. But it is
unfortunate that his treatise suffers from a text that is in-
adequate in its explanation of the technical possibilities
suggested by the music and particularly by the examples.
As a result, Geminiani's treatise cannot be appreciated
by a reading of the text alone. The latter by itself conceals
the true technical magnitude of the work as a whole. The
text comrnents not at al1 upon the great variety of finger-
ings for shifts indicated in the examples. Extensions of the
h g e r s are required in the examples of double stops, but
the text says nothing about them. The same is true con-
cerning mysterious contractions of the hand (e.g. fingerings
I 3 4 or I 2 4 on successive chromatic half-steps), appa-
rently to facilitate shifting to lower positions, perhaps
necessary when the violin is held at the coliar-bone with-
out the firmness of chin support. The same paucity nr
total lack of textual explanation may be noted with respect
to certain technical problems inherent in numerous pas-
sages in the examples : fingering changes within single
notes of double stops, the use of the modern half-position +
hgering, use of the open string, and the surprising range
of modulation in Example XV.
While much must be inferred from the examples and
the music, the text is sometimes quite explicit. His detailed
explanation of the use of the wrist, arm, and shoulder, and
their use in the bow strokes at different tempi is a model
of clarity and conciseness. Gerniniani is also sometimes
explicit about pedagogy. He appreciated the beginner's
problem of co-ordinating the complicated physical move-
ments of the right and left hand, and with this in mind,
he recommends that the dficulties of the left hand bc
practised first and separately, deferring the bowing prob-
lem until Example VII.
In certain ways Gerniniani's text has the virtue of its
defects. Geminiani must have realized that the very lack
of concrete and mechanistic detail would force students to
a healthy exercise of imagination and self-reliance in per-
forming the examples and the music. Interpreted in this
light, his text contains frequent instances of laconic and
masterly understatement. Concerniag his double-stop ex-
ample (XXII) Geminiani says, 'Those who, with Quickness
and Exactness, shall execute this Example, will find them-
selves far advanced in thc Art of playing double Stops'.
The same attitude may be observed in Geminiani's brief
remark about the twelve pieces wliich follow the examples.
He says, '1 have not given any Directions for performing
them; because 1 think the Learner will not need any, the
foregoing Rules and Examples being sufficient to qualify
hirn to perform any Musick whatsoever'.
The music given in Geminiani's treatise suggests that
many current notions about him are based more on the
random and casual evidence ofthe eighteenthcentury than
on an examination of his music.' A want of invention is
(unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, Michigan, 1951).
 T H E ART OF P L A Y I N G ON T H E V I O L I N
not evident either in his musical materials nor in the
variety of types of pieces given in the following facsimile.
As Geminiani says in his ~reface,there are 'twelve Pieces
in iiifferent Sfiles'. Among them are pieces in slow
'pathetic' style full of expressive nuance. Severa1 of the
pieces are dances; and although they are not labelled as
such, one may recognize readily enough a Corrente, a
Gigue, and a Gavotte (Composition VIII). The latter is
really a Gavotte en rondeau, of which the Gavotte proper
is iiistinguished by a chromatic descending bass. Of the
several quasi-fuga1 pieces, the best is Composition XII,
mollelled on the fugues in Corelli's solo violin sonatas
(Op. V). Compared to Corelli's fugues, Geminiani's fugue
mr>fe"dr"n-a=-
eX3iGdqíkETEf
7
concerto character specializing in scales and in figures
peculiar to the violin. Unlike Corelli's sonatas, the pieces
of Geminiani are al1 in one movement. Still, it is possible
that Geminiani's three successive pieces eachin B minor
(IX, X, XI) are intended to comprise a single sonata da
chiesa.
The slow pieces are primarily expressive in character,
but the fast pieces exhibit considerable boldness and
dramatic power. T o the usual violin resources of arpeg-
giatcd figures played across or skipping strings, Geminiani
adds figures abruptly contrasting the high and low regis-
ters of the violin, as well as special bowings which involve
syilcopations, chromatic sequences, and even those bow-
ings that use vertical strokes and dots under slurs.
?'he prominent role of the continuo itself is a consider-
able factor in the dramatic effect of some of these pieces.
'Tbt continuo is frequently of true obligato character and
sometimes rivals in interest the solo part itself. In Com-
position V in particular the high register of the violoncello
(exprcssly designated) is exploited, and its occasional
penetration into the violin register, where it sometimes
momentarily sounds aboye the violin, shows Geminiani's
interest in instrumental colour and sonority. In the fuga1 But in the facsimile that follows Geminiani may speak for
pieces, 'the continuo shares in the imitation, although as
a rule it reinforces the lower note of the double stops in
the solo violin. The interest attached to the continuo is
implied by the fact that dynamic markings are given for
the continuo, a quite unusual practice.
Besides the dynamic indications in the continuo, certain
special effects are suggested by Geminiani's distinctive use
of piano and forte. In addition to the usual echo effect of
repeating a passage softly, Geminiani expressly indicates
at times that passages are to be played continuously loud
or continuously soft. For instance, Composition IV has a
forte expressly marked over the first note of seven succes-
sive measures, apparently to emphasize the chromatic pro-
gression of the harmony. Consecutive use of piano occurs
also. An even more curious dynamic marking is indicated
in Composition IX where three short phrases in stepwise
ascending sequence are marked p, non tanto, for., appa-
rently meaning piano, tnezzóforte, forte-or perhaps even
a continuous crescendo.
- ix -
There are occasional rich harmonic effects. Besides the
chromatic passages in the melodic line, certain altered
chords, for instance the Neapolitan-sixth chord and more
rarely the augmented-sixth chord, are used with telling
effect.
With the exception of two or three sectional dance
pieces, the compositions given here have a continuous flow
intimately connected with their highly integrated forms.
Some of these are contrapuntal or quasi-fugal. Others are
composed of melodic materials that are not sharply con-
trasted in character and that form a continuum which
appears to be constructed out of music naturally evolving
from itself. But, as in the case of J. S. Bach, one does not
sense a monotony from this closely related material. Be-
sides, the contrast of the underlying changes of key, which
do not necessarily coincide with changes of melodic
material, contributes a subtle variety. It is noticeable that
the new key is introduced strikingly soon after the first
statement. The opening and closing tonic sections are
quite brief; the middle sections of these pieces are devoted
,- a rule to modulation through severa1 closely related keys.
as
These compositions, rooted in the continuity of counter-
point and in figured-bass harmony, can be regarded as
mature expressions of Baroque music. They have much
less relation to the Classic sonata of the later eighteenth
century. I n this sense of working within the mould of the
past, Geminiani is a conservative in his music as well as
in his exposition of violin technique.
But historical criticism of this sort must not be con-
strued as a qualitative judgement. If the perfection of any-
thing depends on the degree fÓ which worth-while ideas
find their most appropriate formal expression, Geminiani's
music and technical information contained in his violin
treatise deserve high praise. Geminiani, if not a genius,
was more than a maq of talent. His true stature has been
obscured for years by the faint praise of Burney and
Hawkins and by unreliable eighteenth-century anecdotes.
himself through the text, examples, and music of The Art
of Playing on the Violin.
T H E VIOLIN TREATISES OF
GEMINIANI
THEviolin treatises attributed to Geminiani are remark-
ably numerous. T o this fact and to their protean powers
of change and reproduction may be ascribed the present
incredible confusion concerning their dates and contents. 1
The impressive number of 'Geminiani' violin methods
comprises (1) those works indisputably genuine, their
translations and edited verqions; (2) those anonymous
works attributed to him and appearing during his lifetime;
and (3) those post&umous works that rightly or wrongly
bear his name, and that are based largely on the anony-
mous methods just mentioned.
 P R E F A C E .
H E Intention of Mufick is not only to pleafe the Bar, but to expreíi Sentimeiits,

T itrike the Imagination, affeQ the Mind, and command the Pafions. The Art
of playing the Violin coniiits in giving that Initrument a Tone that hall in a
Manner rival the mof perfe& human Voice ; and in executing every Piece with
ExaQneE, Propriety, and Delicacy of Exprefion according to the true Intention of Muíick.
But as the imitating the C O C ~ ,
Cuckoo, Owl, and other Birds ; or the Drum, Frencli Horn,
Tromba-Marina, and the like ; and alio fudden Shifts of the Hand from one Extremity of
the Finger-board to the other, accompanied with Contortions of the Head and Body, and
al1 other iuch Tricks rather belong to the Profeffors of Legerdemain and Poiture-mafters
than to the Art -of Mufick, the Lovers of that Art are not to expeQ to find any rhing of
that Sort in this Book. But 1 flatter myielf they will find in it whatcver is NeceíXary for the
Infiitution of a juf and regular Performer on the Violin. This Book will alio be of Ufe to
Perfonners on the Violoncello, and in fome Sort to thoie who begin to f u d y the Art of
Compofition.
After the ieveral Examplcs, 1 have added twelve Pieces in different Stiles for a Violin aiid
Violoncello with a thorough Bafs for thc Harpiichord. 1 have not given any DireQions for
the performing them ; becaufe I think the Learner will not iieed any, the foregoing Rules
and Examples beiiig iufficient to qualify hiin to perform any Mufick whatioever.
1 have nothing farther to add, but to beg tlie Favour of al1 Lovers of Mufick to receive
thisBook with the iarne Candour that it is oKered to them, by their
M@ obedient humbk Servalzt,
F. G.

i
A Repreients the Finger-board of a Violin, on which are marked al1 thc Toiies and
Semitones, within the Compaíi of that Initrument, according to the Diatonick Scale;
they are 23 in Number, vix. three OQaves and a Tone ; and in every O&ave of tlle Dla-
tonick Scale there are five Tones and two of the greater Semitones. 1 would recommeiid
it to rhe Learner, to have the Finger-board of his Violin marked in the fame Manner, wliich
will greatly facilitate his leariling to itop in Tune.

( 1
B íhews a Method of acquiring the true Pofition of the Hand, which is this : To place &e
firR Finger oii the firf String upon F ; the iecond Finger on tlie fecond Stnng upon C ;
the third Finger on the third String upon G ; and the fourth Finger on the fourth String
upon D. This muit be done without raifing any of the Fingers, ti11 al1 four have been fer
down ; but aftcr that, they are to be raiied but a little Diitance from the String they touch-
ed ; and by io doing the Poiition is perfe&.
The Violin muit be reited juf below +e Collar-bone, tuming the right-hand Side of tlie
Violin a litde downwards, To that there may be no Necefity of raifing the Bow very high,
i"'i
,:
when the fourth String is to be itruck,
Obierve
l

l :+-., 1)
 Czl
Obferve alfo, tliat tlie Head of the Violin mufi be nearly Horizontal with that Part
which ieRs againfi the Breafi, that die Hand rnay be ihifted with Faciliv and without any
Danger of dropping the Infirument.
The Toiie of the Violin principally Depends upon the right Management of the Bow.
T h e Bow is to be hcld at a fmall DiRance from the Nut, betweeii the Thumb and Fingen,
the Hair being turned inward againfi the Back or Outíide of the Thumb, in which Pofition
it is to be held free and eafy, and not RifX T h e Motion ir to proceed from the JointS of
the Wrifi and Elbow in playing quick Notes, ud very little or not at al1 from &e Joint of
the Shoulder ; but in playing long ~'tes, where the Bow ir drawn from one End of it to
the other, the Joint of the Shoulder is alfo a litde employed. T h e Bow m& always be
drawn parallei with the Bridge, (which can't be done if it is held fiiff) and muíl be preffed
upoii the Strings with the Fore-fingcr only, and not with the whole Weight of the Hand.
4' T h e beít Performers are leafi fparing of their Bow ; and make Uii of the whole of it, from
the Point to that Part of it under, and even beyond their Fingers. In an Upbow the Hand
is bent a little downward from the Joint of the Wrifi, when the Nut of the Bow approaches
the Stririgs, and the Wriit is immediately fireightned, or the Hand rather a little bent back
or upward, as fooii as the Bow is began to be drawn down again.
One of the principal Beauties of the Violin is the iwelling or encreafing and íoftening the
Sound ; which is done by prefing the Bow upon the Strings with the Fore-finger more or
leL. In playing al1 long Notes the Sound ihould be begiin foft, and gradually fwelled tiu
the Middle, and from thence gradually ioftened ti11 the End. And laitly, particular Care
mufi be taken to draw the Bow fmooth from uiie End to the other without any Interruption
or fiopping in the Middle. For on this principally, and the keeping it always parallel with
the Bridge, and preliing it only with the Fore-fiiiger upon the Strings with Difcretion, de-
pends the fine Tone of the InRrument.

( c. >
C fhews the 7 Orders. What 1 mean by an Order is a certain Number of Notes which
are to be played without tranipofing the Hand. The firfi Order contains 17 Notes, and thc
other íix Orders contain no more than ftxteen.
Under the Notes of the firfi Order you will find their Names, and over the fame Notes
Figures denoting the Fingers with which they are to be fiopped, and the Strings on which
they are ítopped.
i t muit be obferved that between the two black Notes is the greater Semitone, and betwten
the others is the Tone,
T h e Mark (o) denotes an opeii String.
From the firit Order you are to begin to play.
'Tis neceiTq to place the Fingers exactly upon the Marks that belong to the Notes ; for
on this depends the itopping perfe&ly in Tune,
After having been pra&iied in the firfi Order, you mufi paíi on to the fecond, and then
to the third; in which Care is to be taken that the Thumb always remain farther back than
the Fore-finger ; and the more you advance in the otber Orders the Thumb mu[t be at
a greater DiPiance ti11 it remains almofi hid under the Ncck of the Violin.
i t is a confiant Rule to keep the Fingers as k m as poflible, and not to raile t h m , tiu thm
is a Necefity of doing it, to place them fomavhere elie ; and the Oblervance of this Rule
will very much facilitate the playing double Stops.
T h e fingering, indeed, requires an earnefi Application, and therefore it would be rnofi
pudent to uiidertake it without the Ufe of the Bow, which you hould iiot meddlc wi.itb
till you come to the 7th Example, in which will be found the n e c e h and proper M&&
of uíing it.
It
 C31
I t cannot be iuppofed but diat t l i s Ranice without the Bow is diiagrcable, Ciiice it gives
no SatisfaBioii to tlie Ear ; but tlic Benefit wliich, iii Time, will arife from it, will be a
Recoinpence more than adequatc to the Diiguit it may give.

D fhews the digerent Ways of ito piiig the f m e Note, and diicovers at the fame Time,
R
that Traifpofition of the Hand cod s in p&ng from one Order to another.

As fov -Zxample,
If a Note ought to be itopped by the fourth Finger on any String whatfoever, in the
firlt Order, and the iame Note be itopped by the third Finger, it will pa6 into the
fecond Order ; and if by the iecond Finger into the third; and conieqiieiitly by ltopping
it with tlie firft, it enters iiito the fourth Order.
On the coiitrary, if the firfi Finger itopping a i y Note whatioever falls under the fourth
Order ; by ftopping the h e Note with the fecond Finger it paffes into the third ; by itop-
ping the iame with the third, into the iecond ; and finally by itoppiiig tlie {ame with the
fourth Finger it enters into the M.
This is iufficient to fhew what Tranfpofition of the Hand is. 1 have only now to recom-
mend a good Execution of the whole, both in riiing and falliiig ; and grea
ing the Hand, as alio i ~ the i placing the Fingers exaQly on the Marks.
Praaitioner mufi by Degrees acquire Quicknei's.

E contains feveral different Scales, with the Tranipofitioiis of the Hand, which ought to
be made both in rifing añd falling. It muit here be obierved, that in drawing back the
Hand from the 5th, 4th and 3d Order to go to the firfc, che Thumb cannot, for Want of
I Time, be replaced in its natural Pofition; but it is neceffary it fhould be replaced at the
1 iecond Note.
#
A Sharp ! ) raiies the Note .to which it is prefixed, a Semitone higlier; as for Example,
when a Sharp is prefixed to C, the Finger mufi be placed iii the Middle between C
and D, and io of the reit, except B aiid E; for when a Sharp is prefixed to eitlier of tliem,
&e Finger muR be ~ l a c e dupon C and F. A Flat ( b ) on the Coiitrary renders tlie Note
to which it is pefixed, a Semitone lower: As for Example, when a Flat is prefixed to B
the Finger miiit be placed in the Middle between B and A, aiid fo of tlie Refi except F and C;
for when a Flat is prefixed to eirher of them the Fiiiger niufi be placed upon E and B
natural. This Rule concerning the Flats aiid Sharps is iiot abfolutely exaB ; but it is thc

r
1
and beR Rule that can be given to a Learner. Tliis Mark ( ) takes away the Force
of both the Sharp and the Flat and refiores the Note before which it is placed to its natural
Qality.

Example II.
In This Example tliere are I 3 Scales, compofed of the Diatonick and Cromarick Genera.
Many may, perhaps, imagine that theie Scales are meerly Cromatic, as they may not know
that the Cromatic S d e muit be compofkd oiily of the greater and leffer Seinitones ; aiid
that the OAave alfo mufi be devided into 1 2 Semitones, that is, 7 of the greater 2nd 5 of
the leffer ; but the prefe~it1 3 Scales being compoied of Toiies and tlie greater 2nd leffer
Semitones, aiid the O&ave containing 2 Tones, 5 of the greater Semitoiies and 3 of the
leifer, I cal1 them mixt. 1

Take
 ( 4 1
Take notice that the Sign (ma) fignifies Major or greater, and the Sign (mi) M'mor or
leffer .
The Poíition of the Fingers marked in the. firfi Scale (which is that commonly praaifed)
is a faulty one ; for two Notes caiinot be fiopped lucceí?ively by the fame Finger without
Difficulty, efpecially in quick Time.

Example 111.
Coiltains 4 Scales of the Dintonick Genus tranfpofed; and here, not to burthen the
Mernory of the Beginner, al1 the Flats ( b ) inRead of being marked at the beginning of the
S t a 6 are marked immediately before the Notes tvhich they belong to ; but their true Situa-
tion rnay be feen at the End of the Staff.

Exomple IV.
In this Example are contained 9 Scales tranfpofcd, and compofed of the Diatonick and
Cromatit Genera;1 have ufed the fame Method of marking the Flats in the firfi eight Scales,
and the Sharp in the ninth Scale, as in tke former Example.
'Tis neceirary in this Example to be very exaA in obferving the Difiance between one
Note and another, as alfo the Poíition of the Fingers, and the Traníjoíition of the Hand.
T h e Poíition of the Fingers iii the laR Scale is extreainly faulty and is fet dokvii mecrly by
Way of Caution to the Learner to avoid it. The Scales iil this Example begin at the Mark
(m) and are to be praaifed backward as well as fonvard.
Example V .
In this there are 4 Diatonick Scales tranfpofed, and with different Tranfpoíitions of the
Hand. Let it be obferved that after you have pradifed them in afcending they íhould be
pra&ifed alfo back again.

ExampZe VI.
This Example contains 6 Scales compofed both ofthe Diatozick and Cromatic tranfpofed.
Obferve when the Sign ( x ) comes before C, your Finger mufi be put upon D ; and whcn
the fame Sign is before F, the Finger muR be upon G.

ExampZe VII.
This contains 14 Scales, compofed of, al1 the Intervals which belong to the Diatonick
Genus. Iii which are variety of Tranfpofitions of the Hand. 1 mufi here remind you to
let the Fingers refi as firm as poirible on the String, in the Manner already mentioned.
Thefe Scales ihould be executed with the Bow, aild it will be therefore neceffary to praaice
for fome Days, al1 that is contained in the z4th ~ x a m ~ line ,order not to confound the
Execution of the Fingers with that of the Bow.

Example VIII.
In this are contained 20 Scales in different Keys, very ufeful for acquiring Time and the
fiopping in Tune. Here it muR be obferved, that you are to execute them by drawing the
Bow down and up, or up and down alternately; taking Care not to follow that wretched
Rule of drawiiig the Bow down at the firfi Note of every Bar.

Example
 Example IX.
In this Example are contained 16 Variitions, moR ufeful in Rcgard to Time, to the
Bowing, the ílopping in Tune and the Execution. Again you mufi be careful to keep
the Fiilgers as firm as poíEble on the Shings, and alfo in bowing employ the WriR much,
the Arm but little, and the Shoulder not a t all.

Example X.
This Example is compofed of Scales mixt with various Paffages and Modulations, which
are often repeatcd with different Tranfpofitions of the Hand ; and is calcuIated to reildei
the Labour of Praaice more pleafant.

Exae~mpleXI.
This Example is tranfpofed from the other, a Tone higher, io that the Melody may be
faid to be the lame, but the Accompanyment is quite different.

Example XII.
111 order to execute this Compofition well, 'tis neceffary ta examine very frequently the
Tranfpoíitions of the Hand in -ir, until they are entirely impreffed on the Mind ; and then
to praaice the 24th Example for acquiring the fiee Ufe of the Bow, and after proceed to
execute this Example, which will be then found not lo difficult as it may at firR be
thought,

f
\'

Example XIII. 1 'd

,-
1
' This Movement ought to be executed in h c h a Manner'as to refemble an affeaing Dif-
', courle, and cannot be juRly performed without having firR well comprehended and often
,'\ pra&ifed what is contained in the I 8 th Example.

Example XIV.
In this are contained 14 Scales; fome of which are compoied in Keys with a third Majar,
and the others in Keys with a third Minor. Theie Scales ought to executed with Quicknefi,
and in order to execute them well, you mufi take Care to put in PraAice the Rules laid
down in the I 2th Example.
!
II
II Example XV.
This contains the 7 Orders already mentioned, which proceed one after another without
concluding or making any Cadence. Here alfo is introduced the Cmtnatic Flat, ( b ) and the
#
Crpmatic Sharp. ( ) T h e Sign ( A )iigiifies the laR Note of the Order, and the Sign
I ( I ) the f i ~ fNote
i of the hiccceding Order, upon which the Hand is to be traníjoled.
1 am fenfible that the Modulation of thefe Orders is fomewhat harih, but however very ufe-
1i hl; for a good Profeffor of rhe Violin'is obliged to execute with Propriety and Jultnefi, every
Compoíition that is laid before him ; but he who has never played any other Mufick than
i the agreeable and common Modulation, when he comes to play at Sight what is direaly op-
4 pofite to it, muR be ver- much at a Lofs.
 This Example fhews in ho2rnany different Dlanners af bowing you rnay play 2, 3, 4, 5
and 6 Notes. As for Initance, 2 Notes rnay be played in 4 different Manners, 3 'Notes in
eight, 4 in I 6, 5 in 32, and 6 in 62. It mult .be obierved, that the Example mark-
ed with the Letter A is of 2 Notes, B, 3, C, 4, D, 5, and the Letter F, 6, Tlie
Letter (g) denotes that the Bow is to be drawn downwards ; and thc Letter ( S ) that it muit
be drawn upwards. The Learner fhould be indefatigable in praQifing this Example till he
has made hiinlelf a perfeQ M d e r of the Art of Bowing. For it is to be held as a certain
Principie that he who doer not poreí'i, in a perfe& Degree, the Art of Bowing, wiIl never
be able the render the Melody agreeable nor arrive at-a Facility in the Execution.

Example XVII.
This Example only differs from the foregoing, as to what concerns Time and Compoíi-
tion ; in other RefpeQs it is the faine.

Example XVIII.
Contains al1 the ,Ornarnents of Exprefion, neceffary to the playing in a good Tafle.
What is commonly call'd good Tafle in finging and playing, has been thought for
fome Years paR to d e h o y the true Melody, and the Intention of their Compofers. It
is fuppofed by many that a real good Tafie cannot pofibly be acquired by any Rules of
Art ; it being a ~eculiarGift of Yatufe, indulged only tÓ thoie who have naturall~a good
Ear : And as mofi Aatter thernfelves to have this Perfedion, hence it happens that he who
iings or plays, thinks of nothing fo much as to make continually fome favouri~ePaffages or
Graces, believing that by this Means he hall be thought to be a good ~erformer,not per-
ceiving that playing in good Taite doth-not coníiíi of fiequent Pa@ges, I ~ u tin exprefing
with Strength and Delicacy the Intention of the Conipoler. This Expreflion is what every
one hould endeavour to acquire, and it rnay be egfily obtained by any B~rion,who is not too
fond of his own Opinion, and doth nat obfiinately refifi the Force of trué~vidence. 1 would
not however have it iuppofed that 1 deny the powerful EffeQs of a good Earjas 1have found
in feveral Initances how great its Force is : 1 only anert th;it certain Rules of b r t are ne-
ceiTary for a moderate Genius, and rnay improve and perfeQ a good me.' To the End
therefore that thofe who are Lovers of Mufick rnay with more E d e and Certainty arrive ar
PerfeQion, 1 recommend the Study and ~ r a t t i c eof the following Ornarnentr of Exprefion,
which are fourteen in Number ; namely,
+
r R 'A plain Shake ( h.) zd A Turn'd Shake ( ) 3d A iuperior Apogiatura ( ))
4thAn inferior Apogiatura ( ) ) 5th Holding the Note ( -') 6th Staccato ( 1 ) 7th Swel-
ath
ling the Sound ( A ) . Dimininiing the Sound ( \ ) gth Piano ( p. ) loth Furte ( f. )
I I~~ th. Anticipation ( J' ) I ztb Separation ( j\ ) I 3th A Ekat ( // 14'~ A clofe Shike
(u)From the following Explanation we may comprehend the Ninire of each Element in
particular.

(Fifi Of the PLAINS I ~ A K E .

T h e plain Shake is proper for quick Movements ; and it rnay be made upon any Nae,
obferving after it to pals immediately ro the enfuing Note.

( Second ) Of the TURNED

SHAKE.
T h e turn'd Shake being made quick and long is fit to expreíi Gaiety ; but if you make it
niort, and continue tlie Length of the Note plain and toft, it rnay then expreri fame of
tlre inore tender Pafions.
 ('lhird) Of the Superior APOGIATURA.
Tlie Superior Apogiatura is fuppofed to expreíi Love, AffcBion, Pleafure, @c. It ffiould
be iiiade pretty loiig, giving it more than half the Length or Time of the Note it belongi
to, obierving to iwell the Sound by Dcgrees, and towards the End to force the Bow a little:
If it be nude íhort, it will lofe much of the aforeLid Qualities ; but will always have a
pleafing Effeét, and it may be added to any Note you wili.

( Fot~~th
) Of the Inferior APOGIATUR
A.
T h e Inferior Apogiatura has the fame Qualities with thc preceding, except that it is much
more confin'd, as it can only be made when the Melody rifes the Interval of a fecoiid or
third, obIkrving to make a Beat on the following Note.

Of Holding a NOTE.
It is neceffary to ufe this often; for were we to make Beats and Shakes continually
without fometimes fuEeríng &e pure Note to be heard, the Melody would be too much
diveríified.

f sixrh ) Of the STACCATO.

This enpreffes Relt, taking Breath, or changing a Word ; aiid for this R d o n Singcra
í'hould be careful to take Breath in a Place where it may not interrupt the Senfe,

( 7ih and 8th ) Of S W E L L I N Gand SOFTENING

the SOUND.
Thele two Elements may be ufed after each other ; they produce great Beauty and Variety
in the Melody, and employ'd alternately, they are proper for any ExpreEon or MeaiLre.

; ( 9th and I 0th ) Of PIANOand FORTE.

They are both extremely neceFary to expreG the Intention of the Melody ; and as al1
good Mufick hould be compofed in Imitation of a Difcourfe, thefe two Ornaments are de-
iigned to produce the fame Effees that an Orator does by raiiiiiiig and failing his Voice.

1 Anticipation was invented, with a View to vary the Melody, without altering its Iiiteiition:
When it is rnade with a Beat or a Shake, and fwelling the Sound, it will have a greater
EíG&, efpecially if you obfme to make ufe of it when &e Melody rifes or defcends the In-
terval of a Second.

( 7welfih) Of the SEPARATION.

The Separation is only ddigned to give a Variety to the Meldy, and &es place moR
properly when the Note d e s a Second or Third; as alfo when it deicends a Second, and
theii it will not be amirs to add a Beat, and to fwell the Note, and then make the Apogiatura
I
// to the following Note. By this Tendernefi is exprefs'd.

This is proper to kveral PaGons; as fm Example, if'it be perform'd with Btrength,

and mntinued long, it expreffer Fury, Anger, Reiolution, c . If it be play'd leis frong
aiid
 LB1
and ihortcr, it expreffes Mirth, Satisfaltion, &c. But if you play it quite bft, and fwell the
Note, it inay then denote Horror, Fear, Grief, Lamentation, @c. By making it Ihort and
fwelliiig tlie Note gently, it may exprefs Affettion and Pleafure.

( Forcrteenih ) Of the Clofe SHAKE.

This cannot pofibly be deicribed by Notes as in former Examples. T o perform it, you
miifi preíi tlie Fiiiger itrongly upon tlie Striiig of the Inítrument, and move the Wriíi in
nrid out flowly and equallyJ when it is long continued fwelling the Sound by Degrees,
drawing the Bow nearer to the Bridge, and ending it very itrong it may exprels Majeity,
Dignity, @c. But making it horter, lower and íofter, it may denote Afflittion, Fear, &c.
and wlicn it is niade on íhort Notes, it only contributes to make their Sound more agreable
and for tliis Reafon it í'hould be made ufe of as often as poirible.
Men of purblind Underfiandings, and half Ideas may perhaps aik, is it pofible to give
Meaiiing and ExpreGon to Wood aiid Wire ; or to beítow upon them the Power of raiiing
aiid foothing the Pafions of rational Beings ? But whenever 1 hear fuch a QueAion put, whe-
ther for the Sake of Information, or to coiivey Ridicule, 1hall make no Difficulty to anfwer
in tlie Affirmative, and without fearching over-deeply into the Caufe, hall think it fiufficient
to appeal to the E&&. Even in coinmon Speech a Difference of Tone gives the fame Word
a differeiit Meaning. And with Regard to muíical Performances, Experience has í'hewn
that the Imagination of the Hearer is in general fo much at the Difpofial of the Maiter, that
by the Help of Variations, Movements, Intervals and Modulation he may alinoit itamp what
Imprefion on the Mind he lea fe s.
Thefe extraordi~iaryEmotions are indeed mofi eaíily excited when accompany'd witli
Words ; and 1 would beíides advife, as well the Compofer as the Performer, who is ambiti-
ous to infpire his Audience, to be firR infpired himfelf; which he cannot fail to be if he
chufes a Work of Genius, if he makes hinifelf thoroughly acquainted with all its Beauties ;
and if while his Imagination is warm aiid glowing he pours the fame exalted Spirit into bis
owii Performance.

Exarnple X I X .
I n this is h e w n how a fingle Note (in h w Time) may be executed with different Orna-
ments of Exprefions.

Example XX.
This Example íhews the Manner of Bowing proper to the Minim, Crochet-quava and r
Semiquaver both in flow and quick Time. For it is not fufficient alone to give them their
true Duration, but alfo the Exprefion proper to each of thefe Notes. By not coniidering
this, it often happens that many good Compoíitions are fpoiled by thofe who attempt to
execute them.
You muR obferve that this Sign (/) denotes the Swelling of the Sound ; thc Sign ) , (
fignifies that the Notes are to be play'd plain and the Bow.is not to be taken off the Strings;
and this ( \ ) a Staccato, where the Bow is taken off the Strings at every Note.

Example XXI.
I n this are Ihewn the different Way of playing hpeggios on Chords compofed of 3 or
4 Sounds. Here are compofed I 8 Variations on the Chords contaitied in N". 1. by which
the Learner willfee in what the Art of executbg the Arpeggio confis.
Examph
 Example X X I I .
In tliis Example are contained al1 the double Stops between the Uniron and the OAave,
and thefe again are repeated many Times with different Pofitions of the Fingers ; fo that in
any Order whatfoever where any one of them is found you may know how to pIay it. Thofe
who, with Quickneis and ExaBneis, h a l l execute this Example, will find themfelves far
advanced in the Art of playing double Stops.

Example X X I I I .
This contains two Compoíitions of ScaIes of double Stops, which are thrice repeated with
different Tranfpofitions of the Hand, in order to remove al1 Pain and Difficulty in the Prac-
tice. It muit be obferved, that after having ihifted the Hand, you muit purfue what follows
in the fame Order, ti11 the following Number points out a new Tranfpofition.

Example X X I V .
From this Example the Art of Bowing will eafily be acquired, and alfo that of playing in
Time. T h e Letter ( g j denotes that the Bow is to be drawn downwards ; the Letter
( s j that it mufi be drawn upwards. T h e Sign (S) iignifies a Repetition.
You mufi (above al1 Things) obferve to draw the Bow down and up alternately. T h e
Bow mufi always be drawn firait on the Strings, and never be raifed from them in ~ I a ~ i n ~
Semi-quavers. This PraAice of the Bow ihould be continued, without attempting any
Thing elfe until the Learner is fo far Mafier of it as to be out of al1 Daiiger of forgetting
it.
Before 1 conclude the Article of Bowing, 1 mufi caution the Learner againit marking
the Time with his Bow ; for if he once accuitoms himfelf to it, he will hardly ever leave it
off. And it has a mofi diiagreeable EffeA, and frequently deitroys the Defign of the Com-
e r As for Example, when the lait Note in one Bar is joined to the firit Note of the next
by a Ligature, thofe two Notes are to be played exaEtly in the Gme Manner as if they were but
one, and if you mark the beginning of the Bar with your Bow you d e b o y the Beauty of
the Syncopation. So in playing Divfions, if by your Manner of Bowing you lay a particdar
Streis on the Note at the beginning of every Bar, fo as to render it predoininant over the relt,
you alter and fpoil the true Air of the Piece, and excep: ~vherethe Co~npoferintended it,
and where it is always marked, there are very few Initances in which it is not very dii-
agreeable.

N. B. In the hventieth Example the Word Buono, fignifies Good ; Mcdiacrc, Middling ;
Cattivo, Bad ; Cartivo, o Particolare, Bad or Particular ; Mexlio, better ; Ottimo, very
good ; and Pcfimo, very bad.
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$6 -- sal
C omp oCne IV.
 Reproduced and printed by
Halstan & Co. Ltd., Amersham, Bucks.