Violin Blogs

Happy July 4!

That is, happy Independence Day to V.com friends in the United States, and a simple happy July 4 for everyone the world 'round!

I looked around YouTube for something that showed some American spirit, and naturally I chose a piece by a Belgian composer...;) Thank you to V.com member Krzysztof Ruciñski, who was 18 when he recorded this with pianist Chase Coleman, during the Recital launching Foundation to Assist Young Musicians in Las Vegas in December 2007. Enjoy, "Souvenir d' Amerique," Op. 17 by Henri Vieuxtemps, or, Variations on "Yankee Doodle."

V.com weekend vote: Strad or del Gesù?

Earlier this week, Philippe Quint confessed to being a Strad man, and that got me thinking: Strad or Guarneri del Gesù?

The "Stradivarius" label is the famous one, it graces so many knock-offs, and Stradivari is the one violin maker that is known by both musicians and people in the general public -- musical Muggles -- like my Mom. (Hi Mom!) But the del Gesù has captured the imaginations of so many artists; this just can't be denied.

Guarneri del Gesùs have the general reputation of being more sonorous than Strads but less finely crafted. They also are rarer, simply because del Gesù was less prolific than was Stradivari, who kept making fiddles (some 1,000 of them) up until he died at the age of 93. (del Gesù lived only half as long -- to the age of 46). The Stradivari Society estimates there are approximately 135 del Gesùs left in existence, compared to 650 Stradivari instruments...

Carving a scroll - step by step - part XII

I continue refinishing with my shaped scrapers. Now we have this:

Violinist.com interview with Philippe Quint

Apparently it is not possible for Philippe Quint to play the Violin Concerto by Erich Wolfgang Korngold enough.

"If I could play it three times during the concert – I would!" Philippe said, laughing. "It's one of those works that gives you an incredible amount of positive energy." He spoke to me on the phone from New York in early June, about his new recording of the Korngold, about Dorothy DeLay's uncanny ways, and about the day the Strad he plays went flying away in a taxi – without him.

"I instantly had something that's called 'love at first sight' with the Korngold concerto," Philippe said. "I heard Jascha Heifetz's recordings, and I think I heard Perlman's performance and I instantly knew, I literally ran right into the library and got the score and started learning it, right away."

Memorizing the Map

In this round of playing the violin and viola, I've been paying more attention to memorization of pieces. When I was growing up I did almost none of that. My teachers didn't require it and I think that lack was part of a larger educational philosophy of the time that was anti-"rote" memorization and "regurgitation" for many subjects, not just music. I partially agree with this school of thought, in that I don't think memorization is the be-all and end-all of learning a piece. I don't think it should stop there. But, I am starting to think that it should *start* there.

I played a viola recital in April, my first recital in more years than I want to think about, and my first public performance ever of a piece from memory, without music. It was a short piece, a little under 5 minutes long, Rebecca Clarke's "Passacaglia on an Old English Tune." Given what other people manage to memorize--whole concertos, entire symphonies, multiple instrumental parts of entire symphonies--this one little viola part seemed like it should have been a surmountable challenge.  And, I perspired through it without memory glitches, sweaty hands and all. However, the fear of forgetting (if not actual forgetting) intensified the nerves that I normally feel anyway.

The Music Academy of the West: Week One

    I just experienced an incredible week.  I came here, to the gorgeous area of Santa Barbara, California, to attend and study at the prestigious Music Academy of the West.  I had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that I am the youngest here.  Many months ago, I met my teacher here, Zvi Zeitlin, at a seminar and he called in and got me past the minimum age (16) requirement for this camp so I could audition.  I was actually quite intimidated because from what I had heard, this festival was made up mainly of college and graduate school students.  However, after this first week, I can say that this is one of the most incredible and amazing experiences in my life.
    Even though I got past the age requirement, there were still a few hitches.  The place that all the students were staying, a beautiful boarding school on top of a mountain called the Cate School, could not let me stay because of my age, what with all the insurance regulations.  Because of that, my mom had to accompany me (her “forced vacation”, she says with a laugh) and we had to find our own housing.  Luckily, we found a nice little cottage right next to the Music Academy, right behind a nice home where our host family lives.  We also lucked out with the host family; they are a very musical and supportive group of people and they try to do everything for our comfort, so we have them to thank for a lot of things.
    The festival officially started last Sunday, (June 21) with a placement audition for our orchestra seating and chamber group placements....

Carving a scroll - step by step - part X

Now I drill holes to carve the pegbox, take care with the depth of the hole:

Previous 8 entries