July 27, 2005 at 3:15 PM

The past couple of days I have ben haunted by the Kreutzer Sonata. I was walking and suddenly the opening came to mind. Strangely enough it has been a while since I erformed the piece, but I was able to replay the entire first movement in my head, the only trouble I sometimes had was in remembering exactly the accompagnying motives in the right hand of the piano.
That made me realize that strangely enough I listen more to the bass line in chambermusic than the middlevoices. Somehow they always get lost, except when they have an important melody or really cool rhytmic figure. But try to imagine these pieces without the middlevoices.

I had been reading a book by Vikram Seth called "An Equal Music". It is an amzing book describing the life of a second violinist of the London based "Maggiore Quartet". Inspired by the book and thinking about the middlevoices in Beethoven, I tried imagining Schubert "Tot und das Maedchen" without middlevoices. It would loose all power.
Often they call the first violin "primarius", but I am more and more realizing that the heart of music lays in the middlevoices. It is what makes the blood flow through the vains of the quartet, the pulse necesarry to get oxygen to the organs.

In the book a comment is made to call the second violinist "the other violinist", something I am completely in favor of. Sometimes I reckon playing second fiddle is much harder than first. Because you need to have the ability to adapt in less then a second between the instruments, you are often the supporting factor and the others can not function without you. And then ll of a sudden the first violin is silent and you have a beautiful melody where you need to come out. In order to be a good second violinist you need to be a chameleon or something of that sort. I wanted to write that you need to have multiple personalities, but that is not right. Because even though your sound is different and you have many colors, the personality of some of the most amazing second violin players I know will always be recognizable.

I am thinking of Peter Salaff, former second fiddle of the Cleveland Quartet. He was my chambermusic coach during my time at the Cleveland Institute of Music. I have rarely met a more distinct personality and at the same time with the incredible gift to change according to the members of the quartet. The Cleveland Quartett had most of its time Mr. Weilerstein as a first violinist and then changed to Bill Preucil. They are both genius on their instruments (and by the way also when they teach!), but I don't think there are more different personalities on the face of the planet. And still Mr. Salaff stayed Mr. Salaff, with his sweet sound and encouraging spirit, but completely adapting to the players.

People often want to play first violin in life. There is a saying in Dutch about playing second fiddle, and it is not something positive. But I think in general people could use a little bit more second fiddle in their life and towards eachother. Funny enough most second fiddle players of professional quartets are amzing people, just think of Ron Copes of the Juilliard Quartet. Talk to any student of him and it will be clear that you will not find a single student that does not adore him. Why? Because I think these people understand the true meaning of listening, supporting, encouraging, and speak up at the right time. It is what they do most of the day during quartet rehearsals. Rests only the question of the chicken and the egg... are they this way because of the music or are they such amazing players because they are true second fiddle players?

PS: By the way, nothing against first fiddles!!!

From Patty Rutins
Posted on July 27, 2005 at 6:26 PM

I completely agree, Carla. I discovered the joys of second violin a few years ago when we started our quartet, as there was no question who would be first. The other players commented, sometimes, that it was the first time they'd actually *heard* the second violin part, and how lovely a part it was. Second violin is a whole different challenge for the same reasons you state above, and I think you're right on the money -- the good second violinist needs to be ready for anything!

From Emily Grossman
Posted on July 28, 2005 at 3:03 AM

Second fiddle has always been my favorite, ego aside.

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on July 28, 2005 at 3:50 AM

I like your comparison of playing second violin in a quartet and in life. That's such an important role, even though it doesn't draw as much attention as the first violin.

From Rick Basil
Posted on July 28, 2005 at 12:45 PM

I agree that Second Fiddle is definetly the hardest between second and first, especially rhythmically. Because we have the first violin's part in our ear before we play the piece, and then when we play the second violin part, it is completely different, and you really have to know how to count.

From Chris Wren
Posted on September 13, 2005 at 5:20 PM

I agree was well. In my youth symphony days, I was never able to make the first violin section. In my final year, I stayed after rehearsal one night to ask our conductor why no matter how hard I tried, I always landed in the first chair of the second violins. He very kindly explained to me the importance of the second violins, and that he was looking to me to lead them rather than placing me somewhere in the middle of the first section. He suggested that without a good, tight second violin section, things could get ugly pretty quickly and to not look down on the position at all, but to realize it's importance to the group.

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July 27, 2005 at 3:15 PM

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