Mendelssohn Octet (First Violin Part)

January 6, 2011 at 04:43 AM ·

Do not fear the flats -- love them for all their warm, rich, romantic sonority!  Vibrato is definitely your friend!

There are three essential characters in the first movement: sweet, melodic, singing Mendelssohn; sparkling, witty, mischievous Mendelssohn; and bold, exciting, virtuosic Mendelssohn.  Make the most of them.  Try some role-playing and imagine you are your favorite fiery virtuoso; borrow his or her persona, with all the confidence it entails.  Some years back I think I remember seeing, actually, the Mendelssohn Quartet join up with another ensemble for a performance and was captivated with the espressive, charismatic leadership of Miriam Fried.  I have associated her with the piece ever since and always like to imagine a little bit that I am her (I hope that doesn't sound creepy).  It's interesting to hear the difference when we step out of our own shoes and into someone else's for a while.  In particular, having a more fearless approach and a bigger sound, which can be partly traced to the movements of large muscle groups -- your biceps and triceps, for instance; you'll also be using a faster bow speed in the high register, which lessens the temptation to press and sound scratchy.  Some of the difficult stuff may fall into place just from doing this, and even if you drop a note here or there, you'll have the right effect.  Then we learn to make it our own!

I have fingering suggestions too -- they might be a little oddball, but I share my reasons:

Bar 5 - first finger on beat 4 Ab (fourth pos.).  Bar 6 - quick shift to second finger on low C (2nd pos.); shift to fourth finger on last Ab (fourth pos., some expressive slide OK).  Stay in position until first finger on beat 4 Ab of bar 7.  Bar 8 - 3rd position on D, 1st position on Ab coming down the E string.  I find I can get the juiciest vibrato on the accented quarters this way. 

First ending - you'll already be in 3rd position.  Quick shift to first finger on C, then 2-1-2-1 2-1-2-1 2--- 3--- 3.  Changing fingers every note I think helps the left hand reinforce the accents in the right hand, making each one a bigger punch in the gut.  You could use fourth finger for the top Eb, but the half step may be harder to get in tune.

January 6, 2011 at 09:33 AM ·

I have a crazy violinist friend who deals with multiple flats by tuning his instrument to A flat, thus gaining the use of open strings! Really, really odd (and mind boggling - how can he read/transpose??), but interesting. Of course for E flat, you get only two open strings. It becomes more convincing when you have more flats.

But back to the world of the sane, when I am stuck reading music in E or A flat major, I find it is often because I am not using the even positions (2nd, 4th) enough. For reasons I can´t explain, these positions work very well with flats.

January 6, 2011 at 08:40 PM ·

On your end with just the part, I'd recommend practicing scales in the key (at least the 24-note, 3-octave, harmonics, octaves, thirds, and sixths), all the kinds of figures that show up in the part. Keep a close eye on your choice of bow placement (from frog to tip) and point of contact. The lower half of the bow and the space near the bridge are your friends, when you need to project but don't want to have to move the bow as fast as you possibly can (and lose control in the process).

There are some ensemble things that can make your life easier: while the opening has crescendo markings up to forte for the people playing 16th notes, they really need to stay down dynamically except to bring out harmonic changes so that you don't have to grind out the arpeggiated figures. Because of the thickness of the textures, it's quite handy to have a fairly "light" approach to the work. Since rehearsing the work can be quite an exercise by committee, it might be best to say "the melody rules" and have everyone know where it is all times so that it can be supported appropriately. A score is a must!

January 7, 2011 at 12:42 AM ·

Nicole: Thank you for your response. I did catch on to a couple of fingerings you mentioned, but the shift to the fourth finger on the last Ab near Bar 6 is a great idea. I also like the fingering at the first ending chromatic section you suggested. I like what you said earlier in the post, and I think this can apply to me quite handily. I sometimes play the violin a little to hard (like a violist) and as a result, I play like a soloist when it would be better to play softer. I have never had a problem with power, and perhaps this can be the piece for me.

Alice: I wouldn't dare tune down my violin, but I would love to see him do it. I bet he can do it quite well. I find that in E flat major, the second and forth positions are handy because its a lot easier to forget about open strings, and in this case, open strings that can't be played.

Gene: I have already started the scales. :-) I find that playing in the lower half, and closer to the bridge helps especially in the first violin solo towards the end of the first movement. Regarding your other section to the post, I think I won't need to worry. Our coach is pretty good, and the other players are all good enough.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

January 7, 2011 at 05:37 AM ·

I'm glad it worked for you!  Sometimes mine are a bit idiosyncratic.  I love playing in 2nd and 4th.  And I could blabber on and on about Mendelssohn. :)

January 7, 2011 at 10:45 PM ·

Brings back scary memories! I was at university, and someone decided we were going to do the Octet - not with predefined quartets or anything - just picked players and gave me the 1st violin part. This is back in pre-CD, pre-computer and even pre-cassette tape days, so I'd never heard the piece and didn't have access to any recordings. Looked at it, thought - Hmm. Looks a bit busy, but assumed all the other parts would be equally "busy", so it would be o.k. It was only at the first rehearsal I discovered how much of a violin concerto it is. I think we sort of got through it in the end, but it certainly wasn't any kind of masterpiece. I for one had my head buried VERY deep in the part throughout.