ITZHAK PERLMAN Teaches Violin

MASTERCLASS MASTERCLASS your teacher. Goodluck,andhappy “slow” practicing. technical aswell asmusical. Ifanything isunclear, discussitwith demonstrating my ideas aboutthe various aspects ofviolin playing, requires ateacher. Ihopethis bookwill provideyouwith information, and trying tosolve problems involving playing the instrumentalso show youone-on-one howthe hands leftandright work.Describing how toplay the violin fromabook.You need ateacher who can information, meant tobe used asareference. cannot One learn Consider this workbooklike anencyclopedia ofinstrumental A NOTE FROM MR. PERLMAN —ITZHAK PERLMAN 2 INTRODUCTION

BIOGRAPHY

A violinist of the highest caliber. A devoted teacher. A humanitarian. Itzhak Perlman has graced the world with his astonishing abilities, breathtaking musicality, steadfast devotion to the art, and signature wit since the 1960s. After more than a half-century of performing as a superstar violin soloist with nearly every top orchestra, every top conductor, and in every top concert hall in the world, Mr. Perlman continues to expand his horizons, conducting major orchestras and teaching at the Juilliard School in New York.

Born in 1945 in Tel Aviv to Polish immigrants, Mr. Galamian and Dorothy Delay, two of the greatest 3 Perlman became intensely interested in the violin violin pedagogues of the 20th century. MASTERCLASS from the age of three. He first started his studies at age five at the Shulamit Conservatory and the A rapid ascent followed. In 1963, Mr. Perlman Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, where he worked made his Carnegie Hall debut with the National with the Russian teacher Rivka Goldgart. When he Orchestra Association. Mr. Perlman’s career was ten, he gave his first recital in Tel Aviv. was launched in 1964, when he won first prize in the Leventritt Competition. This gave him the Mr. Perlman’s first big break came at the age of opportunity to solo with five leading American 13, when he was invited to New York to play on orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, CBS’s The Ed Sullivan Show. Following his television and led to professional management and a major appearance, he then stayed in New York and recording contract. entered the Juilliard School to study with Ivan ITZHAK PERLMAN INTRODUCTION

Mr. Perlman’s catalog of recordings have also Mr. Perlman has played for world leaders across shaped the landscape of classical music; to date the political spectrum, and he performed for the he’s won 16 Grammy awards as well as the orga- 2009 Inauguration of President Barack Obama. nization’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award for He received a Medal of Liberty from President excellence in the recording arts. Mr. Perlman has Reagan, a National Medal of Arts from President been the subject of numerous documentaries and Clinton, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom from television specials, including In the Fiddler’s House, President Obama. Perlman in Shanghai, Itzhak Perlman Live in Russia, and, most recently, the Grammy-nominated In 2003, the John F. Kennedy Center for the documentary Itzhak. Performing Arts granted Mr. Perlman a Kennedy Center Honor, celebrating his distinguished When it comes to conducting, Mr. Perlman has led achievements and contributions to the cultural orchestras across the world, conducting the New and educational life of the United States. He has York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Brandeis, Roosevelt, Yeshiva and Hebrew univer- Angeles Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, sities, and in 2005, he was awarded an honorary Berlin Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic. doctorate and a centennial medal at Juilliard’s 100th commencement ceremony. Through music, Mr. Perlman has helped shape our cultural landscape in myriad ways for more Working from the same studio where his own 4 than half a century. Not only has he collaborated teacher Dorothy DeLay once taught, Mr. Perlman MASTERCLASS with fellow musical celebrities like composer has been teaching at the Juilliard School since John Williams (the pair crafted the haunting score 2003. His students have gone on to secure pres- in Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning tigious grants and win competitions and awards. 1993 film, Schindler’s List), but his appearances on During the summer, young musicians also flock Sesame Street have been cited by many of today’s to the Perlman Music Program (PMP) on Shelter young violinists as their earliest exposure to Island in New York. For Mr. Perlman, teaching is the instrument. a crucial part of his artistic life. “When you teach others,” he says, “you teach yourself.”

Welcome to Itzhak Perlman’s MasterClass.

“Sesame Street excerpts provided courtesy of Sesame Workshop, New York, New York”. ITZHAK PERLMAN INTRODUCTION

THE ESSENTIAL ITZHAK LISTENING GUIDE

THE PERLMAN SOUND MOZART (2003) Here’s an MARITA AND HER IN THE FIDDLER’S HOUSE (2015) This set of three album that showcases Mr. HEART’S DESIRE: (1995) Mr. Perlman says CDs was released for Mr. Perlman’s talents as both A MUSICAL FAIRY TALE klezmer music always Perlman’s 70th birthday. soloist and conductor: he (1998) Mr. Perlman served came naturally to him. This One disc is dedicated performs Mozart’s Violin as the violin soloist in this album is a celebration of to highlights from Concerto No. 3, and he con- project, composed and con- classic klezmer and was the major violin concertos ducts Mozart’s Symphony ducted by Bruce Adolphe, basis for a PBS special by (Mendelssohn, Brahms, No. 41, Jupiter, with the meant to introduce the same name. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Berlin Philharmonic. children to the orchestra. Korngold, Sibelius, He performs with the PERLMAN Vivaldi); another includes ARGERICH AND Chamber Music Society of REDISCOVERED (1965, virtuoso solo and chamber PERLMAN (1999) Mr. Lincoln Center. published 2004) This repertoire (Paganini’s Perlman partners with full-length LP, a recital Caprice No. 24, Bach’s piano virtuoso Martha CINEMA SERENADE recorded in 1965 with Partita No. 3, Massenet’s Argerich in a live per- (1997) This collection pianist David Garvey, Méditation from the opera formance of two beloved of themes from iconic was meant to be one of Thaïs, Rimsky-Korsakov’s violin sonatas: Beethoven’s films was made with John Perlman’s first recordings. Flight of the Bumblebee, Kreutzer Sonata (No. 9, Op. Williams, who conducts It includes several Paganini 5 Sarasate’s Zapateado), and 47), and the Sonata in A the Pittsburgh Symphony Caprices (1, 16 and 24); MASTERCLASS another includes klezmer major for Violin and Piano Orchestra. It includes Handel: Sonata in E-Major, and jazz selections. Mr. by César Franck. Williams’ own score from Op. 1 No. 15; Hindemith: Perlman plays with some Schindler’s List as well as Sonata for Violin & Piano of the biggest classical stars CONCERTOS FROM MY Quincy Jones’s theme from in E-flat major, Op. 11 No. 1; of the 20th century, from CHILDHOOD (1999) Mr. The Color Purple, Ennio Leclair: Sonata, Op. 9 No. 3 Placido Domingo to David Perlman’s recording of Morricone’s theme from in D; and more. Barenboim. some of the most popular Cinema Paradiso, and more. works in the violin student THE PERLMAN EDITION repertoire is invaluable for A LA CARTE (1995) A (2004) This enormous students and teachers. It compilation of shorter collection (originally a 15 includes Rieding’s Violin pieces with orchestra, this CD box set) features major Concerto in B-minor, Op. album includes classics violin concertos by Ludwig 35; Seitz’s Student Concerto like Méditation from the van Beethoven, Max Bruch, No. 3, Op. 13; Accolay’s opera Thaïs by Massenet, Jean Sibelius, Christian Violin Concerto No. 1 in Vocalise by Rachmaninoff, Sinding, Erich Wolfgang A-minor; de Bériot’s Scène Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate, Korngold, Pyotr Ilyich de Ballet, Op. 100; and and Schön Rosmarin by Tchaikovsky, and more. Viotti’s Violin Concerto No. Kreisler. 22 in A-minor. ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 01 THE VIOLIN

The violin is both an object of great beauty and symmetry as well as an ingenious work of mechanical design. Familiarize yourself with the parts of the violin and bow and get a better understanding of how each works:

THE BASICS

SCROLL TIP

PEGS PEG BOX

HAIR NUT NECK STICK FINGER BOARD 6 STRINGS MASTERCLASS

RIBS TOP

PURFLING BLOCK (inside each of the corners)

F HOLES BRIDGE

SOUNDPOST BOW GRIP (inside violin— FINE located under TUNER the E string just behind the TAILPIECE bridge) EYELET FROG CHIN REST END SCREW

SADDLE TAILPIECE GUT ITZHAK PERLMAN INTRODUCTION

Parts of the violin: STRINGS: A violin has four strings tuned in inter- SCROLL: The decorative top of the violin. It’s vals of fifths. From lowest to highest (left to right) most often carved in the shape of a scroll but is they are G, D, A, and E. The strings are made from sometimes carved in another shape, such as a a variety of materials, including steel, synthetic person’s head. materials and/or animal gut. They are strung over the fingerboard, from the pegs to the tailpiece. PEGS: Four wooden pegs around which the strings are wound. They are used to tune the PURFLING: A thin strip of three ply wood inlaid instrument’s strings. Tightening a string raises its in a channel around the edge of the violin to pitch; loosening a string lowers its pitch. protect the instrument from damage. It may look like an outline drawn around the edge of the violin, PEG BOX: The enclosure in which the strings are but its purpose is actually more protective than wound onto the pegs. decorative.

NUT: A small piece of wood between the pegbox CORNER BLOCKS: Wooden blocks inside and fingerboard. It has four notches, one for each the violin that stabilize the construction of the string to emerge over the fingerboard. instrument.

NECK: The part of the violin between the body of F HOLES: The two holes from which sound the violin and the pegbox and scroll. emerges from the violin. They are shaped like 7 cursive fs. MASTERCLASS FINGERBOARD: The surface where the fingers press down on the strings. It’s generally made of BRIDGE: A decorative but functional piece ebony. of maple wood that balances underneath the strings and transmits vibrations from the strings TOP: The front of the violin. In most violins, the into the body of the instrument to create sound. top is made from spruce wood and the back is The bridge is not glued on, it is held in place by made from maple wood. tension. The force that the strings exert on the bridge is equal to about 90 pounds. RIBS: The thin strips of wood that wind around the sides of the violin, connecting the top and the SOUNDPOST: A wooden post located inside back to form the soundbox of the violin. the violin, under the right side of the bridge. It is crucial for transmitting vibrations of the strings ITZHAK PERLMAN INTRODUCTION

into the body of the violin to create sound, and its Parts of the bow: placement can change the quality of that sound, in TIP: The pointed end of the bow (sometimes terms of volume and/or tone quality. referred to as the point) where the hair connects to the bow. FINE TUNER(S): Small tuners located on the tailpiece. They tune the violin but in smaller incre- HAIR: The strands of horse hair that are strung ments than the pegs do. Smaller violins often have across the bow and which rub the violin strings to fine tuners for all strings, but full-size violins tend create sound. to have them only for the E string. STICK: The main structure of the bow, most TAILPIECE: The somewhat triangular piece of often made of pernambuco wood. The stick can wood where the strings are attached on the lower also be made from brazilwood or synthetic materi- end of the violin. als such as carbon fiber.

TAILPIECE GUT: The cord that attaches the BOW GRIP: The leather pad and metal winding tailpiece to the violin. where the hand grips the bow.

CHIN REST: A shaped piece of wood or plastic FROG: A carved piece of wood, usually ebony, on which you rest your chin and jawbone. It’s where the hair connects at the base of the bow. attached near the tailpiece. It also houses the mechanism for tightening and 8 loosening the bow. MASTERCLASS SADDLE: A block on the inside of the violin that helps support the tailgut and the tension of the EYELET: A small brass piece inside the frog that strings. allows the bow to be tightened and loosened with a turn of the screw.

END SCREW: A screw used to tighten or loosen the hair of the bow. ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 02 THE BOW

HOLDING THE BOW

THE BASICS

As a child, Mr. Perlman was taught two ways to hold the bow. His instructor in Israel taught him the Russian bow grip, in which the hand is ex- tremely pronated, with the fingers close together and the wrist up. This grip was used by famous violinists such as Jascha Heifetz, Mischa Elman, and Nathan Milstein. The Russian bow grip allows for a lot of bow speed.

9 MASTERCLASS Russian bow grip

When he moved to the United States, Mr. Perlman’s teachers Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay taught him the Franco-Belgian bow grip, and this is the bow grip he now recommends. In the Franco-Belgian bow grip, the middle finger is opposite the thumb. The thumb should be slightly rounded/curved. It’s important not to lock the thumb. The index and ring fingers are resting on the bow with even spaces between them, and the pinky rests on top, slightly curved. This bow grip gives you more control and Franco-Belgian bow grip allows you to use more bow pressure from the natural weight of the arm. ITZHAK PERLMAN THE BOW

ELEMENTS OF PRODUCING A GOOD SOUND

Terms: POINT OF CONTACT: Where the bow is is like that “nice trampoline,” where there is just placed between the fingerboard and the bridge. It enough tension and just enough give. When you is best to place the bow somewhere in the middle bow in that area, the string can easily vibrate in of these two places. If it is too close to the bridge just the right way to create a good sound. the sound will be scratchy, if it is too close to the fingerboard the sound won’t have focus. BOW SPEED AND PRESSURE: Speed is how fast you move the bow, and pressure is how much Mr. Perlman compares this to jumping on a you press the bow to the string. Bow pressure mattress: If the mattress is too hard, it’s difficult doesn’t mean tensing up the muscles in the bow to get any height because the mattress isn’t arm, but by relaxing the natural weight of the arm springy enough. The “hard mattress” is that area into the string. The more pressure you use, the right next to the bridge, where the string has the faster you must move your bow to avoid scratch- most tension. If you take your finger and push on ing. The less pressure you use, the slower you can the string right next to the bridge it won’t move move your bow and still make a good sound. much. Likewise, the bow will really have to work to get the string vibrating that close to the bridge. A SOUND WITH “CORE”: What does it mean 10 Then there’s the soft mattress—you won’t get a to have a core to your sound? It means the violin MASTERCLASS lot of bounce on one of those, either, because produces a pure, focused and resonant tone there’s too much give. The “soft mattress” is what without any extraneous noises such as squeaks, the string is like over the fingerboard. Press there scratches, or what Mr. Perlman calls “sand.” To with your finger and you’ll see that the string gives produce a good core, you’ll need to experiment easily under the pressure. With the string so loose, with your point of contact, speed of the bow, and the bow can easily distort the vibrations unless it is pressure in order to discern the ideal combination applied very softly. The ideal place, in the middle, for loud notes (forte) and soft notes (piano). ITZHAK PERLMAN THE BOW

BOW DIRECTION

THE BASICS

When moving the bow from the frog to the tip (down-bow) and from tip to frog (up- bow), it is important that the bow remains relatively parallel to the bridge. Mr. Perlman suggests as you play a down-bow, move the hand slightly out. As you reach the tip, bring the hand slightly in as you transition to the up-bow. Then, as you reach the frog, pivot the hand slightly forward again for the down-bow. Think of it as a very, very narrow figure 8.

Changing Bow Direction 11 MASTERCLASS

pronation supination

To make your changes in bow direction more PRONATION is when your fingers are smooth, Mr. Perlman recommends cushioning leaning sideways on the stick and your wrist the bow change with your fingers. This requires is up. your fingers and hand to feel loose and flexible when holding the bow. At the frog, slightly SUPINATION is when your fingers rotate “pronate” your fingers before you switch from up as your wrist goes down. up-bow to down-bow, then as you begin the down-bow, you “supinate” the fingers. ITZHAK PERLMAN INTRODUCTION

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

To work on finger flexibility in your right hand, “teeter-tottering” the pencil over your thumb, hold a pencil like you would hold your bow (make keeping the thumb somewhat bent as the index sure your fingers match the finger position on finger pushes the pencil down to the left, then the your bow). The pencil can be either straight up pinkie pushes it down to the right. The benefit of and down, or at a slight tilt. Flex your fingers, this exercise is that you can do it anywhere—when including the thumb. Then relax the fingers, you’re bored in a class, say, or watching TV. Once allowing the hand to drop from the wrist. The goal you get good at this, try the same exercises with is not to drop the pencil. You can also practice the bow.

12 MASTERCLASS ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 03 ADVANCED BOWING AND LEFT-HAND TECHNIQUE

When you speak, vowels and consonants help you pronounce words. When you play the violin, your bow helps you articulate music. Bow strokes can be long, short, connected, separated, short, smooth, accented, or even bouncy. Here are some of the standard bow strokes that Mr. Perlman uses:

LEGATO: Smooth, connected bow strokes. SPICCATO: Detached notes played with Legato notes are often slurred; that is, a a bouncing bow (the bow comes off the group of notes is played together in one string). Generally, spiccato is used in faster down-bow or up-bow. In the music, a slur passages than staccato—but not always. looks like a curved line over the notes that To execute this stroke you need to have are all in one bow. a relaxed shoulder, flexible wrist, bow at the bounce point, and contact point near 13 DÉTACHÉ: Broad but separate bow the middle of the bow. “Flying spiccato” is strokes. In music, the notes simply are not when a number of short notes are played MASTERCLASS slurred. all in one bow, and the bow bounces for each note. This is indicated in the music in MARTELÉ: Detached, strongly accented the same way as flying staccato (dots over notes. Often you’ll use large and very rapid the notes as well as a slur over the group of bow strokes for martelé. These are some- notes), but you can tell them from staccato times marked in music with a line or an notes by context. accent over the note, but they not always. You choose this stroke from the context of SAUTILLÉ: Detached, very rapid bounced the music. strokes played in the middle of the bow. This is marked in the same manner as STACCATO: Detached, short notes with spiccato and chosen in the context of the accents. Staccato is indicated in the music music. with dots over the notes. “Flying staccato,” also known as “up-bow staccato,” is when RICOCHET: Bouncing several notes in a short notes are played all in the same bow row with one bow stroke. Most often you stroke, stopping the bow for each note (the let the bow drop, and then keep bouncing, bow stays on the string). This is indicated moving it in a down-bow or up-bow di- in the music with dots over the notes as rection. You can learn to control the speed well as a slur over the group of notes that at which the bow bounces and number of will be in one bow. times it bounces by gauging the height from which you drop it and controlling when you stop the bounce. ITZHAK PERLMAN ADVANCED BOWING AND TECHNIQUE

TREMOLO: Usually played at the tip of the NATURAL HARMONICS: This is a bow, this is an effect produced by moving matter of physics. If you mathematically the bow very quickly in small strokes from divide a string in half and place your finger, the wrist. It’s so fast that the notes aren’t light as a feather, at that exact middle measured, and it’s shown in the music as a point while bowing on that string, you note that has three slashes through its stem will produce a ghostly overtone that is an (or over the note if it’s a whole note). Keep octave higher than the given string. Divide the tremolo going for the length of a note’s both halves of that string in half again, and value: A whole note would get four beats of at both of those points (which we can call tremolo. quarter points), you get another harmonic, an octave higher than the first harmonic. At PIZZICATO: Plucking the string, most other intervals along the string (dividing it commonly with the right hand. Usually the in thirds, for example) are other harmonics music says “pizz” to indicate pizzicato, then that create other notes. arco when it’s time to use the bow again. For left hand pizzicato, done with your Here is a fun trick to try with your violin. violin fingers, a “+” is placed over each note Play a nice smooth, open G string. Now, that is to be plucked. continuing to bow very smoothly and slowly, run your finger up the G string, but 14 Mr. Perlman also talks about the barely touch the string. The result should following advanced techniques: be a series of harmonics that sound a little MASTERCLASS DOUBLE STOPS: Since the violin has like arpeggios, but not quite. Stravinsky four strings, you can play on two strings used this effect in the violins at the begin- at once by putting the bow on both strings ning of his 1910 ballet The Firebird. When while using the appropriate fingering. natural harmonics appear in music, they This is shown in sheet music as two notes look like a diamond-headed note placed stacked on top of each other. right on the note where you’re supposed to lift your finger so it’s not pressing the TRIPLE STOPS: You usually have to roll fingerboard (rather, it’s barely touch- the bow to get three notes to play at a time, ing the string). but it is possible. This would be reflected in the music as a stack of three notes.

QUADRUPLE STOPS: You guessed it: Four notes at a time. Roll the bow over all four strings, usually from the bottom to the top, to make it happen. In music, it looks like four notes stacked on top of each other; you’ll see it most frequently as a “chord” at the end of the piece. ITZHAK PERLMAN ADVANCED BOWING AND TECHNIQUE

ARTIFICIAL HARMONICS: When you would normally be, but instead of pressing, want to create a harmonic on the open barely touch the string. This creates a string that is not part of that sequence harmonic that’s the same as the note you’re of natural harmonics, you can do so by pressing with your first finger. The entire “shortening the string,” or putting down a Pe Loc dance in Béla Bartók’s Romanian finger. This is much easier than it sounds: Folk Dances consists of artificial harmonics. First, press any note with your first finger When these appear in music, they look like (the pointer finger). Next, put your fourth a double stop, only the top note, usually a finger (the pinkie) down in the place it fourth above, has a diamond head.

THE BASICS

Positions

15 MASTERCLASS

FIRST POSITION: Beginners start by THIRD POSITION: Using first position as learning where the left hand fingers go in a reference once again, third position is when first position. the first finger is placed where the third finger would be in first position. All other fingers move up accordingly. Traditionally, third position is learned after first position, followed by second position and the higher positions.

SECOND POSITION: Using first posi- tion as a reference, second position is when the first finger is placed where the second finger would be in first position. All other fingers move up accordingly. ITZHAK PERLMAN ADVANCED BOWING AND TECHNIQUE

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Scales are a great way to polish and perfect two-octave, or three-octave), play your scale various bowing techniques. Using whatever using one of the bowing techniques described scale is appropriate for your level (one-octave, in this chapter, for example: martelé or legato.

16 MASTERCLASS ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 04 INTONATION

Intonation is the accuracy of your pitch. If you play with good intonation, then you are playing in tune, or “on pitch.”

SHARP AND FLAT

SHARP: In musical notation, sharps are the notes If you are practicing alone, you can test your that are made high in a given key signature. The strings against a piano or other reference pitch. symbol for a sharp is #, which means half a tone (If you are using a chromatic tuner, the tuner will higher than the written note. tell you if you are sharp or flat. Let’s focus here on tuning by ear.) FLAT: In musical notation, flats are the notes made low in a given key signature. The symbol for Tightening the string makes the pitch higher, while a flat isL , which means half a tone lower than the loosening the string makes the pitch lower. Use written note. the pegs and fine tuner(s) to tighten and loosen 17 the strings. Pegs change the pitch drastically, MASTERCLASS so turn the peg a little bit at a time. Fine tuners Tuning the Violin change the pitch more gradually, which is why Good intonation begins with having the instru- they are used on fractional (child-size) instruments ment in tune, which means that the pitch of the and E strings, which require less tightening and open strings must be in tune with the piano, the loosening to change the pitch. orchestra, or your musical partners in a chamber group or band. Always play an A to compare your When a note is exactly in tune, the violin will ring intonation with either another violin, a piano, more fully. or an orchestra. Once you have the A, then you can tune the other three strings, which are usually in fifths. ITZHAK PERLMAN INTONATION

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

A First Lesson in Tuning When you’re practicing a piece of music, you must Start by tuning your A string. First, listen to train your fingers to land correctly. If you play a the A that you will tune to—we will call that the note out of tune then move the finger and until tuning pitch. Now, play your A string. Does your it’s in the right place, you are practicing just that: A string sound higher, lower, or exactly the same playing out of tune and then fixing it. Instead, stop as the tuning pitch? If it sounds exactly the same, and ask yourself: Was the problem note sharp your string is in tune, and you don’t have to do or flat? Once you know, back up to the note or anything. If your A string sounds lower than the phrase before so that you can accurately measure tuning pitch, then it’s flat. Tighten the string by the distance to the problem note (whether you’re turning the peg away from you (or turning the fine shifting for a note or simply placing the finger). tuner clockwise) until your string sounds exactly Then, slow down, and practice placing that note the same as the tuning pitch. If your A string correctly in the context of the music. sounds higher than the tuning pitch, then it’s sharp. Loosen the string by turning the peg toward When practicing new music, go slowly enough that you (or the fine tuner counterclockwise) until your you can play all the notes in tune. If you play fast string string sounds the same as the tuning pitch. and allow a lot of out-of-tune notes, then you are If you turn the peg too far in any one direction, setting yourself up for a lot of correction in the 18 turn it back until the pitches match. future. MASTERCLASS

Tuning With Your Fingers Working daily on scales and arpeggios will help you On the violin, your fingers must land in exactly to learn and solidify the correct placement of your the right place on the fingerboard, without the fingers on the fingerboard. By carefully and cor- help of frets, in order to produce the correct rectly repeating the various patterns that scales pitch. As Mr. Perlman says, “It’s like playing by and arpeggios present, your fingers will eventually Braille.” Beginners might want to have tapes on know where to go. the fingerboard so you can see where your fingers go. Eventually, as your fingers learn to find their Becoming a Good Listener way by feel, those tapes will be removed. Your ear You need to have a concept of what you want is the ultimate authority when it comes to correct- to hear before you can play in tune. For this, ing your finger placement. Mr. Perlman recommends listening to music performed by musicians who have an exceptional If your finger lands in the wrong place, the note sense of intonation. Two of his top choices for will be out of tune. If it sounds too high, or sharp, honing this particular skill are singer Ella Fitzgerald then you have to move your finger lower, slightly and violinist Jascha Heifetz. closer to the scroll. If it sounds too low, or flat, you have to move your finger higher, or slightly closer to the bridge. ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 05 VIBRATO

Vibrato is a slight fluctuation in pitch that’s used to create a warmth or richness of tone. On the violin, it is a left hand technique; the effect is produced by rocking the finger from the wrist or arm.

ARM VIBRATO: The impulse for the vibrato In the beginning, it takes a while to develop the comes from the arm, and the entire arm and hand motion of vibrato. For wrist and finger vibrato, the serve to rock the fingertip. While he uses this motion is something like a combination of rolling kind of vibrato on occasion, Mr. Perlman says that dice and waving to yourself. For arm vibrato, it’s there is generally less control with arm vibrato a little like shaking your fist at someone. The key than with wrist and finger vibrato. is to persist in trying and then to develop these muscles by implementing vibrato as often as pos- HAND VIBRATO: The impulse for the vibrato sible in your playing. Expect this to be a long-term comes from a rocking motion of the hand. The project; it can take years to turn this technique arm stays relatively still. into something that feels natural. 19 MASTERCLASS FINGER VIBRATO: Mr. Perlman uses this kind Vibrato becomes art when you can learn to vary it. of vibrato most frequently. Here, the impulse also As Mr. Perlman says, varying your vibrato is how comes from waving the hand from the wrist but you make musical “colors.” You can reduce this at times comes straight from the muscles of the variation down to two simple parameters: speed hand and fingers. and width. Vibrato can be slow or fast. Vibrato can be wide or narrow. Then you can combine the speed and the width to create variation. ITZHAK PERLMAN VIBRATO

SPEED

SLOW VIBRATO: The speed of the vibra- FAST VIBRATO: The speed of the vibra- tion is slow, which means you are rocking the tion is fast, which means you are rocking the finger slowly. finger quickly.

WIDTH

WIDE VIBRATO: Made using bigger oscillations Vibrato can vary within a piece or even within a of your finger, rocking it wide so the pitch wavers phrase: You might play the first theme in a piece widely. with a medium-width vibrato, but when the theme appears again later, you may play it with a wider NARROW VIBRATO: Made with smaller oscil- vibrato to make the second appearance more lations of your finger, rocking it narrowly so the intense. pitch varies only slightly from the vibrato. Different speeds and widths can work for different A wide, fast vibrato can sound more “juicy” and parts of the violin. If you’re playing very high on 20 is used for Romantic literature. Mr. Perlman the E string, for example, you would use a narrow MASTERCLASS demonstrates how it works in the beginning of the vibrato because the note placement is so close on Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. that part of the violin. A narrow movement is all you need to fluctuate the pitch. A more narrow vibrato can convey the elegance in a more Classical piece such as Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E major. ITZHAK PERLMAN VIBRATO

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE:

When you first learn vibrato, you will probably passively shake the hand from the upper arm.) need to wake up your “vibrato muscles,” that is, You can start by shaking along to these words: the muscles that control the waving of your hand. “Perlman, Perlman.” Then double the speed: Try exercising these muscles away from the violin, “Mis-ter Perl-man Mis-ter Perl-man.” Then double using an egg shaker or even a box of “tic tac” the speed again: “vi-o-lin-ist vi-o-lin-ist vi-o-lin-ist candies. Hold the shaker (or box of tic tacs) in the vi-o-lin-ist.” Even just shaking the shaker for thirty palm of your left hand, facing you. Then shake seconds every day will help you begin to develop your hand forward and backward, actively using and control these muscles. Your goal is to make the muscles around your wrist to do so. (Do not that shaker sound steady and strong at all speeds.

21 MASTERCLASS ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 06 COMFORT AND POSTURE

The violin is not a naturally comfortable instrument to play, but there are some ways to make it as comfortable as possible. Your individual combination of chin rest and shoulder rest can help a great deal. When deciding what to use, consider the shape of your shoulders, the length of your neck, and even the shape of your jawbone. There are many kinds of chin rests and shoulder rests, and your combination of the two is often referred to as your set-up.

Notice the difference between the violin’s position side of the instrument and attaches over the tail- on Mr. Perlman’s neck versus that of his student. piece. He uses no shoulder rest at all. His student, Mr. Perlman’s neck is shorter than his student’s, so who has a much longer neck, uses a custom-made the student needs to fill the space with a shoulder side-mounted chin rest. It’s higher than most chin and chin rest. rests and attaches on the left side. Underneath the violin, he also uses a clip-on shoulder rest. 22 Mr. Perlman uses a rather low Guarneri-style chin MASTERCLASS rest (see below) that has the chin cup on the left

THE CHIN REST

A chin rest is attached to the top of the instru- SIDE-MOUNTED MODEL: These chin rests ment. Though it’s called a chin rest, it’s primarily a are mounted on the left side of the violin and rest for your jawbone. Chin rests come in all sorts come in a number of shapes and heights: of materials and models; they can be made from Dresden-style: a contoured cup for the chin a variety of woods, including boxwood, rosewood Kaufmann-style: a flatter cup for the chin and ebony, and a few are even made from hypoal- Morawetz-style: a considerable lip at the front of lergenic plastic. the chin cup

GUARNERI-STYLE: Clamps over the tailpiece FLESCH-STYLE: Clamps over the tailpiece (center-mounted), but the cup is to the left. It (center-mounted), and the cup sits over the tends to be medium in height. center, too. ITZHAK PERLMAN COMFORT AND POSTURE

THE SHOULDER REST

The shoulder rest attaches to the back of the and a rubber band. (Just attach the sponge to your violin and rests on the shoulder and collarbone. instrument, and voilà.) There are also pre-made Again, there are many to choose from: cushioned shoulder rests that shape to the shoul- der, as well as small round pads and sponges that CLIP-ON SHOULDER RESTS: These rests self-adhere to the back of the violin. have “feet” on either side that attach to the rim of the instrument. They are often adjustable both in AIR CUSHION RESTS: This is an inflatable terms of height and also the angle at which they cushion, usually made by the company Playonair, can be attached to the back of the instrument. A that straps to the back of the violin. few of the most popular brands include Kun, Wolf, Everest, Viva, Korfkerrest, Mach, and Resonans. Some violinists, including Mr. Perlman, opt to go without a shoulder rest. Whatever your choice, FOAM SHOULDER RESTS: A foam shoulder make sure it feels comfortable. rest can be made at home using a foam sponge

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE 23 MASTERCLASS If you are uncomfortable with your set-up on the it the right height? If you have a short neck and a violin, don’t overlook your chin-rest as a possible very high chin rest, you may want a shorter one. solution. Consider a couple of factors: does your Likewise, a tall neck with a very short chin rest can chin and jawbone actually rest in the cup of your be uncomfortable, and you might want a taller current chin rest, or are you placing it somewhere one. Be sure to choose a chin rest that places the else? There are chin rests made to put the cup to cup in the correct place for you and gives you the the right, the middle or the left, so choose one right amount of height. that fits where you actually rest your chin. Also, is ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 07 COLOR AND TONE

“Color” is a variety of special qualities of sound that you can produce on the violin by altering dynamics, bow speed, bow pressure, bow direction, amount of bow, as well as using shifting and glissandi. Familiarize yourself with each of these elements:

DYNAMICS: You can use your bow to change AMOUNT OF BOW: You can move a fraction the volume of sound, making it louder or softer. of an inch on the bow or you can travel from frog to tip on the bow (or anything in between). In BOW SPEED: In general, you can use a fast general, you’ll use small amounts of bow for fast bow or a slow bow. A fast bow creates energy in notes and larger amounts of bow for slow notes, the sound; a slow bow can be quieter and more but even here you can experiment. For example, calming. You can speed up your bow or slow it playing fast notes with a lot of bow can create a down all in the same bow. Speeding it up creates lot of energy. 24 a sense of urgency and usually creates a small MASTERCLASS crescendo, or increase in sound. Slowing it down SHIFTING AND GLISSANDI: Shifting involves can create almost a sighing effect, or an effect of the left hand traveling up or down the fingerboard dying away; as the bow slows, it usually creates a for a note. Sometimes it’s necessary (when the decrescendo, or decrease in sound. only way to play a particular note is to shift to it), and sometimes it’s optional (when you shift simply BOW PRESSURE: Sinking into the string with to create a sliding effect). This sliding effect is the bow as you play creates more volume and called a glissando (the plural is glissandi). A glissan- grit. Letting up on bow pressure creates a wispier do can be subtle, where the listener barely hears a sound. slide in between notes, or it can be a very obvious and slow slide up or down to a new note. BOW DIRECTION: When you change direction with the bow, you can slow down and use your Tone is your particular sound as a violinist. It’s a wrist to cushion the change, creating a smooth combination of the violin itself and the way you transition and more vowel sound (as Mr. Perlman use the bow and your left-hand techniques to demonstrates). Alternatively, you can press with bring out the quality of the sound of that violin. the bow and change direction abruptly, marking If you want to get a sense of beautiful tone, Mr. the change with a more consonant sound. These Perlman enjoys listening to recordings of Luciano are only a few of the ways to use bow direction Pavarotti, violinist Fritz Kreisler, cellist Emanuel for expression. Feuermann, and guitarist Andrés Segovia. MASTERCLASS make yourviolin convey that emotion. withexperiment howtousethe “color” techniques that Mr. Perlman has to described bow andincreasing the speed ofthe bow. Make upyourown emotiontotry, and sound more “elegant” by decreasing the speed ofvibrato, using lesspressure in the “relaxed andlaidback” by keeping the motionseasy, the vibrato steady. Make it bowing, keeping the warmth ofsound andusing more slides.Try making itsound Try making itsound“passionate” by using afast and widevibrato andgenerous and maybe unsteady, even with alittle more pressure in yourbow, rather loud. know howtoplay. Trytomake itsound“intense” by making yourvibrato fast Try yourownversion ofthe Game.” “Color Pickasimple melody that youalready things suchasplaying assoloistswithorchestra, for Mr. Perlman’s studio, they have accomplished as toddlers, andbeyond the honor of beingchosen achievements. Most of them startedplaying violin already distinguished themselves withimpressive musicians from around the world whohave throughout Mr. Perlman’s MasterClassare young The students featured in this segment and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 08 THE COLOR GAME be soloingwith the symphony inyour city oneday. remarkable young artists—who knows, they may rapper. Takeknow these getting to some time grants—and atleastonehasperformed witha known festivals, andsecuringfineinstrument winning honorsandawards, participatinginwell- winning nationalandinternational competitions, 25 MASTERCLASS the Stradivari Society. Giuseppe Guarneri delGesùviolin, onloan from Weilerstein andLaurieSmukler. Goosby plays a pursuing aMaster’sDegree there withDonald Perlman andCatherineCho,iscurrently at Juilliard asanundergraduate student of Itzhak Juilliard School’sPre-College program, continued Star of the Stradivari Society. He was partof the Radio’s Fromthe Top , andbeenhonored asRising Music Workshop, been featured onNational Public pated in the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber support for hisNew York debut.He haspartici- Sander Buchman Prize, whichprovides major LP Classics,Inc. Debut Recording Prize, and the Jewell SeriesPrize, Vancouver Society Prize, The Buffalo Chamber Music Society Prize, Harriman- Artists International Auditions aswell as the Goosby won FirstPrize in the 2018Young Concert for elderly andotherwise homeboundpatrons. nonprofit thatprovides private house concerts through Concerts inMotion, another NYC-based in New York City, andhegives performances mentoring forchildrenlow-income from families tion whichprovides free lessons,instruments, and Opportunity Music Project, anonprofit organiza- with prominent orchestras. He ison faculty at at age13.He hascontinued to play asasoloist a Young People’s Concert atAvery Fisher Hall performed with the New York Philharmonicon led to two appearances atCarnegieHall. He also win the Sphinx Concerto Competition, which At age13hewas the youngest recipient ever to at the ageof ninewith the Jacksonville Symphony. and firstperformed asasoloistwithanorchestra ITZHAK PERLMAN RANDALL GOOSBY startedviolin atageseven 1999, by David Bague. violin originally made for violinist Ruggiero Ricci in of the Perlman Music Program. He performs ona Pre-College Division, aswell as the violin faculty chamber music faculty of the Juilliard School’s Master of Music Degrees. Lee isamember of the Itzhak Perlman andearnedboth Bachelor and 17, hebeganstudiesat the Juilliard Schoolwith Ruggiero Ricci. Moving to New York City atage the Colburn Conservatory, andwithviolin legend Los Angeles,Lee studiedwithRobert Lipsettof Center, aswell ason tour internationally. Born in Lincoln Center, Lee performs regularly atLincoln As anartistwith the Chamber Music Society of of the Emerson andGuarneri String Quartets. James Galway, Deborah Voigt, andmembers collaborated inperformances withItzhak Perlman, Caprices of Niccolò Paganini inrecital. Lee has violinists whodare to perform the complete 24 mentor, violinist Ruggiero Ricci, asoneof few Competition, Lee embraces the legacy of hislate at the “Premio Paganini” International Violin Italy, andVienna’sKonzerthaus. A top prizewinner Museum of Art,Festival diCarro Paganiniano of taken him to CarnegieHall’s Weill Hall, Tel Aviv many orchestras, andhisrecital appearances have violin playing. Lee hasappeared asasoloistwith technology to share auniqueperspective on YouTube series,Paganini POV, whichusesmodern and continues to draw attention to hiseducational In 2018,Lee released hissecond album,Songbook, reached the iTunes top 20classicalbestsellerslist. Avery Fisher Career Grant, andhisdebutalbum SEAN LEE isarecipient of Lincoln Center’s THE COLOR GAME 26 MASTERCLASS and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta. Anavid Little Orchestra Society, the Dalton Orchestra, Union Club.She performed asasoloistwith The (Palm Beach), Tenri Cultural Institute, and the Neue Galerie(NYC), Great Performers Series with Music@Menlo, the Mostly Music Series(NJ), Little Orchestra Society, aswell as performances ances with the Symphony of Westchester and the concerto performances have includedappear Prize Winner in the 2017Adelphi Competition. Her Symphony of Westchester Competition, and1st YoungArts Winner, 1stPrize Winner in the 2019 Young Ensembles Concert in2013. She isa2019 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s age of 10andher Lincoln Center debutat the with the National Repertory Orchestra at the since 2017. Neubauer madeher concerto debut has participatedin the Perlman Music Program as aproud recipient of aKovner Fellowship. She and willattend The Juilliard Schoolin fall 2019 Perlman andLiLinat The Juilliard Pre-College as aproud recipient of aKovner Fellowship. studies withItzhak Perlman andLaurieSmukler debut asasoloist.At The Juilliard Schoolshe Festival. In 2018shemadeher CarnegieHall invited asanAcademy Artistat the Verbier Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players andbeing Artists Association,joining the artistroster of She won firstprize at the New York International including the AnimaMusicae Chamber Orchestra. performed asasoloistwithseveral orchestras, She alsostudiedwithKristóf Baráti. Kralik has accepted into the Perlman Music Program. Talents Program, andsoon thereafter shewas entered the LisztAcademy of Music’s Young Philadelphia at the ageof four. In 2011she Hungarian violinist, whobeganviolin in ITZHAK PERLMAN CLARA NEUBAUER ABIGEL KRALIK isanAmerican-born, studiedwithItzhak - of CarmelodelosSantos at the University of Fe Talent Education Suzuki andwas astudent He beganhisviolin training atage three atSanta he isaproud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Perlman andLiLinat The Juilliard School,where father’s life, after asurfingaccident. Huntington Beach for hisbrave actionssaving his the “GoodSamaritanAward” by the city of competitions. At age 14, McDonald was awarded 2015 ENKOR and2013California State VOCE The quartetalsowon firstplace inboth the on From The Top’s nationalNPRbroadcast. in the 2014Fischoff Competition andperformed Clemens Quartet (CQ), whichwas asemi-finalist in chamber music,in2012heestablished the and Colburn SchoolChamber Orchestra. Active Valley Symphony, Palmdale Symphonic Orchestra has performed asasoloistwith the Antelope Newby Concerto Competition, McDonald also Program. Afirst-place winner in the2014Gail studied withMr. Perlman in the Perlman Music Catherine Cho.Since June 2012,healsohas The Juilliard SchoolwithItzhak Perlman and violin atagesixandhecurrently studiesat a native of Santa Clarita,Calif., beganplaying App Store. Memorial Museum, available asa free appat the guide “for children and families” at the 9/11 benefit andcanbeheard leading theaudio tour Peters andRobert DeNiro hostinga9/11 Memorial Neubauer shared the stagewithBernadette Music Institute for five years. Born on 9/11/2001, Young Performer at the Music@Menlo Chamber Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center anda the 2017Young Musicians Competition at the chamber musician,Neubauer was awinner of PHOENIX AVALON KENNETH JOSHUA“KJ”MCDONALD studies withItzhak THE COLOR GAME , 27 MASTERCLASS Arab Emirates with Juilliard Global Ventures; and Music Program/Suncoast; to Brazil and the United included going to Sarasota, Fla. with the Perlman Orchestra. His school outreach efforts have Catherine Choandasa coach for the Pre-College the Juilliard Schoolasa teaching assistant to Museum of ArtinNew York. Na hasworked at Center inWashington D.C and the Metropolitan with Itzhak Perlman atvenues suchas the Kennedy Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera and toured String Quartet, Orion String Quartet, New York has collaborated withmembersof the Juilliard solo works for dance. Asachamber musician,he well asNew Chamber Ballet, where heperforms also amember of Argento Chamber Ensemble as in New York and the Musiverien inVienna.He is and performing invenues suchasCarnegieHall Orchestra, touring in the US, Japan, andEurope ing. Na hasplayed with the Orpheus Chamber Perlman, withMichael Tilson Thomas conduct Bach’s Double ViolinConcerto withItzhak with The SanFrancisco Symphony performing Conservatory of Music. In 2018hemadehisdebut began hisstudieswithLiLinat the SanFrancisco Warren andSonLtd. of Chicago. J.B. Vuillaume violin, c.1850,loanedby Kenneth Young ArtistProgram. Avalon plays the “ex-Stern” throughout the country, includingwithCIM’s also hasplayed for various outreach programs being aclassicalmusicianin the 21stcentury. He Competition, andgave a Ted Talk in2018about Third-Prize winner in the Johansen International and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. Avalon was a Boulder Symphony, the Arapahoe Philharmonic soloed with the New Mexico Philharmonic, the shows Performance Today andFrom the Top. He performed asasoloiston the nationalradio with Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman. Avalon has Cleveland Institute of Music Young ArtistProgram New Mexico for sixyears before studying at the ITZHAK PERLMAN DOORI NA startedviolin at the ageof four and - Chamber Concerts, YoungArts Week 2018(as of their 2017Young ArtistCompetition), Parlance with the Symphony of Westchester (as awinner 2016. Recent concerts includeperformances Music Program andattended PMP Suncoast since Lin. Neubauer hasparticipatedin the Perlman where heisastudent of Itzhak Perlman andLi the Kovner Fellowship at the Juilliard School and Benefactors Collaborative. is onloan from Rare ViolinsIn Consortium, Artists “Ames, Totenberg” Antonio Stradivari violin, which Ensemble in2016.Meltzer performs on the 1734 Jupiter Symphony Players. He joinedOmega Joseph Lin, the ArielString Quartet, and the with Gilles Apap,David Chan,Augustin Hadelich, Juilliard Pre-College. Meltzer hascollaborated String Academy, the Perlman Music Program, and attending Meadowmount, the Indiana University a second-grade orchestra classinVienna,later Juilliard School.He beganhismusiceducationin studies withItzhak Perlman andLiLinat The on the ChampsHill labelin the UK.Meltzer he willrecord hisfirstCDwith Rohan de Silva Evansville, andMuncie orchestras. In November the Adelphi, Bloomington, Charlotte Civic, Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Berliner Symphoniker, the Pittsburgh Medellín, the Orquesta Sinfónica deConcepción, d’Île-de-France, the Orquesta Filarmónicade Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestre national soloist withmultipleorchestras, including the String Competition, andhehas played asa ever to win the Windsor Festival International Violinist Perlman, CatherineCho,andDonald Weilerstein. the Juilliard School,where hestudiedwithItzhak Na earnedhisBachelor’s andMaster’sDegrees at with The Juilliard SchoolPresident, Joseph Polisi. to the British International Schoolof Chicago OLIVER NEUBAUER NATHAN MELTZER isaproud recipient of THE COLOR GAME is the youngest isthe 28 MASTERCLASS with violinists Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Ivry 2007-2017. She has participatedinmaster classes recipient in2005,andwithspecialdistinction in America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship International Music Institute. Erlichman was an Aspen Music Festival andSchool,Heifetz the Young Israeli PhilharmonicOrchestra, courses including The Perlman Music Program, Gaisler. Erlichman attendedsummer music years at the Jerusalem Academy withMichael Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna and for three Negev, Israel and studied for sixyears at the Miskov at the Merhavim Conservatory in the studying violin at the ageof seven withIrina school withItzhak Perlman and LiLin.She began for the Doublestop Foundation. Competition, Neubauer was aMusic Ambassador Orchestra. Asawinner of the 2013ArtistinYou narrator for Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the debut with the New York Philharmonicas the in Avila inCuraçao. In 2013,Neubauer madehis Music Society, Music from AngelFire, andArt Chamber Music Northwest, Brooklyn Chamber Music Series,NJ,Lake ChamplainMusic Festival, Summerfest La Jolla, Music@Menlo, Mostly performed atFour SeasonsWinter Workshop, Ensembles Concert. In addition,Neubauer has Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young made hisLincoln Center debutat the Chamber Chamber Music Program. In May, 2013Neubauer and amember of the New York Youth Symphony at the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute Society of Lincoln Center, aYoung Performer Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Beach). Neubauer was awinner of the 2017Young (NYC), and the Great Performers Series (Palm and recipient of the GoldAward), Neue Galerie a winner of the 2018YoungArts Competition ITZHAK PERLMAN RINAT ERLICHMAN studies at the Juilliardat studies A native of Chicago, Mental Medical Center inBe’er Sheva, Israel. Orchestra. She often volunteers to perform at the in 2012,andasasoloistwith the Haifa Symphony in 2011,asasoloistat the Israeli President House a concert at the Murray Perahia’s houseinLondon Des Invalides Hall) andinLondon (2010and2012), Erlichman has performed recitals inParis (2009at Berick, Michaela Martin, CatherineCho,andmore. Gitlis, Gyorgy Pauk, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Yehonatan Conservatory. She hasbeenprofiled inThe New Festival, Tianjin May Festival, andShenyang and performances at the Beijing Modern Music She toured Chinain2015,combining outreach Suns for SoloViolinaswell asother newworks. Andres’non-professionalorchestra, Three Timo by Scott Wollschleger for mixed professional and Sonata aswell asa forthcoming ViolinConcerto and premiering Christopher Cerrone’s Violin has alsochampionednewworks, commissioning Kong, Korea, SouthAfrica, andSingapore. She concerto appearances inGraz, Austria, Hong Stars, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, and Musée duLouvre, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Rising formed recitals at the Mostly Mozart Festival, Pops, and the Berlin Staatskapelle. She hasper and National Symphony Orchestras, the Boston including the Chicago,St. Louis, Houston, Seattle, as soloistwithmajor international orchestras, a 1760 Nicolo Gaglianoviolin. She has appeared program withHarvard College. She performs on with Miriam Fried through itsjoint dual-degree the New England Conservatory, where shestudied English from Harvard University andanM.M. from with Itzhak Perlman. She holdsaB.A. degree in studies at the Juilliard SchoolPre-College Division pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. She continued her 1996 moved to New York to study with the late began her violin studiesat the ageof four, andin RACHEL LEE PRIDAY THE COLOR GAME -

29 MASTERCLASS members of St. Martinin the Fields,and the Silk Tapping, Miriam Fried, Paul Biss, Merry Peckham, artists suchasItzhak Perlman, Robert Levin, Roger Bronislaw Kaper Awards. She hascollaborated with and 1stPrize at the Los AngelesPhilharmonic’s at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition Robert Levin Award, youngest-ever prizewinner ments includebeing the first recipient of the Violin Competition in2017. Her other achieve- Audience Prize at the Tibor Varga International Commissioned Work by Lera Auerbach, and the awarded the top prize, Best Performance of the Welsh National Symphony Orchestra. Chenwas with the London Chamber Orchestra and the performances includingconcerto appearances Filarmónica deMedellín inColombia, withother Radcliffe Orchestra andwith the Orquesta on tour inIsrael and Jordan with the Harvard- venues throughout NYC includingAlice Tully Hall. Mann String Quartet Institute andinconcert with whomshehasperformed at the 2019Robert this summer asamember of the KilaQuartet, artist. She islooking forward to returning to PMP year, was invited to SãoPaulo asaguest teaching the United States, Israel andKorea andin the past been heard inrecitals andmasterclasses across proud recipient of aKovner Fellowship. Kimhas at Juilliard withItzhak Perlman andLiLinasa Pre-College Division. She iscontinuing her studies both violin andpianoat The Juilliard School’s the Perlman Music Program (PMP) and to study age 10andshortly after, was selected to attend piano with the SanDiego Symphony Orchestra at television appearances. The Strad Magazine andmadenumerous radio and Yorker, The Los Angeles Times , Family Circle, and ITZHAK PERLMAN STELLA CHEN VALERIE KIM madeher professional debuton hasperformed asasoloist The Juilliard School” andHBO’sAYoungArts in the French documentary film “A Seasonat and magazinesaround the world. Haubs appears in Vogue, Glamour, andnumerous newspapers and Michael Tilson Thomas. Haubs hasappeared conductors includingAlanGilbert, Kurt Masur Juilliard Orchestra, Haubs hasworked withmany and Itzhak Perlman. Former concertmaster of the tors includeartistssuchas Joshua Bell, Lang Michelle Obama. Her chamber musiccollabora- General Assembly at the invitation of Barack and In 2014,Haubs performed at the United Nations numerous philharmonichallsaround the world. in Vienna,CarnegieHall inNew York, and formed invenues suchas the Wiener Musikverein America, Asiaand the Middle East.She hasper brought her to over 30countries inEurope, North Competition. the 2019Queen ElisabethInternational Violin and LiLin.Stella Chenwas awarded 1stprize at studying withDonald Weilerstein, Catherine Cho, C.V. Starr doctoral fellow at the Juilliard School, University’s Lowell House. Currently, Chenisa the 2015-2016 Artist-In-Residence of Harvard 2015 withadegree inpsychology andserved as Chen graduated withhonors from Harvard in studied withMiriam Fried andDonald Weilerstein. Conservatory Dual Degree Program, where she Chen isagraduate of the Harvard /New England Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, andYellowBarn. Music Program, the Sarasota Music Festival, festivals includingMusic@Menlo, the Perlman mances inBhutan, Cuba, andColombia andat Top. Other noteworthy projects includeperfor Concert series,andon the radio show From the Museum of Art, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial venues suchas the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Road Ensemble. In addition,shehasperformed at MARIELLA HAUBS’ musicaljourney has THE COLOR GAME - - 30 MASTERCLASS Sichuan PhilharmonicOrchestra, aswell assolo Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Virtuosi with London’s PhilharmoniaOrchestra, the youngest finalist. Zhu hasperformed asasoloist best performance of aPaganini Caprice and Violin Competition, aswell asspecialprizes for first prize in the2018 Paganini International performance of anewChinesework. He won also winning the Composer’s Prize for the best youngest-ever winner of that competition and International ViolinCompetition, becoming the in the Junior Division of the 2012 Menuhin violin atage three. At age11,hewon firstprize American violinist communities around the world. between cultures and to bringmusic to refugee a project designed to promote communication is the co-founder of “Concerts for Compassion,” the National YoungArts Foundation. Haubs also an alumnaof The Perlman Music Program and Itzhak Perlman andCatherineCho.She isalso School, where shestudiedasaKovner Fellow with Bachelor’s andMaster’sdegrees from The Juilliard Journal andother publications.Haubs holds short films. She haswritten for The Juilliard enjoys acting,singing,writing,andproducing York Stock Exchange. Alongwithher music,Haubs news network broadcasting live from the New Haubs served as“House Band” onCheddar, a on rapper MacMiller’s track, “Congratulations.” Billboard’s Women In Music event in2015and genres, Haubs performed withSelenaGomezat ground andcollaborating withartists from other Masterclass. Reaching beyond her classicalback ITZHAK PERLMAN KEVIN ZHU beganstudying - Music atRice University. suing adoctoral degree at The Shepherd Schoolof and currently resides inNew York City while pur Master’s of Music degrees at The Juilliard School Music Program. Choreceived hisBachelor’s and rently serves asa faculty member at the Perlman piano faculty at the Heifetz Institute. He cur Music Festival, andserved asacollaborative es at the AspenMusic Festival and the Sejong He hasgiven extensive collaborative performanc Ithzak Perlman, KathleenWinkler, and Toby Appel. performed withrenowned musiciansincluding Mannes School.Anavid collaborator, Chohas of Rice University, The Juilliard Schooland The formed asconcerto soloistwith the orchestras Tully Hall inLincoln Center. Chohasalsoper including CarnegieHall, Merkin Hall, andAlice and chamber musicianatmajor New York venues Pianist Collaborative. Violins In Consortium, ArtistsandBenefactors loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation andRare “Lord Wandsworth” Antonio Stradivari violin, on and Ian Swensen. Zhu performs on the c.1722 San Francisco Conservatory of Music withLiLin Perlman andLiLin.He previously trained at the The Juilliard School,where hestudieswithItzhak Radio. Zhu isarecipient of aKovner Fellowship at tured artistonBBCRadio 3andNational Public in 2013and2016.He hasrepeatedly beena fea- the Harpa International Music Academy inIceland Foundation of China,Zhu was a featured soloistat As aCulture Ambassador of the LinYao Ji Music recitals inGenoa,London, New York, andFlorida. JUN CHO hasappeared asboth solo THE COLOR GAME - - - - 31 MASTERCLASS or Period Performance. HIPaims to pay more called Historically-Informed Performance (HIP) In the late 20th century, amovement emerged Handel, andGiuseppe Tartini. Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric polyphony). Composers of that era include Johann also frequently usingmultiplevoices (known as of music that isboth full of notes andcomplex, notes—to decorate the music. The result isakind such as trills—the rapid alternationof two would beenhanced withmusicalornamentation chitecture of the Baroque era, a Baroque melody As with the highly decorative furniture andar Baroque (1600-1750) of music. taking into consideration howyoucan change yourplaying tobest suiteach kind a feel forthese styles,familiarize yourself with the musicfromthree historical eras, Music fromdifferent eras calls fordifferent stylesofviolin playing. To help youget —Highly decorative, complex, polyphonic —Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Tartini BAROQUE (1600-1750) ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 09 PLAYING DIFFERENT STYLES —Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann,early Beethoven —Streamlined musicallines,elegant character CLASSICAL (1750-1820) - been inventedat thetime. been instruments like the piano,which hadnot yet ments, suchas the harpsichord, in the place of down-bows. HIPensemblesuseoriginal instru- (or noneatall)andbowings that putstresses on violin, HIPidealswould prescribe lessvibrato orchestras use). In terms of playing styleon the hertz insteadof the 440-442 hertz that modern even tuning the violin to alower-pitch “A” (415 strings insteadof modernsynthetic ones;and bows insteadof modern“Tourte” bows; usinggut era, by introducing ideassuchasusingBaroque of historicaleras, andparticularly the Baroque attention to the originalstylesandconventions —Late Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, —Expressive, dramatic, programmatic ROMANTIC (1820-1915) Chopin, Franck, Dvorak 32 MASTERCLASS performance, The Four SeasonsViolinConcertos. For the HIP Philharmonic Orchestra from hisalbumVivaldi: For the modernperformance, Violin Concerto inA-minor, firstmovement. modern performance andHIP. Start withVivaldi’s Baroque musicperformed in two different ways: Listen to and then compare the samepiece of PERLMAN PERFORMING THIS PIECE fewer shifts than inRomantic music.Someof more narrow vibrato, aconsistent tempo, and this clarity, Mr. Perlman recommends usinga giving italight andelegant quality. To bringout below), itsmusicallinesare more straightforward, music. In comparison to Romantic music(see Classical musicisless“decorative” than Baroque Classical (1750-1820) paying homage to Baroque style. niques that have evolved since that time whilestill and set-up, acknowledging contemporary tech- instruments, includingaviolin withmodernstrings from the Baroque era inaway that usesmodern By contrast, Mr. Perlman prefers to play music ITZHAK PERLMAN PUT IT INTO PRACTICE LISTEN TO THE SAME PIECE PLAYED BY LISTEN TO MR. with the Israelwith the Dvorak. Ilyich Tchaikovsky, César Franck, andAntonin Romantic periodinclude Johannes Brahms, Pyotr ation of tempo). Someof the composers of the a wider vibrato, andusingmore rubato(a fluctu- emotion withmore frequent shiftingandslides, violinist creates this senseof drama andhigh it’s basedonliterature, art,or philosophy. The structural. Sometimesithasaprogram, meaning Music of this periodismore expressive andless Romantic (1820-1915) Mendelssohn, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang AmadeusMozart, Felix the composers of the Classicalperiodinclude they similar? How is the mooddifferent? In what ways are vibrato isusedby stringplayers in the orchestra? much vibrato isusedby the soloist?How much ways do the bow strokes sounddifferent? How performance moves ata faster tempo? In what different between the two performances? Which Baroque Ensemble. Whatdoyou hear that is VIOLINIST ELIZABETH WALLFISCH PLAYING DIFFERENT STYLES with Tafelmusik 33 ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 10 THE PERFORMANCE MINDSET

We all want to perform at our optimal level, but what happens when we get nervous? After thousands of live performances and a lifetime of on-stage experience, Mr. Perlman has plenty of wisdom to offer. Here are a few ways that nerves can affect your playing as well as some strategies for how you can cope.

Performance Nerves Can Cause: • Too much bow speed; superficial connection • Cold and clammy hands of bow • Shaking bow arm • Listening in a different way, the feeling that • Holding your breath; shortness of breath things sound alarmingly different or wrong • Pressing the left fingers too hard into the • Feeling hyper-aware of all the details fingerboard • Being nervous in a situation you didn’t think • Distorted awareness of tempo—playing too would make you nervous quickly and thinking everyone else is behind • Being nervous despite playing for a small group 34 • Being overly judgmental about mistakes and missed details MASTERCLASS

HOW TO COPE WITH NERVES

Preparing for the Performance: • Connect with the music in the practice room so • When you learn the piece, keep fingerings and you can later do so on stage—this is extremely bowings comfortable and consistent. important! • Go through the piece, and identify problem • Find as many opportunities as you can to spots. perform and make yourself nervous so you can • Practice technical problems slowly and thor- get familiar with the feeling. oughly until they feel worked out. ITZHAK PERLMAN THE PERFORMANCE MINDSET

On Stage: • Let go of mistakes; forget about what just hap- • Don’t be surprised or judgmental about feeling pened and move on nervous; instead, accept that it’s going to • Keep fingers light, pressing only as much as happen on occasion needed • Breathe deeply • Keep a steady tempo and let things feel a little • Stay creative and spontaneous in each moment slow • Take more bows if needed • Feel the connection and friction with the bow • Concentrate and connect with the music rather • Ignore unexpected distractions in the audience than “just surviving”—feeling like you’re only or environment playing it to get through it • Perform the way you practiced

35 MASTERCLASS ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 11 PRACTICE ESSENTIALS

If you really want to become a master of your craft, your first priority should be carving out time every day to practice. But then you need to spend that time wisely. Mr. Perlman has several suggestions for making the most of your practice hours.

ESTABLISH GOOD HABITS

Good habits start with excellent posture and Choose good bowings and then commit to them. mechanics. Make sure you’re holding the violin It’s important to know when you will go up-bow, and bow properly and that the movement in when you will go down-bow, when you will slur both arms and hands is smooth and functional. several notes together, play staccato, etc. so that If you practice regularly with a slumped posture you can be confident in your movements. It is and poor mechanics, then this will become extremely important to choose the bowings and your habit. fingerings and stick to them at all times when 36 practicing—without any change. If you do not MASTERCLASS Cultivate the habit of playing in tune. When change the bowings and the fingerings once you learning something new, play it slowly enough choose the ones that feel comfortable for you, that you are playing every note correctly. Once you will learn the piece faster, and when you have you speed it up, continue to play it in tune by to relearn it, it will also be faster. choosing fingerings that are comfortable for your hand. If your fingerings require you to When correcting mistakes, repeat the correct stretch and strain, you run the risk of landing version more times than you played the wrong in the wrong place, which itself could become version. If you make the mistake again, that repe- a habit. Once you choose your fingerings, stick tition doesn’t count. The correct version needs to to them. become your new habit.

PRACTICE SLOWLY

Practicing slowly is crucial, especially when Keep your rhythms proportional as you slow down you are learning a new piece. When practicing the music. Don’t practice the easy parts fast and a particular passage, slow it down enough so the difficult parts slow; instead keep everything that you’re able to play everything correctly (no the same tempo. That way, when you speed it back wrong notes, no out-of-tune notes, no fumbling up, the rhythms will be correct and well-ingrained. with the bow). Give your brain ample time to soak in new infor- mation. You can’t hurry good practice. ITZHAK PERLMAN PRACTICE ESSENTIALS

Use a Metronome A metronome can help you keep a consistent A metronome is a device that produces a click at tempo so that you don’t inadvertently speed up or a regular interval of time. You can set how fast slow down. you would like it to go based on beats per second. Mechanical metronomes, which have been Start with a metronome marking that allows you around for several centuries, have a pendulum to play all of the right notes and the right rhythms, that swings back and forth. You can also use an then gradually increase the speed. This can be electronic metronome or even a metronome app a long-term project, whereby you increase the on your phone. speed by one notch of the metronome each day until you have worked up to your goal tempo.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

When using a metronome, it’s important to under- stand the rhythms that you’re playing as well as their correct placement in terms of the beat. Mr. Perlman uses the example of the beginning of the Adagio of Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G-minor, which 37 has complex rhythms. Do you know where every MASTERCLASS beat falls?

You need to know, otherwise you’ll wind up playing long and short notes without any real pulse to the music. As practice, mark where each beat in the music falls. In this case, you’ll subdivide the measure by eighth notes. Here’s how the first two measures of this piece would look: ITZHAK PERLMAN PRACTICE ESSENTIALS

Go through this entire movement and mark the metronome. Once you’ve practiced with the beats in this way. Once you understand exactly metronome and learned the rhythms by heart, where all those beats align with the rhythms, then you can feel what Mr. Perlman called the then you can practice the music with a “inner pulse” of this music.

PRACTICE IN RHYTHMS

For complicated passages of running notes, Mr. Perlman recommends practicing in rhythms. This means that you take that passage and play it through with either a slow-fast or a fast-slow rhythm. Here’s what those would look like:

38 MASTERCLASS

Here is a measure you could practice using the two kinds of rhythms that Mr. Perlman recom- mends (measure 139 from the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto). This is what it looks like in the music: ITZHAK PERLMAN PRACTICE ESSENTIALS

This is what it would look like to practice them with a dotted eighth/sixteenth note pattern (long- short, long-short):

This is what it would look like to practice them with a sixteenth note/dotted eighth pattern (short-long, short-long):

39 MASTERCLASS

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Find a passage of running notes that challenges First, learn to read well. That means knowing you. It can be from a short piece, a concerto, the names of the notes, key signatures, flats and an étude, or a piece of orchestra music. After sharps, time signatures, and rhythms. When you several days of practicing with these rhythms, sight read, these are the first things you should you’ll likely find that the passage comes examine in the music before you begin to play. together more quickly. The best way to practice sight reading is to play Sight Reading chamber music with friends and colleagues and/ Sight reading is the ability to play a piece of or to play in an orchestra, where there are ample music that you’ve never played before simply opportunities to read new music. You can practice by reading it off of a page of written music. As alone by reading music you aren’t familiar with, with anything else on the violin, you have but playing with other people makes you more to practice to get good at it. accountable—the orchestra is not going to stop every time you get a little confused. ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 12 THE THREE-HOUR PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Mr. Perlman recommends an every-day practice schedule composed of three elements: scales, exercises and études, and repertoire.

FIRST HOUR: SCALES SECOND HOUR: ÉTUDES THIRD HOUR: REPERTOIRE

SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

Scales, which go upward and downward in steps, SCALE-STUDIES FOR THE VIOLIN: 40 allow you to work on your sound, intonation, (Jan Hřímalý) Two- and three-octave scales and MASTERCLASS finger patterns, and bow control all at the same arpeggios for the intermediate student. time. Arpeggios, which skip up and down the scale on chord tones, also help with shifting and keeping CONTEMPORARY VIOLIN TECHNIQUE: your hand frame. Mr. Perlman suggests starting (Ivan Galamian) This contains the rhythmic formula your scale routine with slow bows, concentrating for Armenian violin instructor Ivan Galamian’s on getting a healthy sound and good tone from famou three-octave acceleration scales, as well your violin. Play a different scale each day, and as many different ways to do scales. There is also take care to play it in tune. Practice various a cycle of three-octave arpeggios as well as dou- bowings and rhythms. As you get more advanced, ble-stop scales. you can practice double-stop scales in thirds, sixths, octaves, and tenths. Here are some popular SCALE SYSTEM: scale methods and their features: (Carl Flesch) A rather dense and complex set of scale exercises for the advanced violinist. ELEMENTARY SCALES AND BOWINGS FOR STRINGS: DOUBLE STOPS: SCALES AND (Harvey Whistler) Scales for the beginner. The SCALE EXERCISES FOR THE VIOLIN: book also contains charts that show violin finger (Simon Fischer) An extremely detailed book that placement in various keys. breaks double-stop scales down into manageable steps, focusing on thirds, sixths, octaves, fingered octaves, and tenths. ITZHAK PERLMAN THE THREE-HOUR PRACTICE SCHEDULE

ÉTUDES AND EXERCISES (YOUR TEACHER NEEDS TO ADVISE ACCORDING TO YOUR LEVEL)

An étude, which mean “study” in French, is a 36 ETUDES OR CAPRICES FOR musical exercise written to practice a specific VIOLIN SOLO: technique. In addition to scales and arpeggios, (Federigo Fiorillo) Advanced exercises that they’re an excellent way to learn the patterns and include techniques such as double-stops, string skills you’ll need for violin-playing at every level. crossings, bowing patterns, and more. Start with this selection of books filled with études and exercises written for violin, roughly in order 24 CAPRICES FOR VIOLIN: from elementary through advanced: (Pierre Rode) Studies that encourage the player’s facility over the whole instrument. Études SIXTY STUDIES FOR THE VIOLIN, OP. 45: 24 ETUDES: (Franz Wohlfahrt) Often a student’s first book of (Pierre Gaviniès) Études that cover all 24 keys and études, these address string crossing, bow strokes, a wide variety of techniques. shifting, and finger patterns. The first 30 are in first position, while the last 30 incorporate third 24 ETUDES AND CAPRICES, OP. 35, FOR position as well. VIOLIN SOLO: 41 (Jakob Dont) Études that violinists generally study MASTERCLASS 36 ELEMENTARY AND PROGRESSIVE after Kreutzer’s études and before the Paganini ETUDES, OP. 20: Caprices. (H.E. Kayser) Études that cover a wide variety of techniques including bowing, shifting, and finger- ETUDES-CAPRICES, OP. 18: ing. For beginning to intermediate violinists. (Henryk Wieniawski) These work as both technical studies and concert pieces. The second violin part 75 MELODIOUS AND PROGRESSIVE plays simple harmony to the first violin’s virtuosic STUDIES, OP. 36: and technical part. (Jaques F. Mazas) Studies by the French composer Mazas, who mostly wrote pedagogical studies and 24 CAPRICES, OP. 1, FOR VIOLIN SOLO: methods for violin and viola students. (Niccolo Paganini) Some of the most technically difficult pieces ever written for violin, these are 42 STUDIES FOR VIOLIN: often performed as concert pieces. Paganini was (Rodolphe Kreutzer) These studies are an essential so virtuosic that it was rumored he’d sold his soul rite of passage for nearly every violinist transition- to the Devil in exchange for his astonishing violin ing into more advanced studies. technique. ITZHAK PERLMAN THE THREE-HOUR PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Exercises THE ARTIST’S TECHNIQUE OF VIOLIN PREPARATORY EXERCISES IN DOUBLE PLAYING: STOPPING, OP. 9: (Demetrius Constantine Dounis) Advanced exer- (Otakar Ševčík) Exercises to improve fluency in cises for use at the beginning of a practice session; double-stops and chords. they emphasize finger dexterity and shifting.

REPERTOIRE

Once you have played your scales, exercises, anything from a short piece to a concerto. and études, it’s time to work on your repertoire— Discuss with your teacher. the pieces you wish to perform. These can be

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Your teacher should examine your practice sched- 42 ule. It should include a balance of scales, études, MASTERCLASS exercises, and repertoire. MASTERCLASS performing itwell:performing Mr. Perlman andhisstudentshave tipsformemorizing afew musicand Every violinist reacts alittle differently apiece toperforming by memory. memory, then use the music.Aslongasyou give Finally, ifyou find that you can’tperform music by • • • • • • • • • • • MEMORIZATION same as the others how eachrepetition is slightly different or the Have ascheme for the music that repeats; know Be able to start from any point in the music music inyour head Go over the fingering for theentire piece of out loudor inyour head Be able to sing the entire piece of musiceither the instrument. Try itright before going to sleep Run through the piece inyour headaway from on emotions, colors, or other ideas Break the musicupinto different sectionsbased so you don’t forget important points Keep using the music,even whenit’smemorized, don’t overthink When performing, trust your musclememory— muscle memory Repeat the musicmany times so that itbecomes decided so that you have aclear plan Make sure your fingeringsandbowings are fully but for the purposeof knowing the piece Practice not for the purposeof memorizing, ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 13 STUDENT Q&A MEMORIZATION AND PRACTICE • • • • • • • Preparing for aPerformance using musicisokay. a wonderful performance, Mr. Perlman says that not to worrynotabout technique to As you gooutonstage,give yourself permission doesn’t feel like newmusic so that you are in the mindset to play itand Play the piece enoughonperformance day much on performance day, practice it,butnot too If you are concerned aboutaparticular passage practice to aminimum. On the day of the performance, rest, andkeep an audience, even whenpracticing slowly. would useifyou were onstageperforming for Practice with the sameexpressive intentions you requires. proper dynamics andarticulation the music a beautifulsound from the bow, andwith the are working onintonation, always stillplay with the context of the music.For example,ifyou Practice musically;correct the technique in let goandplay the music Be soprepared ona technical level that you can

43 MASTERCLASS • Phrasing • • Balance • • Timing are tokeep justafew in mind: and he’s picked upsometipsforworking with other musiciansalong the way. Here Mr. Perlman has collaborated with many musiciansover alifetime ofperforming, WORKING WITH OTHER MUSICIANS IN A CHAMBER SETTING about how the phrasing willgo Make sure the group comes to anagreement and allow the melody to come out accompaniment atvarious points in the music, Know whoplays the melody andwhoplays the than any other Make sure oneinstrument isnot muchlouder do so agreement withyour partner(s) abouthow to When you slow down or speedup,come to an Work onsynchronizing the beat ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 14 COLLABORATION • • • • • • • Working With aConductor andOrchestra conduct ahead Some might conduct behindyou, others might Know the tendencies of particular conductors: Use humor “It’stoo fast,” etc. Avoid blurtingout,“It’s too loud,” the conductor, “Canyou helpmeout?” If somethingdoesn’tseemright, politely ask tempo andbalance Communicate your wishesin terms of Be respectful relationship Aim for anamicable,not confrontational, 44 MASTERCLASS perform it today. kind ofmusic andcontinues to Perlman loves toplay this ofthesamename.tary Mr. was followed by adocumen klezmer music called 1995 herecorded analbumof style camenaturally tohim.In klezmer, hefoundthat the asked tohost ashow about much later on,when hewas Israel when hewas achild; heard thiskindofmusic in special occasions.Mr. Perlman played at weddings andother dance andcelebration music eastern Europe, much ofit traditional Jewish music from Klezmer music isbuilton FIDDLER’S HOUSE WHAT IS KLEZMER MUSIC? ITZHAK PERLMAN IN THE , which - Jazz pianist that was acceptable to both of us.” things properly andalways arrived atadecision things. Not that we argued, butwe discussed 2017 interview withDecca Classics.“We discussed mendously working withhim,” Ashkenazy saidina numerous recordings together. “Ienjoyed tre- started playing together in the 1960sandmade and conductor bornin1937. He andMr. Perlman collaboration. together over their many years of friendship and have toured andperformed countless concerts Yorkrelationship ina1979New article. They Times with sucheffortless rapport,” Perlman said of their Upper West Side. “It’s arare thing, two people in the sameapartment buildingonManhattan’s the Juilliard School,and, for a time, both lived were teenagers. Both of them graduated from childhood andhave played together since they He andMr. Perlman have known eachother since Israeli-American violinist, violist, andconductor. Loves You, Porgy,” andmore. “Misty,” “Stormy Weather,” “Mack the Knife,” “I by Side , which featured favorite jazzstandards like Mr. Perlman to record a1994albumcalled Side VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY PINCHAS ZUKERMAN PARTNERS FEATURED IN THIS CHAPTER: SOME OF MR. PERLMAN’S COLLABORATIVE OSCAR PETERSON , bornin1948,isan isaRussian pianist worked with COLLABORATION 45 MASTERCLASS modern-day career in classical music. the successitistoday—as well assomeunexpected adviceforpursuing a unique andthriving program—how itcame tobe, howithas evolved into lifelong love ofmusic. Here, Toby gives youabehind-the-scenes lookatthis camp isaboutfostering connections between campers andencouraging a they’re ofthe justpart group,” Toby says. At the endofthe day, though, the Students who are “already stars in their come[to PMP] owncountries and singing ornot. The idea istocreate alittle communityandeven humility. The kidsare also thrown into achoir whether they have abackground in all-star faculty (students ofthe violin, viola,cello, andbass are welcome). makes tracks forShelter Island in New York toreceive instruction froman summer, anelite groupofstring players between the ages of12and18 nurtured andsupportedwhile also receiving high-level training. Every wife, Toby, creates anenvironment where young musicianscan feel The Perlman Music Program (PMP), founded in 1994by Mr. Perlman’s ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 15 A CAREER IN MUSIC 46 MASTERCLASS students ages12 to 18,we take amaximumof 40 get sucked into anything else. For the program of “I adhere to apolicy, andIdisciplinemyself not to its success. The program issmall,butthat’s thesecret to meeting to bepolite,’ you know? Maybe Ican help So Ihadnointerest, butI thought, ‘I’llgo to the because itgot too socialand too fancy for us. spent ten summersinAspenand then left,mainly had nointerest in that atall,becausewe hadjust interested inhaving amajor music festival there. I I was contacted by agroup of peoplewhowere “Itzhak andIhave ahouseinEastHampton, and materialized. of New York thattheschoolToby imaginedfinally It wasn’t until thePerlmans bought ahouseoutside we justwent for it.” tunity not kindof landedinmy lap.But once itdid, ready. Inever would have done this had the oppor this dream. Sowhen the opportunity arose, Iwas programs around the country, kindof cemented of my own children whowere atvarious music perience combined with,later on, the experiences what Iwould doifIcould. AndI think that life ex but going to that program—gave meamodel for “That experience—not of meetingmy husband, foundation forthePerlman Music Program. excellent teachingatsuchanearlyagelaidthe program foryoungstringplayers.Her exposure to Toby andMr. Perlman firstmetatasummermusic ITZHAK PERLMAN ORIGINS OF THE PERLMAN MUSIC PROGRAM PMP TODAY - - feels bigger than a family.” under eachchild’sfingernailsandbigenoughsoit it’s smallenoughso that you know what’sgoingon students. Thirty five is themagic number because difference.” hadn’t proved anything yet, andhereally madea get started.Steven was among those people.We people really went outonalimbandenabledus to nobody knewwhat this was going to be,and of peoplewhoreally love us.In the beginning we getalot of support—we have awholebunch They really helpedus out.We’re very lucky that were very early supportersof this program. “Steven Spielberg, Jo Carole andRonald S.Lauder Even earlyon,theprogram garnered A-list fans. than Ihadoriginally envisioned.” roomed into somethingalot more complicated Then we addedother programs to it.Soit’smush- weeks, and then six weeks, and finally seven weeks. two week program, and then we went to four small—the first couple of years, I think we dida March, andwe opened that August. We started about the school took place I think inApril,maybe But that was the beginning. This conversation I’ll runaschool.” Sowe got aschool.No festival! Without skippingabeat,Isaid,“A school?Oh, could have aschoolattached to the festival.” of conversation someonesaid,“You know, we them outinsomeway. Andin the course A CAREER IN MUSIC 47 MASTERCLASS play like akidwhositsinroom allday anddoesn’t hours aday anddoesn’tgo to schoolisgoing to that the kidwhositsin the practice room eight the child.Andso,whatdoes that mean? It means the cultivation of acareer but the cultivation of question, andmy answer to itisnot somuchabout 50 years ago than itisnow. It’s avery broad On the other hand,I think the pathwas straighter nowwere thanthereopportunities more then. husband startedout.In many ways, there are “It’s avery different world now thanwhen my Being well-rounded is as crucial as being well-practiced. studio. So the viola faculty chooses the violas, the each faculty member decides for hisor her own application online,and they make arecording, and try to getridof someof that. Students fillout the terrible pressure. Once they’re in the program, we a very competitive world withcrazy parents and itive. That’s abigissue for us—these kidslive in But once you’re in,it’scompletely non-compet “It’s very competitive, sogettinginisdifficult. application process. Aspiring students shouldexpectacompetitive ITZHAK PERLMAN PREPARING FOR A CAREER IN MUSIC

- usually, greatness doesn’tgetlost.” That doesn’tmeanit’seasy to make acareer, but but developing asapersonisequally important. tion, butnot much.Developing skillsisimportant, that atany other time. Maybe that’s anexaggera- novel! You’ll never have anopportunity to study interesting courses—take the modern Japanese college, takeGo to college. go to urge themto to college andgoing to aconservatory, Ialways good. If our PMP-ers are choosingbetween going head andyour heart.One without the other isno go to school.You have to have somethinginyour about us.” fans. These are peoplewhoreally getitandcare “Alec Baldwin andAlanAldaare amongour The A-list supportkeeps oncoming. four spots. It’s not fair, but that’s the way itis.” This year I think we had106violin applicants for and it’shorrifying to have to reject somany kids. very difficult process because the level issohigh, violin faculty chooses the violins, andsoon.It’s a A CAREER IN MUSIC 48 MASTERCLASS physical disability caused by childhood polio. world acclaim, he still finds himself in situations where people refuse tolook past his Mr. Perlman has atremendous ability toplay the violin. Yet asaviolinist even with your gifts. this doesnot take away from your abilitiesand are physical, social,mental or emotional. But You may have your own disabilities,whether they The key is to separate abilities from disabilities. ABILITY VS. DISABILITY ITZHAKPERLMAN |CHAPTER 16 OVERCOMING BARRIERS does not defineaperson. their abilitiesaswell. Understand that adisability And whenitcomes to those around you, focus on fullest. Share them with the world. Focus onyour abilities.Cultivate them to their 49 MASTERCLASS • • • • How DoYou Find AGoodTeacher? Mr. Perlman says: “Another exampleof spiccato.” Ottokar Nováček Perpetuual Mobile extraordinaryand facility.” Feuermann isaperfect exampleof beautiful tone Mr. Perlman says: “The legendary Emanuel Emanuel Feuermann playsDvořákandPopper tone.” Mr. Perlman says: “It’s anexampleof agorgeous Fritz Kreisler playsMéditation of spiccato.” Mr. Perlman says: “It’s agreat exampleof the use Niccolò Paganini Caprice No. 1 Mr. Perlman’s Custom Playlist home. Ifyou’re notsure where tostart,Mr. Perlman has compiled aplaylist. oftheOne best things youcan doforyourchild istolisten togoodmusicin your Look into localSuzuki music programs Look into localmusicconservatories Check withyour localuniversity music program Check withyour localorchestra or symphony ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 18 | BONUS CHAPTER FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS • • • • • Some BasicDosandDon’ts should cultivate achild’s talent, not ruinit. At the endof the day, remember this: A teacher • • • understand how to change things effectively when astudent’s musicdoesn’tgoover well to Leave things alonewhen they gowell; analyze the exclusion of focusing onmusic music come alive; don’t focus on technique to Talk about technique inaway that willmake the student don’t imposeallof the teacher’s ideason the Help the student cultivate hisor her ideas; don’t micro-manage Allow the student to make musicaldecisions; them prisoners to practice andhomework Allow children to play with friends; don’tmake nearby city your community, consider lookinginalarger If there aren’t many quality musicprograms in with music for recommendations Ask fellow parents whosechildren are involved recommendations Ask the music teacher at your child’sschool for 50 MASTERCLASS instrument to beginwith. that’s money you could have spent onabetter fortune making the faulty instrument usable—and fit the violin. Chances are you’ll spendasmall work properly, badstrings,or abridge that doesn’t bad functionality, withissueslike pegs that don’t violin will frustrate you withboth badsoundand uring that the quality won’t matter. Alow-quality cheapest violin you canfindon theinternet fig- teachers andplayers, andbewary. Don’t buy the your research, seekrecommendations from It ispossible to buy agoodviolin online,butdo test aninstrument before buying it. teacher, ifyou have one.Most shopswillletyou before purchasing it.Seekout the helpof your It’s bestifyou canactually test aninstrument always askabout this aheadof time. the purchase of aninstrument, butyou should will letyou apply partof your rental fees towards grow outof hisor her instrument. Someshops Renting canbeagoodidea for achildwhowill A beginner canpurchase or rent aninstrument. Purchasing aStudent Instrument are somepointers forchoosing the violin: right playing improves andyoufind yourself seeking more fromyour instrument. Here lions ofdollars.Chances are, you’ll with start astudentviolin, then upgrade asyour Not many violinists have the toplay opportunity onaStradivari violin mil worth - ITZHAK PERLMAN | CHAPTER 19 | BONUS CHAPTER ACQUIRING A FINE INSTRUMENT for anamount that’s commensurate withitsvalue. shop or maker soyou caninsure the instrument You’ll also need anofficial appraisal from the violin ment or if the day comes whenyou decide to sell). in handy ifyou need to fileaclaimonlostinstru- sure to getacertificate of authenticity (it’ll come If the violin ismadeby aparticular luthier, make church, andaconcert hall. it different settings,suchas your room athome,a someone elseplay the violin for you and to test in is—does itcarry inahall?It canbehelpful to have techniques. The volume issimply how loudit clarity inresponding to fast passagesandvarious the quality of the sound. The responsiveness isits tone, responsiveness, andvolume. The tone is Play avariety of pieces on the violin to assessits to buy. a periodof time to seeifitis the oneyou wish allow you to borrow the violin (or several) for violin that you’re considering, andmostwillalso violin shopshave aroom where you canplay a buying the violin, bow, andcaseseparately. Most shop or luthier (violin maker), you willprobably be If you buy aninstrument from areputable violin Purchasing aHigher-Quality Instrument 51 MASTERCLASS • • • • • • • • • • • fine instruments: or connect young artistswithpatrons whoown and competitions that grant instrument loansand/ Here are someof the organizations, institutions, hundreds of thousands ifnot millionsof dollars. rare Italian instrument, and these tend to beworth Students at the highestlevel may wish to play ona Instrument Acquiring aStradivari orOther Rare Italian ITZHAK PERLMAN Rare ViolinsinConsortium Rachel Barton PineFoundation Stradivari Society Paris Foundation Nippon Music Foundation The Maestro Foundation International ViolinCompetition of Indianapolis Doublestop Foundation Chi-Mei Foundation Canadian Instrument Bank Amati Foundation collectors andinstitutions. of their highvalue, mostare owned by wealthy about 450Stradivari violins survive, andbecause 1,100 violins, violas, cellos, andguitars. Today, the Italian violin maker Stradivari, whomadesome sidered among the finest of the violins made by French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. It iscon- it was owned by anumber of people,including Amédée Soil,aBelgian industrialist.Before that, is called the Soilbecauseitwas once owned by 1986, Mr. Perlman bought it from Menuhin. It ciously letMr. Perlman try itout).Years later, in played it(at ameetingwithMenuhin, whogra- Perlman fell inlove withit the minutehefirst Menuhin before Mr. Perlman acquired it.Mr. Period, the SoilStradivari belonged to Yehudi Made in1714duringAntonio Stradivari’s Golden Mr. Perlman’s Stradivarius Soil students. loan to that they’ll A number of universities alsoown fineinstruments ACQUIRING A FINE INSTRUMENT 52 MASTERCLASS Auer, Auer dismissedit as it toviolinist Leopold Tchaikovsky presented dead onarrival. When only violinconcertowas any weight, Tchaikovsky’s If first impressions held Partita No. 3. of sixdancemovements in dance intwo, isthe third Gavotte enRondeau, alively dance movements. The Partitas, each with multiple four movements, andthree three sonatas, each with counterpoint. There are of multiple voices and that Bach ever wrote, full profound piecesofmusic harmonically complete and they’re someofthemost no accompaniment, andyet written fortheviolin with as hecalledthem,were of hiswife. The SeiSolo, 1720 afterthesudden death were completed around Bach’s Sonatas andPartitas NO. 3 NO. RONDEAU BACH: JOHANN SEBASTIAN OP. 35 CONCERTO IN D-MAJOR, TCHAIKOVSKY: VIOLIN PYOTR ILYICH GAVOTTE EN FROM PARTITA ITZHAK PERLMAN | APPENDIX THROUGHOUT MR. PERLMAN’S CLASS SOME OF THE MUSIC PLAYED and EfremZimbalist. Milstein, Oskar Shumsky, Jascha Heifetz, Nathan violinists Mischa Elman, students,to-be-famous and teaching it tohissoon- performing it frequently champion thework, Auer cametoeventually violin repertoire. Even recorded concertiinthe most performed,andmost one ofthemost beloved, certo went ontobecome and-blue.” Yet this con about, torn,beaten black- longer played; it ispulled and that “theviolinisno that it “stank totheear” Eduard Hanslick noting it, with Austrian writer Brodsky, critics ripped into played by violinist Adolf two years later in1881, When it was premiered uled premierein1879. to performit forasched “unplayable” andrefused and later revised with the linist Ottovon Königslow to was premieredby vio- Bruch’s first violinconcer- Completed in1866, Max G-MINOR,OP. 26 CONCERTO NO. 1 IN MAX BRUCH: VIOLIN

- - most frequently-played with David, isoneofthe in close consultation violin concerto, written conductor. Mendelssohn’s where Mendelssohn was Gewandhaus Orchestra, master oftheLeipzig time David was concert teenage years, andat the been friendssincetheir and Mendelssohn had was dedicated. David David, towhom thework the violinist Ferdinand premiered in1845 by This violinconcertowas royalties. sum, with noprovision for the publisher fora modest as hehad soldthescoreto made himvery little money, violin andorchestra. It also of hisScottishFantasy for with thepossible exception everything elsehewrote, more popularthannearly the rest ofhislife. It proved in his20s,dogged himfor written when Bruch was popularity oftheconcerto, Joachim. The runaway help ofviolinist Joseph E-MINOR,OP. 64 VIOLIN CONCERTO IN FELIX MENDELSSOHN: - passagework. double-stops andrelentless cadenza, which isfullof fiendishly difficultKreisler chapter, Mr. Pplays the Eugène Ysaÿe. In this Henryk Wieniawski, and Spohr, Henri Vieuxtemps, Nathan Milstein, Louis Joachim, Fritz Kreisler, David, Carl Flesch, Joseph Joshua Bell,Ferdinand including Auer, Leopold dozens violinists, offamous inspired cadenzas by Violin Concertohas concertos. Beethoven’s cadenzas forvarious have written down their many performers famous cadence inaconcerto. But by asoloist, played at a is showy improvisation Technically, acadenza and early-Romantic style. elements oflate-Classical repertoire, combining concertos intheviolin IN D-MAJOR, OP. 61 VIOLIN CONCERTO VAN BEETHOVEN’S KREISLER, FOR LUDWIG CADENZA BY FRITZ

53 MASTERCLASS composition. this was hismost famous in hisdream.Nonetheless, inferior towhat he’d heard written composition was he ultimately feltthat his memories ofthemusic, but he triedtojotdown his ever heard.Upon waking, and brilliant music he’d him themost virtuosic by thedevil, who played that hehad beenvisited after having adream violin intheearly 1700s four-movement sonata for Giuseppe Tartini wrotethis trills, andmore. harmonics, double-stop left-hand pizzicato,artificial techniques: flying spiccato, a dizzyingarray ofspecial Italian violinist, involves written in1852 by the of theGoblins,” thispiece, Translated as“theDance Beethoven’s Violin It’s hardtobelieve that RONDE DES LUTINS ANTONIO BAZZINI: LA OP. 61 OP. CONCERTO IN D-MAJOR, BEETHOVEN: VIOLIN LUDWIG VAN TRILL G-MINOR, VIOLIN SONATA NO. 3 IN GIUSEPPE TARTINI: ITZHAK PERLMAN

THE DEVIL’S , OP. 25

movement. ends with aplayful last orchestral writing and scales andtriumphant movement fullofcascading D-major, it beginswith a the violin-friendly key of at theconcert.Written in Clement tosight-read it before thepremiere, forcing finished writing it just days have beenthat Beethoven Clement. Onereasonmay 1806 by violinist Franz when it was premieredin world with tepidreviews for violin—was metby the and pristine works written among themost beautiful Concerto—now considered violin. The tunewas even made arrangements for and Fritz Kreisler, have including Auer Leopold a number ofviolinists, arranged it forcello, and performance. Tchaikovsky into tearsduring a1876 author Tolstoy Leo toburst movement caused Russian poser’s own account, the written in1871. By thecom Quartet No. 1,Op. 11, of Tchaikovsky’s String the secondmovement This melody comesfrom CANTABILE TCHAIKOVSKY: PYOTR ILYICH

ANDANTE - in French Romanticism. emotional pieceissteeped Turgenev. The highly the Russian writer Ivan of Triumphant Love by novella calledThe Song is namedforaromantic this one-movement work violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, Written in1896 forthe Fritz Kreisler. old recordingby violinist Mr. Pparticularly loves an medium ofrecorded music; ings ofthispieceinevery find hundreds ofrecord piece forsoloists. You can of alllevels, andanencore recital pieceforviolinists learn pieceforstudents, a opera, becomingamust- hefty lifeoutside ofthe the violinsolohashad a main character, Thaïs. But awakening oftheopera’s repentance andspiritual violin solorepresents the 1894 operaThaïs, this As written inMassenet’s On theOn Isle ofMay. song by Mack David called used forapopular1930s MÉDITATION JULES MASSENET: POÉME ERNEST CHAUSSON: , OP., 25 FROM THAÏS

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wife. over thesudden death ofhis work embodies Bach’s grief have speculated that this around 1720, andhistorians progression. It was written on repeated harmonic is aformofvariations based 2. Aciaconna,orchaconne, five-movement Partita No. at theconclusion ofthe Sonatas andPartitas, falling movements inallofBach’s of themost deeply spiritual accompaniment, thisisone Written forviolinwith no book. a seminalviolinmethod and teacher who wrote was aviolinist, composer, his father, Mozart, Leopold he was afineviolinist, and for hisskill at thekeyboard, Mozart was known more violin repertoire. Though 4, and5arestaples ofthe played, butConcertos3, two concertosareseldom 19 years old).His first succession (hewas just violin concertiinrapid In 1775, Mozart wrotefive D-MINOR FROM PARTITA NO. 2 IN BACH: JOHANN SEBASTIAN CONCERTONO. 4 AMADEUSMOZART: WOLFGANG CIACONNA INTRODUCTION

54 MASTERCLASS himself in1862 inSt. which hepremiered including thisconcerto, today,the violinrepertoire of works that remainin time. He wroteanumber virtuosiofhis most famous Wieniawski was oneofthe Polish violinist Henryk unusually large hands. pianist andorganist with as Franck himselfwas a it makes onthepianist, notorious forthedemands own lifetime. This sonata is continued toplay it over his in popularity asYsaÿe years later, thepiecegrew composer diedjust four 31 at thetime. Though the Eugène Ysaÿe, who was present forviolinist in 1886 asawedding sonata forviolinandpiano César Franck wrotethis IN A-MAJOR CÉSAR FRANCK: SONATA IN D-MINOR, OP. 22 VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 2 HENRYK WIENIAWSKI: ITZHAK PERLMAN

style. the emerging Romantic Classical style aswell as characteristics ofboththe piano, andthissonata has partners oftheviolinand Beethoven makes equal sonata, written in1812. was Beethoven’s last violin violinist PierreRode, this pianist, andtheFrench Archduke Rudolf, a Written forhispatron fast-slow-fast. movements arearranged Italian structure. The is typicaloftraditional has threemovements, as This particularconcerto Rubinstein conducting. Petersburg with Anton IV. IV. OP. 10, NO. 96,SONATA BEETHOVEN: VIOLIN LUDWIG VAN CONCERTO IN A-MINOR BACH: VIOLIN JOHANN SEBASTIAN POCO ALLEGRETTO

violinists ever since. popular showpiece for passages have made it a dies andthrillingvirtuosic Its Spanish-tinged melo- violinist Pablo de Sarasate. this piecein1863 forthe Saint-Saëns composed provides themelody. second violinpartgenerally vanced technique while the as anétude focusingonad wrote each first violinpart instructional, Wieniawski one ofthem.Intended tobe Études-Caprices. This is wrote eight madly difficult Petersburg Conservatory, 1862 to1869 at theSt. also taught violinfrom The Polish violinist, who TWO VIOLINS, NO. 4 CAPRICES OP. 18 FOR HENRYK WIENIAWSKI: A-MINOR,OP. 28 RONDO CAPRICCIOSO IN INTRODUCTION AND CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS:

- INTRODUCTION 55