Gwendolyn Masin, Violin Teaching in the New Millennium
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VIOLIN TEACHING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM In Search of the Lost Instructions of Great Masters — an Examination of Similarities and Differences Between Schools of Playing and How These Have Evolved OR Remembering the Future of Violin Performance Gwendolyn Masin Thesis submitted for the degree of DoCtor in Philosophy, August 2012. School of MusiC 42145 ii Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. Signed:____________________________ Date: ___________________________ iii ABSTRACT Violin Teaching in the New Millennium In Search of the Lost Instructions of Great Masters — an Examination of Similarities and Differences Between Schools of Playing and How These Have Evolved or Remembering the Future of Violin Performance by Gwendolyn Masin Doctor in Philosophy, Music Trinity College, Dublin, August 2012 This thesis addresses a number of issues that have developed in the concepts and practices of violin pedagogy and performance since World War II. In particular it identifies the ways in which cultural transnationality has diminished the distinctiveness of various historic schools of violin playing and pedagogy, and has led to practices and concepts within teaching that threaten a historically and artistically informed view of what it means to learn the instrument. It compares current practice with those that prevailed between the middle of the 18th century and the decades immediately after World War II, and identifies a lack of published treatises by contemporary pedagogues. A discussion of the genealogy of teaching between distinguished pedagogues of today and those of the 18th century identifies important issues of technique and of artistic heritage that are endangered, plus concepts that are maintained by the best teachers and must be preserved. A vast amount of data regarding this genealogy has been gathered so as to provide a far-reaching family tree that is accompanied by an infogram. The second part of the thesis consists of an extended discussion of the various approaches taken by the author's teachers (including Shmuel Ashkenasi, Herman Krebbers, Igor Ozim, Ana Chumachenco and Zakhar Bron) to specific technical and artistic challenges. It concludes that one of the most potentially valuable counterweights to these tendencies would be the establishment of an Internet database that would be available to students and pedagogues alike. Both the methodology and the content of this thesis would be a valid starting point for such a database. iv Summary This thesis is primarily concerned with addressing issues that have arisen in violin pedagogy over the last sixty years or so. In particular, it addresses some challenges to the artistic and technical heritage of violin pedagogy and playing — challenges that threaten the ability of young players to develop as well-informed musicians whose technical and artistic decisions are rooted in the accumulated wisdom of centuries of violin playing. Although a number of these issues have been discussed in isolation by other authors, this is probably the first attempt to present them in a broad historical and cultural context, and to make specific recommendations about how their consequences might be ameliorated. The thesis is in two parts. Part 1 identifies transnationality as a primary cause of the dislocation between modern pedagogy and the artistic heritage on which such pedagogy has, until recently at least, rested. It examines some of the consequences of transnationality for the practice of violin pedagogy, and compares contemporary practice with that which prevailed prior to World War II. It finds that two particular developments are of concern. The first is the lack of comprehensive written treatises by distinguished pedagogues of the last fifty years or so. The second is the competitive pressure on teachers and students alike, which has led to serious difficulties in giving professional students the amount of individual attention that they need, and has also led, especially at preliminary levels, to a striking increase in the amount of group-teaching, as distinct from individual lessons. Part 1 compares this situation with that which prevailed from the middle of the 18th century until the years immediately after World War II. It considers the lives and ideals of many of the greatest violin pedagogues of that two-hundred-year period, and places these teachers in the context of specific schools of playing and pedagogy that arose in that time. It also considers the extent to which the distinctiveness of such schools has diminished over time, and discusses the largely undesirable consequences of young players becoming uninformed by being unaware of the richness that this diversity of schools offers when making interpretative, artistic or technical choices. This part of the thesis is also deeply concerned with the genealogy of teaching, with how ideas developed by one teacher might be adapted by another, v and how some concepts of good playing have endured in the two-hundred-years since the middle of the 18th century. Part 2 is an account of the various technical approaches that the author has encountered in lessons with a number of the great pedagogues of the last twenty years or so. It celebrates the differences of opinion on specific topics, emphasises the similarities in approach and thinking to various elements of playing, and discusses controversial or unorthodox methods concerning an array of technical challenges or techniques. Part 2 does not claim to offer a systematic or comprehensive account of technical strategies. However, it does demonstrate the central importance of studying with foremost pedagogues who have thought deeply about their craft, about art, and life in general. Part 2 is also the place where specific opinions on some of these technical topics are offered. The entire project is conceived as a starting point for what might well be a very much larger topic — namely, an international database, edited by professionals, that offers string instrumentalists, and violinists in particular, a new and all-encompassing platform for observation of the development of the violin as an instrument, and an informed forum for players. It could start at the invention of the instrument and trace a thorough line through history with particular emphasis on teaching since the 1960’s up to today. Discussion forums could offer the basis of new articles within the database and renowned teachers themselves might be enticed to offer ideas when asked direct questions by the international community as opposed to facing the arduous and lonely task of writing a treatise. vi VIOLIN TEACHING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM In Search of the Lost Instructions of Great Masters — an Examination of Similarities and Differences Between Schools of Playing and How These Have Evolved OR Remembering the Future of Violin Performance By Gwendolyn Masin David Oistrakh: “Look after each note, they have such a short life”. (Comment made in person by Oistrakh to Ronald Masin) vii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS XII PART 1 1 REMEMBERING … 1 Historical Background 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Aims of this Thesis 1 1.2 Conceptual Background and Artistic Motivation 3 1.3 Terminology and Translations 28 1.4 Music in Theory and Practice 29 1.5 “Art is Science Made Clear” 30 1.6 The Teacher as Eternal Student 34 1.7 Modern Times 40 1.8 A Brief Outline of the Main Schools and Their Advocates 45 1.9 Outstanding Written Contributions to the Art of Violin Playing 47 Francesco Geminiani, The Art of Playing on the Violin (1751) 47 Leopold Mozart, A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing (1756) 49 Francesco Galeazzi, Elementi teorico-pratici di musica con un saggio sopra l’arte di suonare il violino analizzata ed a dimostrabili principj ridotta (1791 and 1796) 50 Carl Guhr, Über Paganini’s Kunst die Violine zu Spielen, ein Anhang zu jeder bis jetzt erchienenen Violinschule nebst einer Abhandlung über das Flageoletspiel in einfachen und Doppeltönen (1829) 51 Louis Spohr, Violinschule (1832) 51 Pierre Baillot, L’art du Violon: nouvelle méthode (1835) 54 Charles-Auguste de Bériot, Méthode de violon (1858) 56 Ferdinand David, Violinschule (1867) 57 More Austro-German Treatises in brief (c. 1881–1899) 58 Otakar Ševčík, Schule der Violintechnik Opus 1 (1881), Schule der Bogentechnik Opus 2 (1895), Violinschule 6 (1904–08) 59 Joseph Joachim and Andreas Moser, Violinschule (1902–05) 59 Leopold Auer, Violin Playing As I Teach It (1921) 61 Demetrius Constantine Dounis, The Artist’s Technique of Violin Playing Opus 12 (1921) 63 Carl Flesch, The Art of Violin Playing (1923–28) 64 Izrail Markovich Yampolsky, The Principles of Violin Fingering (1933) 67 Shin’ichi Suzuki, The Suzuki Method (1950) 68 Ivan Galamian (with Elizabeth A.H. Green), Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching (1962) 70 Paul Rolland, The Teaching of Action in String Playing (1966–71) 74 József Szigeti, Szigeti on the Violin (1969) 74 Yehudi Menuhin, Six Lessons with Yehudi Menuhin (1971) 75 Kató Havas, Stage Fright, its Causes and Cures, with Special Reference to Violin Playing (1973)76 Zakhar Bron, Etüdenkunst (1998) 77 viii 1.10 Knowing the Price of Everything but the Value of Nothing 79 FAMILY TREE (LES ÉCOLES MODERNES) — ALL ROADS LEAD TO VIOTTI 84 THE TEACHERS 95 Maria Kelemen – Private tuition, Cape Town, Dublin, 1984–1988 95 Ronald Masin – Dublin Institute of Technology, College of Music, 1988–1996 95 Herman Krebbers – private tuition, Amsterdam, 1990–1996 95 Igor Ozim – Hochschule der Künste, Berne, 1996–2000 95 Ana Chumachenco – Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Zurich, 2000–2002 95 Zakhar Bron – Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Zurich, 2002–2004 95 Shmuel Ashkenasi – Musikhochschule, Lübeck, 2004–2006 95 Shmuel Ashkenasi (b.