Music
After a performance in 1833 of his Symphonie Fantastique and other works, Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869) was approached by Nicolo Paganini with a request to write a piece for viola and orchestra for him. Paganini had just obtained a Stradivarius viola and wanted to show it off in a concerto. Berlioz began the concerto, but when Paganini saw the first movement he complained that there were far too many rests for the viola, that he needed to be playing constantly throughout the concerto.
Paganini lost interest in the work, and Berlioz didn’t have much interest in writing a piece for Paganini to show off with. Berlioz continued in the direction the music was taking him. It became a set of scenes for orchestra and viola obbligato that were based on Lord Byron’s popular poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Byron’s work is a long poem that describes the travels of a world-weary young man. Much of the poem is thought to be autobiographical as Byron himself wandered Europe and the Mediterranean area also. Berlioz used the poem very loosely as inspiration for his piece. He used his travels in Italy in 1830 in combination with the general feeling of the poem to devise the four orchestral scenes.
The four scenes are:
* Harold in the mountains -A portrait of the hero, against a background of extraordinarily evocative and varied nature-painting.
* Pilgrims’ March
* Serenade – An Abruzzi mountaineer plays a serenade to his mistress.
* Orgy of the Brigands -A furious orgy wherein wine, blood, joy, all combined, parade their intoxication-where the rhythm sometimes seems to stumble along, sometimes to rush on in fury, and the brass seems to vomit forth curses and to answer prayer with blasphemies; where they laugh, drink, fight, destroy, violate, and utterly run riot.
Berlioz ended up with nothing like a concerto for viola, but one of his most poetic and lyrical pieces, which is in keeping with Berlioz’s reported fondness for the viola. The viola in one sense is an instrument that has attracted some composers over the years because it usually helps to flesh out the harmony whenever it is used. I’ve heard Bach and Mozart both enjoyed playing the instrument in ensemble for this reason. Composers are inspired and gifted individuals, and the great ones are also great craftsmen. So it makes sense that they would like getting ‘inside’ the music this way.
The viola is also much more than just a ‘bigger violin’. Theoretically it should fall between the violin and cello in size and string length, but if it were made true to this scale it would be unplayable on the arm and be very awkward to play like a cello. To compensate for the fact that the strings are not as long as they need be, they are of a thicker diameter and the body is smaller. This gives the viola a more nasal and distinctive tone than the violin, while still being able to blend with the other string instruments The very fact that the viola is a ‘compromise’ is what makes it unique, and no doubt was the reason for Berlioz being fond of it.
The solo viola wanders through the scenes for orchestra, commenting on the happenings and stating its own special theme called an idee fixe by Berlioz.
The first performance of the work was a disaster that Berlioz blamed on shoddy conducting by the conductor Girard.. After this fiasco, Berlioz himself conducted most of his own music. And what of Paganini? He never did get his viola concerto from Berlioz, never played the work, and he didn’t hear Harold In Italy until 1838. When he did hear it, he was overwhelmed, heaped praise upon Berlioz and gave him a gift of 20,000 francs!
Arthur Rubinstein (1887 – 1982) was a Polish pianist and one of the great virtuosos of the 20th century. He was declared a child prodigy at the age of four and had perfect pitch. By the age of thirteen he had already made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic.
He toured all over the world during his long life. There may have been other pianists that could play a certain piece or composer with more insight, but everything Rubinstein played was rock-solid in interpretation and technique. His tone was golden, he was incapable of producing a harsh tone from the piano. His repertoire was huge. For example, he could perform in short notice 27 different piano concertos. He was also an excellent chamber music musician.
He made recordings from 1928 to about 1976, with most of his recordings being done for RCA. all of his RCA recordings have been issued on music CD, the entire set contains 94 CD’s and runs to 106 hours. He concertized until his eyesight failed him and he retired in 1976 at age eighty-nine. His last concert was in Wigmore Hall in London where he had first played nearly seventy years previously.
Rubinstein is most well known for his Chopin performances. Rubinstein was one of the first pianists early in the 20th century to play Chopin as the music was written. That’s not to say he played it coldly and analytically, but Rubinstein purposefully rid himself of the excesses in performance and interpretation that had become somewhat of a tradition in Chopin’s music. There is no better player of Chopin’s 2nd sonata than Rubinstein. He plays with expression and passion that totally serves the music.
Chopin’s 2nd sonata confused music lovers when it was first published in 1837. Schumann said it lacked cohesion and Chopin “simply bound together four of his most unruly children.” The sonata is in 4 movements and follows the layout of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata #12, which was one of Chopin’s favorite Beethoven sonatas. The sonata opens with what some have called a tribute to Beethoven, as it is very similar to Beethoven’s opening of his final piano sonata, Opus 111 in C minor, another favorite of Chopin. The second movement is a scherzo, the third movement is the famous Funeral March. The enigmatic final Presto movement has been subject to many interpretations. In the preface to the American edition of the sonatas James Huneker quotes from Karol Mikuli, the editor of the sonatas and one of Chopin’s pupils, that Chopin said of this movement, “The left hand and right hand are gossiping after the March”. Arthur Rubinstein himself said of the movement that, “One hears the winds of night sweeping over churchyard graves, the dust blowing and the dust that remains.”
It can be a stressful time in choosing what music the bride should walk down the aisle to. The appropriate choice of music can set the right mood and set up the perfect beginning to a ceremony. There are various options available in terms of song choice, but the main thing to remember is that normally three pieces of music are chosen; one for the entrance, one for the signing of the register and another for the exit.
One of the main things to note at this stage is that the entrance of the bride doesn’t usually take much time, so if you pick a five-minute song, you may only hear the first minute or so. Of course the musician(s) performing on the day can offer some advice here, but it is usually best to pick the longest song for the signing of the register, although you may need one or two others depending on how long it will take.
At the same time you are deciding on the pieces of music you would like to hear, it is important to think of what instrument(s) you would like them performed on. It is important to think of your music at this stage because your favourite jazz standard might sound a bit odd with a string quartet, or a heavy rock classic might struggle to work on the piano.
In terms of the style of wedding aisle music you would like to hear, there really are many options. You could pick something that is special to you, whether that is a piece of classical music like Pachelbel’s Canon, or a pop song that you remember hearing the first time you met. However, you could simply pick some music that you feel is appropriate to the day.
String quartets are very common for wedding ceremonies and they usually specialise in classical repertoire, although covers of pop songs are also becoming more common. However, a cheaper and more flexible option could be to hire a pianist to play wedding music to walk down the aisle to. A pianist will usually have a wider range of songs than a string quartet and another advantage is that he or she can be used for the reception as well. It is usually very easy to play multiple styles of music on the piano, from jazz and latin, to pop, blues and rock, which can cater for all tastes on you wedding day.
Whether you are purchasing an instrument for yourself or for your child, violin price is often an concern. As a parent, it is understandable to not want to spend a lot of money on a musical instrument until you are certain your child will enjoy his or her lessons and continue to play the instrument. That is where price enters into your criteria for the violin purchase.
However, you should be aware of what to look for when purchasing a new or a used violin. Buying an inexpensive Chinese-made violin for under $300 does not come without its issues. There are many things to look for in the way the violin is made that can assist you in making that purchase decision. In the long run, the materials used and the construction of the instrument play key roles in not only how the instrument sounds, but also in the ease of playing the instrument. This is very important for the new student as well as the experienced one. It is very discouraging if the mechanics of the instrument adds to the difficulty in learning to play it. Also, the sound of inexpensive strings in themselves will not add to the tone of the violin and may bring you to an early decision to end the student’s lessons.
It does not pay in the long run to spend less on an instrument when you might end up having to replace the strings, the bridge, or the pegs. The inexpensive violin may end up costing you $100 to $200 in upgrades.
When purchasing a violin, one should examine the fingerboard, which should be made of ebony, a hard wood which is naturally black in colour. In less expensive violins, this is often made from a softer, lighter wood that has been painted or stained to resemble ebony. If you examine the underside of the fingerboard carefully where it joins to the body of the violin, you may be able to detect where it has not been painted. If this is the case and the wood is lighter in colour, then it is not made of ebony.
The bridge is also a very key part to examine. The bridge should be footed and sit in an upright position to the body of the violin. It should not be leaning. If you examine the bridge from a level view from the bottom of the violin along the strings, the strings should not line up in a straight line. The “E” string should be lower, for example, allowing for the ease of playing the individual string with the bow. If the bridge is properly made and mounted, the instrument will be easier to learn to play and make it more enjoyable to learn.
The sound post, which can be seen inside the body of the violin through the f-hole and under the treble side of the bridge, should be vertical and not leaning. The sound post is a small dowel usually made of spruce that is held inside by the friction between the top and back plates of a violin and is situated under the treble side of the bridge. It is important for structural support, as well as the tone because it transfers vibrations from the top plate to the back plate of the violin. Its position, as well as its size and type of wood, make a difference in the tone of the violin. In a later article, we will discuss how to adjust the sound post.
It is also important to look at the purfling on the violin. These are the “lines” that run parallel to the outline of the violin along the front and back of the violin. Usually these are made by carving and are inlaid with another thin strip of wood. This adds strength to the instrument. On an inexpensive instrument, the purfling may be faked by simply being painted to appear like inlay.
In most cases of a higher quality violin, but there is always an exception to the rule, the violin company or maker will have a label inside the violin that can be viewed through the f-hole on the body of the violin.
Most importantly, there is no substitution for playing the instrument and listening to its tone, its richness and its depth, the way it feels in your hand and the mechanics of how it plays. You cannot do this when ordering online!
Prices for violins vary. There are many reasons to consider paying more for your purchase. However, if the student decides the violin is not for them, you are going to get a better resale price for the quality violin you purchased that was well cared for.
Greg Weir is a fiddle (violin) player from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. Greg runs the Violin Price website, a web resource for people interested in learning, playing or collecting violins.