A method-based approach to historical violin playing: performance practice from a contemporary perspective

Abstract

Though learning a historical instrument is becoming more and more common among trained violinists, there are few method books that provide detailed instruction. This dissertation is intended to supply violin students with a structured method in historical violin playing that combines information from both historical treatises and contemporary systems of pedagogy. This will enable the student to learn about the historical sources while keeping a sound approach to healthy movement. By looking at source readings from violin methods and other historical sources of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the student is introduced to historical performance practice. These readings are categorized by the technical information they contain such as violin hold, bow hold, or a certain bow stroke. They are then analyzed and compared to readings by modern pedagogues such as Paul Rolland, Ivan Galamian, Simon Fischer but also experts within the field of Alexander Technique and Body Mapping to enable the student to draw their own conclusions on the techniques they intend to use. To facilitate the process of learning, the author has provided facsimile excerpts both from violin repertoire and historical methods, as well as suggested further practicing material and readings from both historical and modern sources.