Violin Mastery | Page 9

easily acquired as some of the other violin effects. I advise pressing
down the first finger on the strings _inordinately_, especially in the
higher positions, when playing artificial harmonics. The higher the
fingers ascend on the strings, the more firmly they should press them,
otherwise the harmonics are apt to grow shrill and lose in clearness.
The majority of students have trouble with their harmonics, because
they do not practice them in this way. Of course the quality of the
harmonics produced varies with the quality of the strings that produce
them. First class strings are an absolute necessity for the production of
pure harmonics. Yet in the case of the artist, he himself is held
responsible, and not his strings.
"Octaves? Occasionally, as in Auer's transcript of Beethoven's _Dance
of the Dervishes_, or in the closing section of the Ernst Concerto, when
they are used to obtain a certain weird effect, they sound well. But
ordinarily, if cleanly played, they sound like one-note successions. In
the examples mentioned, the so-called 'fingered octaves,' which are

very difficult, are employed. Ordinary octaves are not so troublesome.
After all, in octave playing we simply double the notes for the purpose
of making them more powerful.
"As regards the playing of tenths, it seems to me that the interval
always sounds constrained, and hardly ever euphonious enough to
justify its difficulty, especially in rapid passages. Yet Paganini used this
awkward interval very freely in his compositions, and one of his
'Caprices' is a variation in tenths, which should be played more often
than it is, as it is very effective. In this connection change of position,
which I have already touched on with regard to scale playing, should be
so smooth that it escapes notice. Among special effects the glissando is
really beautiful when properly done. And this calls for judgment. It
might be added, though, that the glissando is an effect which should not
be overdone. The _portamento_--gliding from one note to another--is
also a lovely effect. Its proper and timely application calls for good
judgment and sound musical taste.
A SPANISH VIOLIN
"I usually play a 'Strad,' but very often turn to my beautiful 'Guillami,'"
said Mr. Brown when asked about his violins. "It is an old Spanish
violin, made in Barcelona, in 1728, with a tone that has a distinct
Stradivarius character. In appearance it closely resembles a Guadagnini,
and has often been taken for one. When the dealer of whom I bought it
first showed it to me it was complete--but in four distinct pieces!
Kubelik, who was in Budapest at the time, heard of it and wanted to
buy it; but the dealer, as was only right, did not forget that my offer
represented a prior claim, and so I secured it. The Guadagnini, which I
have played in all my concerts here, I am very fond of--it has a
Stradivarius tone rather than the one we usually associate with the
make." Mr. Brown showed the writer his Grancino, a beautiful little
instrument about to be sent to the repair shop, since exposure to the
damp atmosphere of the sea-shore had opened its seams--and the rare
and valuable Simon bow, now his, which had once been the property of
Sivori. Mr. Brown has used a wire E ever since he broke six gut strings
in one hour while at Seal Harbor, Maine. "A wire string, I find, is not

only easier to play, but it has a more brilliant quality of tone than a gut
string; and I am now so accustomed to using a wire E, that I would feel
ill at ease if I did not have one on my instrument. Contrary to general
belief, it does not sound 'metallic,' unless the string itself is of very poor
quality.
PROGRAMS
"In making up a recital program I try to arrange it so that the first half,
approximately, may appeal to the more specifically musical part of my
audience, and to the critics. In the second half I endeavor to remember
the general public; at the same time being careful to include nothing
which is not really musical. This (Mr. Brown found one of his recent
programs on his desk and handed it to me) represents a logical
compromise between the strictly artistic and the more general taste:"
PROGRAM
I. Beethoven . . . . . Sonata Op. 47 (dedicated to Kreutzer)
II. Bruch . . . . . . Concerto (G minor)
III. (a) Beethoven . . . . Romance (in G major) (b) Beethoven-Auer . .
Chorus of the Dervishes (c) Brown . . . . . Rondino (on a Cramer theme)
(d) Arbos . . . . . Tango
IV. (a) Kreisler . . . . La Gitana (Arabo-Spanish Gipsy Dance of the
18th Century) (b)