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Mazas Étude Op.36 n.3 : Allegro Moderato
Broad ( or grand ) Staccato. Staccato can be played completely on the string without ever lifting the bow. The actual meaning of the word staccato is detached. ( remember that détaché, however, is always the opposite, when great care is taken to join the notes together by having a continuous output or emission of sound ). Simply execute a "closed" détaché ( with "closed" right hand components i.e. not too flexible, but firm ) ... stopping the bow at both ends, quite abruptly. This is a very energetic stroke which hammers out the march like rhythm in no uncertain way. The rests ( gaps ) are very important, and one mustn't play through them ! In certain études, there are no rests in between the staccato notes, though the gaps must exist. For instance, the above study could have been written like so :
I would play this grand, bold staccato with most of the bow, producing a very fast stroke, with an almost electric impulse to the movement. One might be tempted to hold the bow too tightly, and this will severely hamper the freedom and elegance of this stroke. A grand staccato such as this, played in a refined fashion would have been considered a virtuoso bowing style in Corelli's day. Indeed, considerable study and mastery is needed in order to execute this most elegant and prominent bowing stroke. Although the bow is stopped at the extremes, it does sing shortly in the time it takes to reach either extreme. Use especially long bows, with a fair touch of lightness in the following double stop passage, about half way through the study :
Bow distribution : In the following bar, one must proceed with a cool head. Because of the technical difficulty involved in playing one note on the down bow and 12 on the same amount of up bow, one must sing the down bow staccato, and save bow, for the piano descending run, which must be played in time, if one is to give the impression of stability and proportion, which could easily be lost by rushing or not playing with full singing qualities. It is a great secret that many difficult violin passages are mastered by playing with a sweet, quality tone... and not by mechanical "anti-musical" circus tricks. When difficult passages appear, one is hardly realizes how the quality of tone in one's playing may be suffering ! Above : Obviously the down bows are drawn faster than the up, but be careful to minimize this difference in bow speed to a certain extent, otherwise the down bow will sound harsh (snappy) and the up bow passage will be rough. Play it softly, using your best skills when it comes to string changing. This is a classic example of a smooth, and gradual arching string change. The bow must never settle on a particular string level, rather, it must continually change string, towards the G, at a gradual and even rate, throughout the passage. The bow must always lean on a string, and weight must not be taken off in between the strings, as the phrase would be instantly disturbed and disjointed.
Fingering : note the elegance and symmetry of the above fingering in each phrase ( all on the A string from 5th to 3rd to 1st position ). Don't be put off by the fact that it looks old fashioned... if the shifts are played deftly, ( note how luckily the down shifts coincide with a down bow, favoring opposite motions of the hands ), then the phrase will be subtle and charming. Keep a soft piano tone to your bow and please don't forget to use the whole bow throughout this passage ! |
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