Advertisement
The Violin Solo in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis Is the Audition Piece You’ll Probably Never Actually Play
The work is often considered Beethoven’s most daunting and exalted creation—raw, visionary, and striving toward transcendence.
Rep Prep
Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 Redefined the Instrument
A century after its release, its challenge remains absolute: Every generation’s aspiring cello virtuosos must learn how to speak Kodály.
Intoxicating Vitality—Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano Remains Fresh and Vibrant
A rare work that fits equally well on more than one instrument, the Sonata has been embraced by violists, cellists, and orchestras alike.
Symphony for Two: Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello Puts Duos to the Test
Performing the Sonata requires a very 21st-century synchronized combination of precision, speed, and absolute fidelity to the score.
Advertisement
Remembering Avant–Garde Composer Sofia Gubaidulina
The Soviet composer was denounced early on for her “irresponsible attitude to the principles of socialist realism”—a comment she took as a badge of honor.
Copland’s Violin Sonata Balances the Confidence and Grief of Wartime
Beneath this music’s seemingly simple surface runs a darker vein
Play Bach Better by Improving Your Fifths on Violin
By outlining the tonic and fifth of the harmony in the lowest two voices, Bach gives great solidity to the chord voicing on violin.
Tackling the Beginning of the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
This concerto has everything a player could dream of, with soaring themes and wild mood swings, all written in a way that fits comfortably in the hand
Advertisement
Wadada Leo Smith’s String Quartets Offer Players the Chance to Find Their Own Way
Presenting a roiling assortment of people, events, and landmarks in American history, composer Wadada Leo Smith’s string quartets have been gaining wider notice.
Listen to the Past: 7 Tips on Learning Old-Time Fiddle
Learning old-time fiddle requires a lot of research with your ears open to the past. Here are 7 tips on learning how to play old-time fiddle.
Tackling the Runs in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
By Laurie Niles | From the July-August 2020 issue of Strings magazine Leopold Auer might have hit on some truth when he declared that the violin concerto written for him by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was “unplayable,” canceling its premiere performance…
Creativity and Technique Come Together in Fritz Kreisler’s ‘Praeludium and Allegro’
Here's a look how to play Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro in the style of Pugnani, a major work for any advancing student of the violin and a joy to play.
Advertisement
A Little Flash: How to Practice David Popper’s Gavotte in D
By Benjamin Whitcomb | From the March/April 2020 issue of Strings Magazine David Popper’s Gavotte in D major is a delightful, short work that intermediate cellists have been learning and performing for decades. Like so many of Popper’s works, it…
A Detailed Guide to Practicing Mark Summer’s ‘Julie-O’
By Benjamin Whitcomb The repertoire for cello is vast, and contains many single-movement works that are suitable as encores. One of the most distinctive is Julie-O by Mark Summer, a fabulous cellist and one of the founding members of the…
Tips on Nailing Tricky Double-Stops in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
By Laurel Thomsen Considered one of the world’s greatest violin concertos since 1845, when it was first premiered by its dedicatee, violinist Ferdinand David, Mendelssohn’s thematically lyrical and structurally innovative violin concerto has inspired composers and generations of violinists. After…
A Rhythmic Approach to ‘Receita de Samba’
By Catherine Bent As choro—samba’s instrumental precursor—gains international popularity, many string players are drawn to its charms and challenges. It’s a good vehicle for classical players seeking a path toward improvisational confidence. Whatever your motivations, the experience and joy of…
Advertisement
Approaching Rhythm in Édouard Lalo’s Sonata for Cello & Piano in A minor
By Miranda Wilson Anyone expecting Édouard Lalo’s cello sonata (1856) to sound anything like his cello concerto is in for a surprise. While the concerto, like Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, comes from Lalo’s “Spanish” period of the…
Tips on Approaching Campagnoli’s 41 Caprices for Viola
By Nicholas Cords Bartolomeo Campagnoli’s 41 Caprices, Op. 22, are rarities in the realm of 19th-century studies in that they are actually written originally for the viola. As such, they offer a unique window into the mindset of the 19th-century…
9 Tips on Mastering the Rhythmic Passages in the First Movement of the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
It’s not so hard—until you hit measure 18...
Advice on Soaring Through Haydn’s Concerto No. 1 in C Major
By Emily Taubl Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major has a particularly special story, having been completely lost for almost two centuries before it was rediscovered in the 1960s. In the decades since, it has become one…
Advertisement
A New Way to Practice the Octaves in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto
By Gregory Walker The orchestral introduction seems to go on forever, three-and-a-half minutes of some of the noblest music ever written, composed by classical music’s greatest master. Just when things couldn’t get any better, the violas suddenly die away in…
Successfully Playing Beethoven’s Music Requires Mastery of Your Bow-Arm Weight
By Miranda Wilson Every great composer has a few signature devices that happen so often, and in so many compositions, that an experienced listener can instantly identify a piece by the characteristic. For Brahms, that might be hemiolas, syncopations, and…
Bel Canto Bass: Clearing the Hurtles in Giovanni Bottesini’s ‘Elegy’
By James VanDemark There are few mid-level, original double-bass pieces that possess the exquisite balance of lyricism and virtuosity better than Giovanni Bottesini’s Elegy. Composed for his own use as the premiere double-bass virtuoso of his time (1821–89), Elegy is…