The Six Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin by Eugène Ysaÿe: A study in dedication and interpretation

<p>Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was one of the most prominent violin virtuosos from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. As a composer, his Six Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin, Op. 27, composed in 1924, are amongst his most creative and significant contributions to the solo violin repertoire. Each sonata was dedicated to a different virtuoso violinist and is composed to represent the different performing style of each violinist. Among the research related to Ysaÿe’s solo sonatas, there is no detailed performance analysis of the works. Although instructions in Ysaÿe’s solo sonatas are marked carefully in terms of tempo, bowings, bow strokes, fingerings, string choices, dynamics, and characters, the existing recordings show a variety of approaches regarding these elements. Therefore, this exegesis investigates the sonatas through the comparative analysis of six selected recordings of the composer’s students or their own students, and performers with no direct pedagogical lineage to the composer. The study explores whether performances recorded by the violinists who have a pedagogical connection to the composer provide useful sources that are not found in the music, and also examines how and why different musical decisions were made and offers my point of view as a performer as well.</p>

The Six Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin by Eugène Ysaÿe: A study in dedication and interpretation

<p>Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was one of the most prominent violin virtuosos from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. As a composer, his Six Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin, Op. 27, composed in 1924, are amongst his most creative and significant contributions to the solo violin repertoire. Each sonata was dedicated to a different virtuoso violinist and is composed to represent the different performing style of each violinist. Among the research related to Ysaÿe’s solo sonatas, there is no detailed performance analysis of the works. Although instructions in Ysaÿe’s solo sonatas are marked carefully in terms of tempo, bowings, bow strokes, fingerings, string choices, dynamics, and characters, the existing recordings show a variety of approaches regarding these elements. Therefore, this exegesis investigates the sonatas through the comparative analysis of six selected recordings of the composer’s students or their own students, and performers with no direct pedagogical lineage to the composer. The study explores whether performances recorded by the violinists who have a pedagogical connection to the composer provide useful sources that are not found in the music, and also examines how and why different musical decisions were made and offers my point of view as a performer as well.</p>

Irish Fiddle and Western Classical Violin: Listener Perceptions and Acoustical Differences

This report is a summary of two studies. In the first, we compared examples of Irish fiddle performances with Western classical violin performances. Acoustical analyses showed that both classical examples produced average spectral centroids higher in frequency, higher harmonic to noise ratios, more use of vibrato, more disjunct intervals, and less ornamentation. Expert listeners described the classical examples as resonant, ringing, and brighter. Tone in the Irish examples was characterized as varied, gritty, and full-bodied. In the second study, we asked 72 music majors to listen to different recordings and respond in two ways. The first section consisted of extremely brief examples of four different solo violin styles: classical, jazz, old-time fiddle, and Irish. The second section consisted of longer examples of either Irish or classical performances. The listeners were asked to describe salient features of each. They frequently identified the following characteristics of the Irish excerpts: grace notes, double stops, ornamentation, and dance-like. In contrast, classical extracts were described using the terms: vibrato, melody, intervals, and extended technique. Implications for music listening are discussed.

Low-Frequency Characterization of Music Sounds - Ultra-Bass Richness From the Sound Wave Beats

The orchestra performance is full of sublime rich sounds. In particular, the unison of violins sounds different from the solo violin. We try to clarify this difference and similarity of unison and solo numerically analyzing the beat of ‘violins‘ with timbre, vibrato, melody, and resonance. Characteristic properties appear in the very low-frequency part in the power spectrum of the wave amplitude squared. This ultra-buss richness (UBR) can be a new characteristic of sound on top of the well-known pitch, loudness, and timbre, although being inaudible directly. We find this UBR is always characterized by a power-law at low-frequency with the index around −1 and appears everywhere in music and thus being universal. Furthermore, we explore this power-law property towards much smaller frequency regions and suggest possible relation to the 1/f noise often found in music and many other fields in nature.

Performing J. S. Bach’s D minor Chaconne on Vibraphone

The purpose of this study is to highlight the technical aspects and details in performing Bach’s Chaconne from the second Partita for solo violin on vibraphone. Many transcriptions of this work have been made, but so far none for the vibraphone. Topics related to producing the baroque sound on vibraphone, means of expression on this instrument and specific aspects of performance are analyzed and presented. An analysis of this monumental work depicts the structure and the development of the variation set. The performance semantic in Bach creation is revealed in order to help the artist to understand the means of expression for this work.

Elements of musical legacy reflected in Eugène Ysaÿe’s solo violin works

Without question the world we are living in is constantly changing hence experiencing new perspectives. Every now and then there is a personality that inspires others and brings forth new ideals and ideas that capture innovative inherent expressions. One of those musical personalities was Eugène Ysaÿe. Ysaÿe has managed to encompass and bring new pedagogical-interpretative violinistic ideals that merge together the history of performance on the violin together with the music history as a whole. The op. 27 of Eugène Ysaÿe represents his most notable composition that bears a distinct mark of this fascinating violinist and musician.

IN THE MIRROR OF A MASTERPIECE: "FIVE REFLECTIONS ON THE THEME OF THE 24TH CAPRICE OF PAGANINI" BY KUZMA BODROV

Since the second half of the XXth century intertextuality has become a key feature of musical culture, bringing together compositions of different epochs, traditions, styles and authors. In this regard, the text of a masterpiece acquires special significance. Being an open and mobile system, it enters into various dialogues with the whole set of stylistic and genre forms of modern music. The article considers the work "Five Reflections on the Theme of the 2018th Caprice of Paganini" (61) for viola, five solo violins and chamber orchestra by the Russian composer Kuzma Bodrov. The concept of the work is based on the author's dialogue with outstanding compositions for violin of the XIXth and XXth centuries: concertos by Beethoven (D-dur Op. 77), Brahms (D-dur Op. 35), Tchaikovsky (D-dur Op. 1), Prokofiev (No. 19 D-dur Op. 24) and Berg ("To the Memory of an Angel"). Herewith, the key role in the composition is given to Paganini's Caprice for solo violin (No. 1 a-moll Op. XNUMX), which is treated as a universal lexical model. In the process of reinterpretation, masterpieces receive a new original reading and become part of modernity.