The purpose of this portion of the thesis project was to make a study of the Sonata in A major for violin and piano by Cesar Franck, presented as one of the major works on the second of the two recitals performed in partial fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree, Specialist in Education. Of the music performed on the two recitals, the writer felt that the most challenging, from the standpoint of interpretation and of the violin technique involved, was the Franck sonata. Therefore, she has made a formal analysis of the composition as well as an investigation into the technical and musical problems arising in actual performance. It is the writer's belief that the results of the investigation will not only affect her own future performances of the sonata, but ray also be of benefit to other violinists in their study of this sonata.With Cesar Franck the cyclic treatment of thematic material was established as an important principle of composition. The writer presents a thematic analysis of the sonata in which she points out the various ways in which the composer makes use of the cyclic principle. Particular attention is given to the process of motivic development in the transformation of thematic material. The investigation shows that in the Sonata for violin and piano by Franck a single basic idea seems to dominate the entire composition, i.e., the rising and falling inflection of a germ-motive which characterizes the principal themes of the four movements. The movements are further interrelated by the appearance of common thematic material, in either identical or altered form.The formal structure of each movement was determined, and a complete thematic analysis is given. A synopsis of this analysis appears at the end of Chapter V, Analysis of the Sonata in A Major.There is an unusual departure from the "standard" sonata movement scheme in that the first movement, Allegretto ben moderato, serves as an extended "prologue" to the principal movement which appears second. Thus movement II, Allegro, is in fully developed sonata form. It contains two main themes of contrasting character, each theme having three distinct parts. The third movement, which is free and improvisatory in mood and structure, is aptly titled, Recitativo-Fantasia. The finale, Allegretto poco mosso, appears as a unique kind of rondo in which the theme of the refrain is treated as a canon at the octave.In the study of the sonata, harmonic analysis was aimed chiefly toward determining the. structural framework of the composition as a means of understanding the musical progression although a chordal analysis was presented where it seemed significant. The harmonic material is highly chromatic, as is characteristic of the Romantic period, with much use being made of the dominant ninth chord, diminished seventh chord and augmented sixth chord.Problems of violin technique, including those of bowings and fingerings, were investigated and suggestions as to their solution are offered. It is seen that a mastery of the basic detache stroke, smooth legato bowing and accuracy in the high positions are required above all. There is a noticeable absence of the use of special effects, which are unnecessary for the projection of the work. A few double and triple stops occur in the second movement while the only four-note chord is in the third movement. Trills occur at the end of the second movement and also in the Recitativo. For uniform tone color several passages require the player to play in an extended range on the same string.Great demands in the way of energy and physical stamina are required of the violinist in order to provide the variety and quantity of sustained tone necessary for proper balance with the piano.Suggestions relating to dynamics, subtleties of phrasing and accent, as well as reference to tempo and mood are made to aid in the projection of the music.This study supports the belief that in the performance of duosonata music there are no requirements separate from those for other concerted music. An effective interpretation, based on a thorough understanding of the music and a scholarly approach to the composer's musical intentions are basic requirements in both forms of music making. In addition, it is up to each player to extend his understanding of the complete score in order to perceive his role as both soloist and accompanist as the music demands.

abstract: Sofia Gubaidulina’s Dancer on a Tightrope (Der Seiltänzer, 1993) for violin and piano is an excellent example of the sonic capabilities of both instruments. To convey the balance and uncertainty of a circus act, Gubaidulina makes ample use of rhythmic variation, flexible melodic gestures, compound meters, dissonance, and indeterminacy in notation of musical time. Due to the intricate nature of both parts, this can be a difficult work to perform accurately. This paper is an accompanying document to the score to explain notations, suggest performance techniques for both instruments, and provide a thorough analysis of the complete work. Students of Gubaidulina’s music can find numerous studies detailing her biography as a Soviet and post-Soviet composer. There are many dissertations on her string works, including the string quartets and string trio. However, there is no performer’s guide or existing study that would provide insight to Dancer. Most of the existing literature on Gubaidulina is not based on sketches but relies on analysis of published sources. In researching this document, I drew upon the manuscript collection for Dancer on a Tightrope housed at the Paul Sacher archives in Basel, Switzerland. I compare sketches with the published score and analyze the work’s structure, melodic aspects, harmony, timbre, and practical applications of the extended notation. I will also compare Dancer on a Tightrope to Gubaidulina’s works from the same period, violin writing, and other chamber music. Many of the rhythmic and pitch ambiguities in the published score will be clarified by a sketch study of the piece. For assistance with piano notation and performance, I suggest techniques for the most careful way to play inside the instrument to avoid damage. I contextualize Gubaidulina within a Soviet and international context. It is essential to view her work within a broader twentieth-century framework, her life as a composer in the USSR, and in light of broader socio-political trends. Gubaidulina is one of the foremost Soviet composers who has earned international recognition. This performer’s guide will advance and encourage performances of Dancer on a Tightrope and help disseminate knowledge about this work. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2017

The subject of my diploma thesis is design and realization of a five strings electric violin. This work builds on my theoretical diploma work named Development of the violin up to the present. The body of the violin is made of solid wood (beech) as same as the chin rest, fingerboard and bridge (walnut). The body is white coloured and varnished. In the left rib is placed el. sound output – 6.3 mm jack. The violin is equipped with piezo pickup Shadow SH SV1. Removable part of the violin is the shoulder rest. It has two support points.

The diploma thesis called Correlation of Talent and Progression in Violin Playing is focused on the talent and aptitude for playing the violin. In the first place, it is concerned with the general terms of talent and aptitude and their diverse definitions and it brings findings and opinions of various theorists. It also discusses the difference between these two notions. Further, it narrows its focus on musical talent and related concepts, such as musical development of children, the inheritance of talent as well as brilliance. The second part of the theoretical part deals with the specifics of talent for playing the violin and important prerequisites for the interpret successful development of interpret. The practical part introduces eight semi-structured, qualitative interviews with professional violin players about their talent and musical development. The aim was to compare the theoretical findings with the real experience followed by a summary.

My journey from an over-practice injury to the final exam concert on a master level. I start with my background and with investigating the possible reasons for my injuries, then continue with providing solutions to my problems. The solutions consist of technical advice, knowledge of ergonomy, information on the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais and the psychological factors. The goal of this thesis was to manage to perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and get away from that experinece without renewing my injury.

Orchestral excerpts have been used as a teaching material by violin pedagogues to develop violin techniques in addition to scales and etudes in the twentieth century. However, instructions on developing specific techniques and the relationship to its musical content have been left out. This dissertation provides an analytical study guide addressing the common challenges for violinists. Ten orchestral excerpts are selected from surveying frequently requested orchestral excerpts for the first violin. Through analysis of each excerpt, insight from the other violinists and pedagogues are included. Fifty-four functional exercises with comments are created to help violinists practice effectively and serve as a pedagogical tool in violin instruction.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston University

Learning violin is a challenging task requiring execution of pitch tasks with the left hand using a strong aural feedback loop for correctly adjusting pitch, concurrent with the right hand moving a bow precisely with correct pressure across strings. Real-time technological assistance can help a student gain feedback and understanding helpful for learning and maintaining motivation. This thesis presents real-time low-cost low-latency violin augmentations that can be used to assist learning the violin along with other real-time performance tasks. To capture bow performance, we demonstrate a new means of bow tracking by measuring bow hair de ection from the bow hair being pressed against the string. Using near- eld optical sensors placed along the bow we are able to estimate bow position and pressure through linear regression from training samples. For left hand pitch tracking, we introduce low cost means for tracking nger position and illustrate the combination of sensed results with audio processing to achieve high accuracy low-latency pitch tracking. We subsequently verify our new tracking methods' e ectiveness and usefulness demonstrating low-latency note onset detection and control of real-time performance visuals. To help tackle the challenge of intonation, we used our pitch estimation to develop low latency pitch correction. Using expert performers, we veri ed that fully correcting pitch is not only disconcerting but breaks a violinist's learned pitch feedback loop resulting in worse asplayed performance. However, partial pitch correction, though also linked to worse as-played performance, did not lead to a signi cantly negative experience con rming its potential for use to temporarily reduce barriers to success. Subsequently, in a study with beginners, we veri ed that when the pitch feedback loop is underdeveloped, automatic pitch correction did not signi cantly hinder performance, but o ered an enjoyable low-pitch error experience and that providing an automatic target guide pitch was helpful in correcting performed pitch error.

Em 2005, o pedagogo e violinista Eric Rosenblith foi convidado por seu ex-aluno Fredi Gerling para dar uma série de Master-classes em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Na ocasião, Rosenblith deu um total de 36 aulas de violino para 26 participantes. Todas as aulas foram filmadas gerando um total de 22 horas de vídeo. Aproveitando o potencial pedagógico do material, escolhi cinco aulas específicas para estudar em profundidade a metodologia do professor, aplicando metodologias de análises de aulas gravadas em vídeo utilizadas por pesquisadores como Robert Duke e Elaine Colprit. Dessa forma, o principal objetivo da presente pesquisa é analisar as práticas pedagógicas de Rosenblith com o intuito de contribuir com o campo da pesquisa relacionada ao ensino de instrumentos musicais no contexto de Master-class, a partir da análise dos padrões de comportamentos do professor e da análise do conteúdo de suas falas. / In 2005, violin pedagogue Eric Rosenblith was invited by former student Fredi Gerling to give a series of master classes in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In that occasion, Rosenblith gave a total of 36 violin lessons to 26 participants. All lessons were filmed and generated a total of 22 hours of video. Exploring the educational potential of the material, I have chosen five classes to do an in depth study of the teacher's methodology, applying analyzes methodologies for videotaped classes used by researchers like Robert Duke and Elaine Colprit. Thereby, the main goal of the present research is to analyze Rosenblith’s pedagogical practices, contributing to the research field related to teaching of musical instruments in the Master class context, using analysis of teacher behavior patterns and analysis of the content of teacher verbalization.

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