Musicians have transcribed and adapted Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, BWV 1001-1006, since Bach penned the works around the year 1720. Bach, himself, transcribed much of the material, adapting it for organ, harpsichord, lute, or even for his sinfonias and cantatas. It was also common for performers of the time to personalize these pieces with ornamentation, improvisation, dynamics, rhythmic interpretation, and in some cases, changes in pitch material.It is in this spirit that the author introduces marimba performance editions of Bach's Sonata no. 1 for Violin Solo, BWV 1001, and Sonata no. 2: Grave, BWV 1003, based on performances and transcriptions by guitarists and lutanists. The guitar and lute were selected as models due to their similarities to the marimba as well as the abundant resources that guitarists and lutanists have provided regarding Bach's unaccompanied string music. Their transcriptions and performances frequently include adaptations to fit their instruments' polyphonic abilities and sound characteristics. A similar approach is likewise suitable for the marimba. Thus, the present study includes an overview of Baroque performance practice as it relates to plucked-string instruments, analysis of published lute and guitar transcriptions of Bach's unaccompanied string music, and transcriptions and analysis of lute and guitar audio recordings. The plucked-string artists and scholars' approach is then assimilated into an authentic marimba performance edition of these works.

Musikstück für den Musikschulbereich, Violine und Klavier

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of instructing beginning violin students in the initial lessons with long bow-strokes as compared to short bow-strokes in terms of production of a different level of tone quality, bowing problems encountered, and length of bow-strokes typically used.There were sixteen fifth- and sixth-grade subjects in the study sample: nine in the experimental group and seven in the control group. The subjects were of average intelligence and were from lower or lower-middle socio-economic levels of a midwestern town. Subjects in both groups were taught in like manner by the same instructor except for instructions on how to draw the bow in the initial lessons. The nine students in the experimental group were taught to use long bow-stroke: in the initial lessons; the seven students in the control group were taught to use short bow-strokes in the middle area of the bow in the initial lessons.Because none of the subjects had previously received violin lessons, there was no pretest. The Gaston Test of Musicality and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests were utilized as covariates in the study. After sixteen weeks of instruction, the subjects were administered a posttest of tone quality consisting of three melodies of different levels of difficulty performed two times for a total of six replications. The tone quality samples were arranged in random order on an edited tape and evaluated by four judges. During the posttest, the researcher evaluated the typical length of bow stroke used by subjects. Bowing problems encountered during the study were also reported by the researcher.Statistical processing of the data consisted of a five-way partial hierarchical analysis of covariance using intelligence test scores and musicality test scores as covariates. A 2 x 2 x 3 x 4 design was employed with the independent variables being the method of instruction, the performance of each melody, the level of difficulty of melodies performed, the judges, and the subjects nested within methods Factors and interactions were tested by the F ratio at the .05 level of confidence.The study was designed to answer one null hypothesis and two research questions. The null hypothesis was as follows:1. After sixteen weeks of instruction, there will be no significant difference in the tone quality of beginning violin students employing the long bow-stroke approach in the initial lessons as compared to students employing the short bow-stroke approach.The research questions were as follows:After sixteen weeks of instruction, does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach actually use longer bow-strokes than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach?Does the beginning violin student who is taught by the long bow-stroke approach experience more bowing problems than does the student taught by the short bow-stroke approach:The null hypothesis was accepted and the two research questions were answered affirmatively. Review of the data led to the following conclusions:There was no significant difference in the tone quality of the two groups after sixteen weeks of instruction. It could be inferred that the experimental group produced a more consistent level of tone quality at this stage of development.Forty-four percent of the experimental group developed the use of long bow-strokes by the conclusion of the study as compared to fourteen percent of the control group. The mean length bow-stroke of the experimental group was also substantially greater than the mean length bow-stroke of the control group.Three students in the experimental group encountered four bowing problems while one student in the control group encountered one bowing problem. The circular bowing problem, which is difficult to correct, was encountered by two subjects in the experimental group. Students trained by the long bow-stroke approach encountered substantially more bowing problems than students trained by the short bow-stroke approach. However, there did not appear to be a relationship between length of bow-stroke used by individuals after sixteen weeks of study and encountering bowing problems.Neither method of instruction was clearly superior. The level of tone quality resulting from the two methods of instruction was not significantly different. The long bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of longer bow strokes and a more consistent level of tone quality but resulted in more bowing problems. The short bow-stroke approach resulted in the development of shorter bow strokes but resulted in fewer bowing problems.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The major purpose of the research in this thesis is to add to the available knowledge on advanced violin playing of the Romantic Period by, firstly, investigating the historical and technical knowledge and, secondly, adding some of my own findings. The project consists of a thesis, five recordings of live performances by the candidate and a guide to those performances. The development of violin techniques in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the role of the instrument in expressing the musical ideals of the age were chosen to study because there is a general lack of literature on the subject written by players who have performed the music chosen by the researcher. Furthermore, studies of this literature have left some important questions unanswered. One such question concerned how the development of the violin allowed musicians to better express the music in that era. Another question is what kinds of techniques were developed and how they related to the expression of the music. The thesis includes a study of the historical background of the Romantic period, as well as instrument development in this period. Analyses are made of the music considering techniques only where they are new techniques which considers the expressive reasons lying behind the new styles of writing. Treatises, violin methods, as well as modern studies are examined and compared in order to determine the development of violin techniques specifically in the period. This study is an investigation of both the written literature and the experiences of playing Romantic violin pieces in five concert situations, conducted over a time span of four years. The first concert presented a programme of German composer Robert Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor Op. 105; with French composer Camille Saint-Saёns’ Havanaise Op. 83; and also Fritz Kreisler-‘Pugnani’s’ Praeludium und Allegro. The second concert presented a programme of Schubert’s Sonata in A major Op. 162 and Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2 in D major Op. 94a. The third concert presented a programme of Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in D minor Op. 108 with Tchaikovsky’s Three Pieces Op. 42. It also included Ravel’s Tzigane. The fourth concert programme presented Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D major Op. 70, commonly called “The Ghost”. The fifth concert presented a programme of Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 in G major Op. 78 and also the Sonata No. 2 in A major Op. 100. In addition his Sonatensatz (Scherzo) in C minor was performed. For each of these concerts, the researcher made written reports detailing the reasons behind the choice of each piece, the place of the piece in the context of the research and an examination of the effectiveness of the concert recital programme. The reports included notes on the mastery of the different new violin techniques required to play the piece with an historic awareness. As evidence of this, each concert was recorded onto compact disc audio format. The reports were used as a basis for the accompanying Guide to Performance. This is a work of critical analysis and aims to give a record of the progress of the research through performance. It documents the gradual discovery of how the historical theory can be realised in practice and provides a rationale for the techniques and strategies adopted in the creative component. The appendices include lists of repertoire and composers of the period, a chart of significant events from the period relating to the violin, and a chart of some of the key genealogical relationships in violin pedagogy. The investigation of violin techniques of Romanticism produced a number of major results. One important finding suggests that there are solutions to the difficult technical passages, which require an understanding of the historical context and literary background. In summary, this research produced findings which are of significance to violin educators and advanced violin students.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Rochester, 1964. / Appendix: Facsimile of the original edition. Digitized version available online via the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music http://hdl.handle.net/1802/2233

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-160). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.M.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains 1 score (50 p.). For flute, B♭ clarinet, violin, violoncello, percussion and piano. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (v. 1, p. 197-201).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 108 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-108). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

For flute, violin, French horn, piano, and live electronics. Includes graphic notation for computer. Includes performance notes. System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-94).