At 1:49 PM -0400 8/16/06, Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
A friend of mine recently purchased a violin from someone in rural
Mississippi.
It's obvious from the photo that "3rd position" was never used on the
violin; and someone commented on the difference between a "fiddler"
and a "violinist." The implication being, "serious" musicians are
violinist, anyone else merely a "fiddler."
Hi, Kim. I'm doing this cold, without references, so bear with me.
The word "Fiedel" comes from German, and is medieval in origin, well
before either the violin or viola da gamba families developed. The
word "violin" comes from the Italian violino (a little one), viola
(which could be "da gamba"--of the leg--or "da brachio"--of the arm,
the origin of the modern German Bratsche meaning viola), or violone
(a big one), and may also date from before the early 16th century
development of both those families. The medieval instruments in
question would have been those we call, nowadays, vielle (French) or
rebec (Arabic?). (I oversimplify, and it's still complicated!)
Real live violinists/fiddlers use both terms interchangeably, without
any perjorative intent. Stuck-up players, whether in classical
music or traditional/bluegrass, may indeed use the terms with
negative meaning. (And to suggest that traditional players are not
"serious musicians" is a judgement that I suggest should not be
used.) There are differences in the ways bluegrass fiddles and
classical violins are set up, and differences in the tonal ideals,
but they are subtle rather than obvious. (And I just used the terms
as handy designators and nothing more.) The thought that 3rd or
other positions are never used is absolutely ludicrous, and probably
doesn't even apply to 8-year-olds learning fiddling from their
grandpas, let alone virtuosos like Mark O'Connor or Charlie Daniels.
When I was at Indiana University, I had an interesting and
eye-opening experience. A number of us were hired to play the sound
track for a film about New Harmony Indiana--a religious settlement
that kept men and women completely separated and never figured out
why their settlement died out! Two of us were classically-trained
violinists, while two others were traditional "fiddlers," if you
like. The differences in technique were illuminating. Where we
would use downbows, they would us upbows, and they played with notes
inegales which they called a "lilt" and was not an attempt at a jazz
swing feel. I think we all learned from the experience.
But isn't pejorative distinction a recent one? I recall reading that
during Handel's commission for the "Royal Fireworks Music," King
George expressly did NOT want "fiddles." I'm curious, was there an
equivalent term for "fiddler" in German or French or Italian, that was
used during the baroque?
Do recall that Georgie's native language was German (we are still
talking about George I, right?), and he may indeed have used the
German term without the distinction you are trying to draw. Handel,
of course, had first-hand experience of working with German, Italian
and English musicians, and no doubt understood that George preferred
wind band music, which he provided.
There was definitely a distinction during the Renaissance, although
not necessarily the Baroque, but the difference was one of usage and
social standing rather than one of terminology. During the 16th
century the violin and the violin family were considered rougher
instruments, suitable for dance music but not refined music, and
suitable for playing by "professional musicians and other servants"
rather than upper class ladies and gentlemen. (The violas da gamba
were considered proper instruments for the upper class.) That
attitude continued in England until the Restoration, and in France
through the reigns of Louis XIV and Lully, but broke down rather
early in the 17th century in Italy, paving the way for violinists
like Corelli and Torelli, and their German counterparts.
The stringed instruments played by rural folks and in the lower class
taverns were more than likely still more like rebecs than like
violins in the Renaissance, with violins replacing them, at a guess,
during the late 17th and 18th centuries simply because they were
widely available.
My other question involves pizzicato during the baroque: if an entire
movement featured pizzicato, would violin players hold their
instruments like a lute/guitar? I saw a photograph of Concentus
Musicus Wien playing a movement precisely in this manner and wondered
if it has any basis on what really happened.
All I can suggest is searching for pictures of 18th century players
rather than modern players. The music will never tell us, but the
iconography might. I've often rested my arms by doing exactly that,
not because anyone ever told me that it was the one right and true
way to do it, but just because it's comfortable. There are a number
of different pizzicato techniques, and different passages may call
for one rather than the others. If you expect consistency in playing
technique, now or in earlier periods, you're going to be pretty
frustrated searching for it!!
John
--
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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