Violin Mastery - HANS LETZ - Part 5
RHYTHM AND COLOR
“Rhythm is the foundation of all music—not rhythm in its metronomic sense, but in the broader sense of proportion. I lay the greatest stress on the development of rhythmic sensibility in the student. Rhythm gives life to every musical phrase.” Mr. Letz had a Brahms’ quartet open on his music stand. Playing the following passage, he said:
“In order to give this phrase its proper rhythmic value, to express it clearly, plastically, there must be a very slight separation between the sixteenths and the eighth-note following them. This—the bow picked up a trifle from the strings—throws the sixteenths into relief. As I have already said, tone color is for the main part controlled by the bow. If I draw the bow above the fingerboard instead of keeping it near the bridge, I have a decided contrast in color. This color contrast may always be established: playing near the bridge results in a clear and sharp tone, playing near the fingerboard in a veiled and velvety one.
Violin Mastery
Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers
by Frederick H. Martens
Published 1919
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