II. Introduction
Origins of the research
The seed of this research started growing six years ago, when I had my first contact with a baroque bow. Since that moment I have been playing with both modern and baroque bow on gut and metal strings and on period and modern violins. The introduction and subsequent exploration of historically informed violin playing as well as the mixture and combination in the use of baroque and modern bows and instruments has left a permanent trace in my playing as a modern violinist. Having a quick look on what I learnt from this experience and also compared to other modern violin players around me who did not have this same approach to baroque music, I can be sure that some of the consequences of this experimentation were very beneficial for my development but I also can see in myself some influences from playing with a baroque bow that do not help when playing later repertoire.
The little leaves that grew from that first seed were all the times that I found myself playing the same music with different bows. When practising on the modern violin some movement of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas or Haydn quartets, for instance, I use to take a baroque or a classical bow and try to play with them in order to get inspired, usually encouraged by my teachers1. I observed two remarkable events. On the one hand a lot of articulations that I was struggling to get with my modern bow suddenly came up very easily and the light, sparkling characters that I was looking for were replacing the heaviness of the modern bow, so difficult to get rid of. On the other hand, when coming back to play with the modern bow, the feeling was different and something had been naturally learnt from this experience. At that time I did not analyze exactly what was happening and continued to play this repertoire with the modern bow when playing the modern instrument. It was two years ago while practising a Fantasy by Telemann, that I noticed that the sounds that I had in my imagination and that I wanted to come out of my (modern) violin were achieved in a much more natural way with a baroque bow. That was the moment I realized that playing with a modern bow was going against the language I wanted to speak, the music I wanted to make. But what was exactly making me feel that ease when playing? Subsequently I decided to experiment with performing while mixing both traditions: the modern set up of the violin with a baroque bow and the background of historically informed performance that I had been acquiring for the last years.
Many violinists nowadays make use of this mixture of elements, so it was worthwhile for me to learn from their expertise. Other violinists disagree with the mixture because they find it incoherent. I had to find out more about my opinion and position in this debate.
Therefore, triggered by this personal experiences and fascination this research has taken place. It is aiming at diving into the history of the bow, comparing the effects that the playing with different bows has on the articulation and stylistic choices of the player, and exploring ideas on how to work and practise beneficially with different bows.
Research questions
Certainly, my feeling playing with these two bows was different, and some articulations sounded also different. But in the musical result I was getting, what was playing a more important role? Was it the bow itself? Was it the use of the bow I was making? Or perhaps my musical ideas based on my knowledge about baroque music? Furthermore, by making me easier the achievement of some articualtions, was the baroque bow actually teaching me something about the music?
It is in this context that my doubts emerged and this research found its raison d'être. Three elements must be taken into consideration when analysing the different results the violinist may get using different bows. Those elements are the construction of the bow, the use of the bow and the musical choices of the musician.
Accordingly, the main research questions are :
- To what extent do the shape and construction of the bow affect the violinist's articulation?
- To what extent do her/his use of the bow and musical choices influence the articulation?
- What can a modern violinist learn from experimenting with a baroque bow?
In order to find answers to these questions properly, it became an inevitable aspect of this research to go into detail about the evolution of the bow and the reasons why it took place. Also about the differences and similarities on right hand technique and use of the bow from the baroque period until our days. It will give a solid and well-informed basis to the thesis.
Therefore, a sub-question or contextual question will be:
- What are aspects of the evolution of the bow, its use and the evolution of right hand technique from the 18th century until now that are essential to be aware of when playing with both modern and baroque bow?
Process of the research
The contextual question was answered by comparing sources and treatises from different periods and reading books and articles written by experts on the area, as well as applying the knowledge acquired during my studies of modern and baroque violin. There are many authors who have written about the evolution of the violin and the bow. I have chosen some of them and contrasted the information they give so I could write a clear overview of the changes on the bow construction during the 18th century. Regarding original sources, I decided to focus my attention on the great violinists from the 18th century and 19th century who have left an important legacy on how to play the violin according to their time's manner.
About the playing part, the following activities took place. I experimented with the natural articulation of both baroque and modern bow, that is, playing without interfering with the natural behaviour of the bows. The result was recorded and compared, so it could be showed how the differences in construction affect the sound. I also recorded myself playing some passages of baroque repertoire with both bows and compared the result. I carefully analysed the behaviour of my right hand to see what I had to do differently to get a similar articulation with the two bows.
I wanted to try if my feeling playing with a baroque bow and the effect it had on me were similar for other modern violinists. I worked with a colleague that did not have experience with the baroque violin and baroque bow. In that way I could also see the pure effect that playing with a different bow might have. I asked her to play some passages from two Telemann's Fantasies. In the first place a version with the modern was recorded. Then she took a baroque bow for the first time in her life and played the same passages with no indications. I recorded the results and noted down all her perceptions. Later, I gave her some indications on how to get used to the baroque bow and how to experiment with its pecularities, and she played around with the baroque bow for around half an hour. Afterwards, her playing with the baroque bow was again recorded, and lastly she came back to the modern bow and played again for recording. Her perceptions during the experiment and in the end were also noted down. I analysed the differences in the recordings as well as her sensations while playing and after playing with a baroque bow. I also connected the results to my own experience and to my memories when starting to play with a baroque bow.
Besides these two parts, one more theoretical and one more practical, I considered interesting including a chapter with a small guide for modern violinist on how to get used to the baroque bow.
Role of the research
This research has been very helpful for my artistic development. It gave me a much broader knowledge about the history and evolution of the violin and the bow, which was very enriching, specially for me, since historically informed performance practice has become one of my main interests.Through the activities done during the research process, better understanding has emerged on how the different bows naturally work. More awareness has grown about the relationship between the use of the bow and the chosen bow (baroque or modern). Besides, after this research process I can understand better how these years of practising combining baroque and modern bows made me be the violinist that I am. For sure, it will also help me in my future as a teacher for approaching baroque repertoire to students, at least regarding the use of the right hand. Because of the research, observations and experiments carried out, my choices on which bow I will use for each repertoire will have a much more solid foundation.
Hopefully, the outcome of the present research might be of interest to modern violin students and modern violin teachers searching for ideas about articulation when approaching baroque repertoire. It can inspire them to try a baroque bow and they will find here a small guide on how to to get used to it.