IV. Modern bow versus baroque bow: different shape, different music?
The importance of the bow in making the sound is of course undoubted: it is responsible of every sound we get from the violin. Therefore both the bow building and the right hand technique will define the type of sound we produce. A good command of the bow technique has been described as essential for a good expression throughout history: from the early 18th century in Italy, where Geminiani wrote in his Art of playing the violin “he who does not possess, in a perfect degree, the art of bowing, will never be able to render the melody agreeable nor arrive at a facility in the execution”1 to Baillot’s France in the 19th century, where the bow served as a “véhicule à toutes les affections de l’ame et à tous les élans de l’imagination”2, passing through Leopold Mozart, for whom bowing was "the medium by the reasonable use of which we are able to rouse in the hearers the aforesaid affects”3 or Louis Spohr in whose Violinschool he defended that “a correct and agile management of the bow (...) is in reality the soul of playing”4. We can clearly appreciate the great importance of the bow and its use regardless of the period, the country or even the different shape of it.
But how important is the bow shape and construction for the sound and articulation? Does it have perhaps a more relevant role than the violinist’s right hand’s behavior? We have seen on the previous chapter the different features of the old bow and their consequences in sound. Let’s explore some of them and discover what they tell us about the music of the period the old bow belongs to. We will do that through recordings with both bows. In these recordings we will hear someone with experience using both bows (the author), and someone who is using a baroque bow for the first time (a colleague without experience with the old bow, but with an advanced command of the modern bow and right hand technique5).
Firstly, we will broach the natural attack and articulation of a baroque6 and a modern bow. As we have mentioned in the previous chapter, the old bow has an intrinsic non-legato stroke, given by the “small softness”7 in the beginning and end of every note. This characteristic makes the notes sound detached and clearly articulated without leaving the string. Examples 1 and 2 show how this articulation is more clear with a baroque bow. In a slow tempo, every note gets a natural shape. A small crescendo in the beginning and diminuendo in the end of each note can be heard. In this way, if we incessantly repeat the notes, they will be separated due to the natural shape of every of them (example 3). If we take advantage of this shaped-note quality and exaggerate it, we obtain the so-called messa di voce, which consists in starting the note softly, increasing the sound in the middle to finally softening it again in the end (example 4). This expressive element is very common in baroque music and a lot of sources from that period strongly advice its use for a better and beautiful expression.Tartini recommends in his letter to Maddalena Lombardini to practice every day this element with her bow because “this practice is… the most difficult and the most essential to playing well on the violin”8. Geminiani also describes “swelling or increasing and softening the sound” as “one of the principal beauties of the violin”9. Furthermore, from his indications about the “manner of bowing” and the proper expression for every note10, we can deduce that all the long notes are to be played with this effect regardless of the tempo (see images here).
By using a baroque bow, the natural articulation between the long notes will naturally come, but the messa di voce must be practiced and experimented by the violinist before she/he is able to take advantage of its expressive characteristics (see example 5). The need of this practice exists because the violinist has to get used to the longer distance between the stick and the hair of the baroque bow and make use of this possibility. Besides, on the later repertoire, this element is not used so often, so a modern violinist is not usually trained to perform it. As Tartini says, it is the most difficult practice on the violin. The first approach to it by a modern violinist will produce results, as we can hear in the example 5, but a constant practice should be done to get a really beautiful and expressive messa di voce. In the following chapter exercises to develop this technique are presented.
What happens with the differences between both bows when we play faster? The more clear articulation of the baroque bow stays, even when playing on the string. We can hear the distinct articulations on the different part of the bows at a moderate speed in example 6. In this tempo, we observe that the tip of the modern bow acquires the most legato sound. However the middle of this bow articulates more clearly than the tip, and the result is more similar to the baroque bow articulation. If we play a bit faster, the middle of the modern bow keeps articulating more that the tip, but it is a more plain articulation than that of the baroque bow. With the last one the notes have a more defined shape, while with the modern bow, the result is flatter (example 7). Besides, the difference between down and up bow is much more evident with the old bow.
When increasing the speed, each note has a very clear beginning and a more sustained sound with the modern bow. The result is lighter with the baroque bow: the beginning of every note is not so direct and they all have a small diminuendo at the end, as example 8 shows. That is why some passages from baroque music sound too heavy when played with the modern bow on the string,as we could observed in example 2.
At a greater speed the middle of the modern bow show a clear articulation, similar to the baroque bow, but a little heavier (example 9). When playing a passage of sixteenth notes with a metronome mark of aproximately 110 per beat, the difference is not so obvious when the modern bow is used in a quite light manner, as we can hear in example 10.
There is a certain speed where the natural articulation of the baroque bow is very similiar to the spiccato of the modern bow (example 11). That explains the preference of many players for the spiccato technique when playing fast passages of baroque music with the modern bow.
What do these pecularities of the baroque bow tell us about the music? In other words, what does the old bow teach us about the music? I think two main conclusions can be drawn. (i)The notes in separate bowings are usually a bit detached or not connected in a sustained way. This means that the long phrases in baroque music do not need to have a sustained tone. (ii) All the notes have some kind of shape: there are no plain notes, unless they are too fast to have a shape. "The old bows are made much more for speaking, the modern bow much more for singing"11, and when you speak you articulate a lot more of articulations than when you sing. Those articulations do not only mean a broader separation between words or syllables (notes), but also more varied kinds of attack,development and grouping of notes. We can find an example of this variety of articulations in Geminiani's Example XX from his Art of playing on the violin (see here). The modern bow is not thought to express the little nuances so typical for the baroque music. It is a tool for satisfying the preference for long sustained phrases that came after the baroque style. In this way, when we play with a modern bow we lose the quality of "speaking" of the baroque bow, and our speech may become flatter. Tartini, for his part, also suggests to make different articulations: (i) playing detached notes in sonabile (playable) music, meaning when the movement is by leap (not consecutive notes) or when the accompaniment has the same rhythm as the principal voice; (ii) playing with no silence between the notes in cantabile music, that is, when the movement is by step (consecutive notes) or when the accompaniment does not have the same rhythm12. If both the step and leap movements appear in the same passage, he suggests bowing "the former in one way and the latter in another"13. As we can see, Tartini recommends the use of the legato sound ("con unione e senza vacuo"14 for some styles of music. However he also sustains that the pressure increase should not take place at the point of the bow, only in the middle.The natural diminuendo that the baroque bow produces on the upper half of the bow has already been mentioned. If no pressure is added, even if the notes are connected, it would not be possible that the legato Tartini suggests, was a sustained legato. Clive Brown reminds that the Italian musicians modelled their way of playing according to the aesthetics of the Italian singing style15. That means that in the cantabile style not only the slurred notes were connected, also the notes played in different bows were. There is evidence of the existence of a legato way of playing in the time of the baroque bow. However, having in mind the characteristics of this bow, it is implausible that the legato of that time was the sustained legato that the modern bows can produce. To sum up, the natural behavior of the baroque bow tells a lot about the music, but does not mean that everything was played following this nature. By using the right hand in different ways, the violinist can alter the sound. The pursuit of legato and connected notes is an example. Another example is the absence of rules for up and down bows that some violinists indicated. In fact, Tartini recommends practicing in both ways to "gain mastery of the bow"16. This can be done only by going against a characteristic of the baroque bow: the natural difference between down and up bow. From this examples it can be deduced that the nature of the bow can of course be altered, but even so, it does have an impact on the sound. Knowing that, it is important to have in mind the pecularities of the baroque bow when reading the indications for playing of the baroque period, and not understand these indications as if they were written for a modern bow.
Apart from the already mentioned characteristics, the old bow offers an easier string crossing, due to its lightness. The sounds within string crossing passages emerge in a clearer and lighter way, as example 12 shows. The bow can stay more on the string, which gives the player a greater feeling of comfort. After the experiment with the baroque bow, the violinist who tried it, pointed out the ease she felt when performing string crossings. Example 13 shows another case. Fast passages with string crossing between two consecutive strings are also easier to achieve with the baroque bow. If there is a line in one of those strings it will come across better with the old bow, as we can hear in example 14.
Concerning double stops or chords, the yielding hair of the baroque bow minimises the scratch. The result is then more clean and less heavy, as we can appreciate in example 15.
We have seen what can be learnt about baroque music by analysing the nature of the baroque bow, but what can a modern violinist learn by experimenting with this bow?
To help me answering this question with a wider perspective than my own experience, the experiment with a violinist playing with a baroque bow for the first time was crucial. Some facts have been observed during this experiment. When the violinist took the old bow and played with it for the first time, she felt uncomfortable: the weigth, the balance, the sound production, were different and new for her. In spite of this feeling, some different results regarding articulation could be already appreciated, as example 5 showed. Whenever she continued playing with this bow she started feeling the ease on string crossing and light articulation staying on the string. Still, as example 16 and 17 shows some notes did not have an attractive and expressive shape. In conclusion: playing with a baroque bow with no clues or time to discover its peculiarities offers some different articulations and an easier feeling when playing string crossings or double stops. However, it does not have a strong impact on the player or on the musical result: some instructions should be given and some time for experimentation should take place.
After a small guide on how to get used to a baroque bow, which can be found in the next chapter, the violinist could feel much better the differences between both bows and the wide variety of possibilities the baroque bow offers. She concluded that with the baroque bow and some instructions about how to use it, she could have a better understanding of the music. Indeed, this could be heard in the second part of example 5. That was produced by the physical feeling of this bow on shaping the notes, going into the string, feeling the dissonances and having a clear, light articulation. The musical speech suddenly made more sense with the baroque bow. Also, by using her right hand as the most important source of expression, she realized vibrato was barely needed to bring music alive. By experimenting with the characteristics of the old bow, not only by reading them, the violinst can have a learning process that is more experienced based and physical. It will have an impact on understanding the music and it may clarify her/his musical ideas.
Of course, to be able to perform with a baroque bow with the same confidence and comfort, the modern violinist should practice with the baroque bow for a longer period that the experiment that took place in this research process. Only then, a more interest result than with the modern bow could be appreciated. If Tartini recommended practising for an hour every day the messa di voce technique to have a good sound(tarini letter), it can be deduced that it is not extremely easy to achieve that. Only when the command of both bows are on the same level, she/he will be able to make a proper decision on which bow works better for each music on her/his playing.
But what happens after the experiment? Can the violinist apply the same way of playing when coming back to the modern bow?
The experiment, and the analysis of my own experience, show that the baroque bow may have an effect on the musical understanding of the violinist: it can inspire her/him. As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, the right hand technique does not change so much only because of the bow. In this way, if the violinist plays with a modern violin and only changes the bow, the position of the arm will be the same and the fingers will be placed on the bow in the same way. What does change is the behavior of the right hand: the violinist works in a different way to achieve all the different articulations, to "speak" with the bow. If the same behavior is applied when playing with a modern bow, due to its different response, the result will not be the same. It can sound artificial, as example 18 shows, it can sound too heavy, as we heard in example 2... When looking for a specific articulation, the same behavior of the right hand does not work for both bows: the violinist has to work differently with the modern and baroque bow to get a similar result.
We have seen that the baroque bow produces some physical sensations that, when applied to the modern bow, do not have a satisfactory result. However, there is one sensation in particular that can be very inspiring: it is the lightness feeling that the baroque bow produces. If the violinist is practicing a string crossing, double stops or chords passage with a modern bow she/he may find the result heavy. If, in that moment, she/he plays with a baroque bow she/he can experiment the easy feeling for these kind of difficulties. When coming back to the modern bow, the memory of this sensation can be reproduced and may help to play the passage lighter.
Example 2: Beggining of the Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 7. With the baroque bow on the string the notes are naturally separated (first audio). With the modern bow, playing in the same way, we get a more legato sound (second audio).
Example 5: Beginning of the Largo from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. We can hear a violinist without experience with baroque bow playing the beginning of this Fantasy with a modern bow (frist audio) and with a baroque bow (audio 2). These recordings have been made without any indications or previous experimentation with a baroque bow. We can appreciate the greater space between the notes on the second audio, because their endings are more clear with the baroque bow. The violinist felt uncomfrotable and out of control in the first approach to the baroque bow, however, the differences in articulation between both bows are already present.
Example 17: Beginning of the Largo from Telemann's Fantasy No. 7. Played with a baroque bow without having experimented with it.
Example 18: Beginning of the Largo from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. Played with the modern bow after having practised with the baroque bow, trying to imitate the same physical feelings and use of bow.
Example 2: Beggining of the Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 7. With the baroque bow on the string the notes are naturally separated. With the modern bow, playing in the same way, we get a more legato sound (second audio) and to get a more similiar articulation to the baroque bow, we have to leave the string or completely stop the bow (third audio)
Without having experimented with the baroque bow and becoming familiar with its shape and possibilities, we can hear that the shape of the notes is not so clear.
In the next audios from the beginning of the Largo from Fantasy No. 7, we will hear the result of having practiced a bit the messa di voce technique (first audio before practicing, second audio after practicing). It is also audible that the vibrato in the first audio dissapears (without any indication to do it) when the shape of the note is made by the right hand.
Example 6: the first column shows the natural articulation of the modern bow, and the second one, of the baroque bow.
At the middle (2/4-3/4 of the bow):
Example 12: bars 20-21 of the Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. The first audio shows a string crossing passage played with the modern bow and the second one, with a baroque bow. It is performed by the violinist playing with an old bow for the first time. We can appreciate how it gets less heavy in the second audio.
Example 13: Beginning of the Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. The first audio shows how the violinist performs the string crossing with the modern bow leaving the string. On the second audio she plays with a baroque bow and stays on the string. The articulation gets longer, but still separated enough. The ease of staying on the string and still have clear articulation makes the baroque bow a more comfortable tool for this passage.
Example 15: bars 16-17 of Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. In the first audio, with the modern bow, the attack of the double stops is harder. In the second audio, the baroque bow softens the attack.
Example 16: Beginning of the Largo from Telemann's Fantasy No. 1. Played with a baroque bow without having experimented with it
Example 1: "small softness" in the beginning and end of the notes with the baroque bow. Notes more connected with the modern bow.
Example 3: with a baroque bow the notes are more shaped and separated. With a modern bow the result is flatter.
Example 10: bars 10 to 15 of the Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No, played with modern and baroque bow.
Example 14: bars 5-9 of Allegro from Telemann's Fantasy No. 7. Playing in the middle of the bow, the result is clearer and lighter with the baroque bow (second audio).