Yes, Michael, I am also using the Icking edition, since it is readily available as a free download. Please note, however, the misprints we corrected above by comparing with a standard, published edition.
I am happy to have you#join me in this lonely "Gradus ad Parnassum".
Cheers,
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 42:
Oh, a tough, tough day at the bench: not MY cup of tea, those chains of double-stops...
I (obviously) do simple, 3-note mordents in lieu of trills. I also play the double-stops with consecutive downstrokes, attempting to get the best legato possible by left-hand clarity and smoothness. The operative term being attempt...
I do not, however, do all those violinistic finger-substitutions on the same note(s) that Icking suggests. For example, in m. 3, I use the first and third fingers on the first C/A double-stop, simply shifting upwards from the B/G double-stop with the same two fingers. Ditto, of course, on all similar occasions later.
Argh... back to toil and sweat!
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 43:
Ah, what a jolly, rambunctious one! LOVE it! #
Lots, and lots, and LOTS of open strings! Open A on beat #2 in m. 1, lots of open E's throughout. The noisier the better—#make a joyful noise!
Obviously, downstrokes on the chiseled 16ths.
On beat #4 of m. 1 (and similar occasions), one must choose between barring the G and the C under the second finger, and swiftly slipping the first finger onto the C, as it sounds together with the B-flat.
On beat #3 of m. 3, after an open E, I shift to second position (first finger on the G); on beat #2 of m. 6, second position on the D; in beat #3 of the very last bar, as Icking suggests (second position on beat #2).
What fun! #
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 44:
By way of preface I must say that, in the process of working on this piece over the span of 2005, I have developed such ENORMOUS respect for Tartini, both as a violinist and as a composer: amazing, in both capacities!
This one poses absolutely no fingering problems; instead, it offers ample opportunity for elegant use of the pick. Here are some of my humble suggestions:
* Down-down-up on the three-note pickups to mm. 1 and 5.
* Downstrokes on the tenuto 16ths.
* Glide-strokes across three strings, anywhere possible, e.g. m. 2 (beat #2), m. 3 (beat #3) et al.
* Three-note mordents in lieu of longer trills (as usual).
* Swift, light down-up on the acciaccature, e.g. pickup to m. 5, to m. 6, et al.
* Finally, in m. 7, downstroke on the martellato first 32nd; another downstroke on the second note, glide-stroke across the E-course to the third note; ditto on the following two beats.
With only a little effort, this one sounds so lovely, so graceful...
Cheers,
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Yes wonderful this one! Thanks again, Victor.
Best, Alex.
Hello, Alex.
I must admit that, when I first saw your name on this thread, I got a bit scared: "Uh-oh", I thought; "don't tell me that a REAL mandolinist is actually following my crazy thoughts!"
*Whew!*
Yes, it's a terrific piece, both as a purely musical work AND as an educational, pedagogic compendium for the violinist's art. After this year (and the first time around Sr. Tartini) is over, I definitely intend to come back to it, perhaps making it part of my "regular diet".
Greetings to you, my friend!
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 45:
Contrary to the previous one —and what a delightful contrast!— this one is all about fingering, not picking. As regards picking, well... as it comes: no fancy retakes, no glide-strokes, just light, crisp, alternating strokes. (Obviously, the two 8th-note pickups are DOWNstrokes.)
At the end of m. 1, I prefer to slip into second position on the penultimate note (G) rather than stretching; others might find the opposite more comfortable.
I land on m. 4 with my ring-finger on the A, by slightly stretching backwards from the high C; the benefit of avoiding some other "shifting syncopation" is worth the stretch, IMO.
In m. 6, on the second half of the second beat, I creep up to 2nd position, second finger on the D; the rest takes care of itself.
In m. 7, on the second half of the last beat, I go up to third position, middle finger on the A (on the D-course); thus the fingering across the barline, onto the higd D on the downbeat of m. 8, is all set into place.
In m. 8, again on grounds of avoiding a jerky, off-beat shift, I shift on the second half of the first beat, middle finger on the A.
Finally, in this last measure, last beat: I take the plunge and land on my first finger on the F (A-course); then the last flourish is laid out securely in position.
After the two, relatively "big" shifts described above are practiced, oh... a dozen times or so, they become secure, "second nature". I think the plunge pays...
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 46:
Quite frankly, I don't see the point behind all the many, little shifts Icking recommends; perhaps they make the legato more practical on violin...
Obviously, I retake, starting with another downstroke at the beginning of all those 64th-note runs. For the staccato 16ths across three courses, I do down-up when going from lower to higher pitch, up-down when going from higher to lower; the reason is self-evident and common practice.
Also obviously, when a 64th-note run begins on a note that can either be played open or on the 7th fret, I opt for the fingered note; the clumsiness of a string-crossing, immediately at the beginning of a run, is too annoying and throws me off each and every time.
The staccato 32nds in mm. 4, 7 and 8 could be done all down-stroke, if the tempo allows—#I believe it does, as it cannot be terribly fast, considering the note-values involved in this variation.
I must admit that, when I first looked at this variation, I was afraid that it would be one of those that work automatically on violin —the bow DOES make those runs easy— but remain hellishly difficult on mandolin. I am delighted to have proven myself wrong; with a bit of practice for coordination of the two hands, this variation has surprised me with its beauty and grace.
Cheers,
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 47:
Considering the forte, downstrokes a-plenty; considering the largamente, trills can easily take 6 notes each, plus, of course, the two grace-notes.
At the end of m. 1, I prefer to bar C/G under the third finger; I hear nothing offensive in using an open course within a double-stop (e.g. F/A); needless to say, the A 64th-note right before the second beat of m. 2 NEEDS to be fingered, on the D-course.
Otherwise, not much to report. Re-take downstrokes on syncopations (pro forma), a good exercise for trills with all fingers. In general, I prefer staying in the lower positions, if at all possible. The longer string-length has more "boom" to it...
All in all, a nice, majestic variation, stately, sonorous but not forced.
Now, all I need is to DO as I SAY!
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 48:
While this one is hardly easy to actually play, there is precious little to say about it.
It is crucially important, of course, to keep the (left-hand) finger down for the melodic note, for it to be fully sustained. Otherwise, the trills are obviously three-note mordents in any reasonable tempo.
Some of the higher positions recommended can be avoided at will, as the alternative, lower ones sound quite good on mandolin; but the recommended fingerings and choices of position are just fine. It must not be forgotten that the violinist must KEEP BOWING the upper, sustained note, while playing the lower voice (the one with the trills); his/her fingering of the second voice, therefore, MUST be on an adjacent string. Absent that need on the mandolin, our choices are comparatively free.
The difficulty—#for me at least— is good coordination of the hands for all those mordents to sound effortless, tranquillo. But, after all, this IS supposed to be pedagogical material... #
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Variation 49:
In this, I prefer to stay in first position (i.e. starting with the second finger on C) for the ENTIRE variation; I would much rather do 3-course crossings than all that playing within octave-stretches. I understand, of course, that most violinists will probably disagree.
In m. 4, third beat, I "come around" with the second finger on G, first on F, then first AGAIN (i.e. with a "micro-shift") on E. I apply exactly the same principle on the next half-beat of this measure, as well as to the similar instance in the very last measure of this variation.
In mm. 7 and 8, I think the challenge is to bar (fingered) 5ths, then release them— at lightning speed! It CAN be done, of course; it just takes practice.
And, to that I return.
P.S. I see liiiiiiiiiiiiight!
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Well, dear friends... all things, good or bad, must come to an end. And thus, this year-long labor of love is finally wrapping itself up this week. The score? you ask... Tartini, good; Victor's playing thereof, ehm... not *quite* as good.
Variation 50:
Precious little to say about this, although, of course, much actual practice needs to go into this final spray of pyrotechnics.
Obviously, three-note mordents in lieu of trills; just as obviously, there ought to be one in the second ending, just as there is one in the first one. (... missing from Icking).
It might be good to first condition the left hand with some cautious, preliminary exercises on stretches, so as to be able to eventually accommodate such extensions as the one needed on the third beat of m. 5 without undue pains and aches.
The character of this final flourish, as stately as it is flashy, certainly needs no elaboration by Yours Truly.
I leave Tartini enriched, delighted, and humbled— or rather...
Happy New Year to all!
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
I've only now come back to look at this thread after a little while and have noticed that Victor, in perfect timing with his holiday and his embarcation on full-time musicianship, has reached the end of his monumental project of the performance notes for these variation. Congratulation and the greatest respect for your perseverance and the always-insightful notes!
As part of my New Year's resolutions, I want to have another look at Tartini, and see whether I can follow Victor's epic journey at least in my own stumbling way a little distance. So, I have extracted Victor's notes on each variation from this thread and have saved it on my hard disc as a word file. Attached to my printout of the Icking edition, it makes a perfect package of score and performance notes, hopefully to be digested and followed at some stage in my mandolin progress...
Martin
I tried to keep up last year, but it was a busy spring with a new baby coming along in May. Now that Victor has paved the way for the rest of us, I may try this experiment for the upcoming year.
MartinJonas-good idea, printing off Victor's comments on the various variations. I'll have to do that as well.
-John.
Ah! must --
Designer Infinite --
Ah! must thou char the wood 'ere thou canst limn with it ?
--Francis Thompson
I am honored by your attention to my efforts, dear mando-friends.
One should not, however, ever lose sight of my original disclaimer: had this "annotation" been done by a REAL mandolinist (e.g. Richard), or a true pedagogue (e.g. Alex), or someone with a thorough background in violin pedagogy (e.g. operaguy), it would have become a veritable dissertation, with extensive, historical performance-practice notes and what not...
So, the proverbial grain of salt is healthy and highly recommendable; I have embarked upon this unus inter pares and, if I only knew how to say "one amongst struggling equals" in Latin, well, I sure would have.
Cheers to one and all!
Victor
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
I'd been doing a little reading about baroque violins, and found an article by violinist Andrew Manze on the subject; then somehow I got diverted toward Tartini, and found Manze had recorded his Devil's Trill sonata as a solo violin piece (presumably as Tartini had intended). So I picked up a CD, Harmonia Mundi HMU 907213. After the Trill a very engaging set of variations began to play. "Boy, this is sweet" i thought to myself, and took a look at the pkg.
Darn if it wasn't fourteen variations from L'arte del arco. Didn't recognise them - of course, they don't sound like anything that's ever come from MY mandolin - but I'm here to report that it's very well done, and even took me back to my Tartini to have another go at it. Well, the theme, anyway. Even the granddaughter picked up on it, and worked thru the first 3 or 4. Most annoying to find she sounds better than I.
So if you got hung up in the minutiae of the music, or found your hairs standing on end just looking at it, I suggest you might want to hear some of it played by a pro.
Beyond all that, it's remarkably fine music. I have to deplore the Concerto mentality that has driven short pieces off the concert stage. There is a huge amount of music that's delightful to hear and play, that is in danger of disappearing from view now that the classical stage has become a venue for Big Works. Airs and variations of all sorts are perhaps not the most profound sort of thing, but they deserve to be heard far more than they have been.
Whoops, sorry about the rant.
Thanks, Victor, for bringing this music to our attention.
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