Excerpt from The Musical Educator, Vol. 3 of 5: A Library of Musical Instruction by Eminent Specialists
Broadly speaking, Violin Playing, or the art of playing the violin, is divisible into four distinct branches, namely, fingering, bowing, style, and expression. The last of these has to be regarded as including what is commonly known as "soul," intuitive discernment, or an inborn aptitude for grasping the true spirit of whatever may be performed. These divisions are given here in the due order of their relative importance; for while the first two, i.e. fingering and bowing, commonly called technique, are to be regarded chiefly as a means to an end, the other two, style and expression, are far more important, exacting, and rare of achievement, besides being of loftier significance. That style and expression rank higher than technique, and form, so to speak, the true measure of violinistic achievement, is abundantly proved by the shoals of student-prodigies who land on our shores, and nine-tenths of whom, though well advanced in the matter of technique, rarely, if ever, arrive at distinction in the higher artistic qualities, and then only after many years of thoughtful study.
Without in any way deprecating the acquirement of technique - absolutely necessary, indeed, as a foundation on which to build the higher artistic qualities - a warning cannot be too strongly enforced against that glorifying of technique which has all too frequently blighted the career of many a promising artist. Irresponsible, uninstructed press reporters, led by mercenary (un)musical agents, have much to answer for in forcing a too credulous but otherwise blameless public into false views and much misplaced support.
Having, I trust, by these few preliminary remarks sufficiently impressed upon the mind of the reader the relative importance of and the difference between technique and the higher qualities of style and expression, and shown how the latter form, in the highest sense, the real test of a player, I may now pass on to a more detailed consideration of each division, separately, and in turn, so far as the limits of this article will permit.
Inasmuch as it would be impossible for a violinist to devote much attention to expression until he has acquired at any rate a moderately advanced degree of technical equipment, we will first deal with this part of the subject.
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