An analysis of the Violin concerto of Johannes Brahms
Abstract
The violin concerto by Johannes Brahms is a part of the major repertoire of violin literature. It was written for a Hungarian virtuoso violinist, Joseph Joachim. Joachim's input on this violin concerto is tremendous and the cooperation between Brahms and Joachim can be seen in their correspondences. The fact that this violin concerto was written for a most famed and virtuoso violinist of that time suggests its difficulty. The concerto requires tremendous technique from the violinist performing the work. An added problem to the difficulty in technique is that the technique used is very unviolinistic. It is almost pianistic rather than violinistic when arpeggios are used in the exposition of the first movement. Despite the virtuoso and pianistic nature of the technique, it serves the music. There is no meaningless technique which is why this piece is among the major violin works.The main body of this dissertation is a comparison of fingerings in eight different editions. The fingering is a topic that many great pedagogues have written about. The importance of choices in fingering is passed on from teacher to student in every studio. The fingering should provide a technically easier solution to the problem, while still serving the music. However, there can be many different fingerings which serve both technique and music. The rationale for the ultimate fingering is presented here. Also, many well-known formulas in violin fingering are described according to the examples that are given. The search for the best fingering for oneself can be an arduous task, however the knowledge gained by trial and error forces one to be more aware of different fingerings and their influences on violin playing.
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