Musto FOUNDATIONS AND DEVELOPYENT OF THE MODERN FRENCH VIOLIN SCHOOL A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University for the degree of Master of Arts by Paul Geoffrey Gelrud February, 1940 a UBRARyVITA Paul Geoffrey Gelrud,son of Benjamin and Anna Gelrud, was born in New York City on February 17, 1916. After completing his secondary education at De Witt Clinton High School, he matriculated at the City College of the College of the City of New York, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1936. In 1935, upon completion of the course of study at the Manhattan School of Music, he received a diploma for graduates in violin. From 1936-38, he pursued graduate studies in music at Columbia University, and during the year 1937-38, he wes assistant in violin snd ensemble and assistant conductor of the University Orchestra. In 1958, he matriculated in the graduate school of Cornell and has been an assistant in the Music Department since that dete.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following study was undertaken at the suggestion of Professor Otto Kinkeldey, and has benefited throughout from his wisdom and perception. It is a pleasure to make even so small an acknowledgement of the generosity and unfailing patience which this eninent scholar shows to those who are fortunate enough to study with him,£ABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page INTRODUCTION «2 2 ee ee ee eee ee ee ee ee I. THE FORMATION OF THE REY SCHOOL... 2... 2 13 If. PME PUPILS OF VIOTTT ss. ee eee ee ee ee 8D SCHOOL». - . ee 58 III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEY CONCIUSION «2 ee ee ee ew ee ee ee ee ee 1B APPENDIGES 2 2 ee 2 0 ee ee ee ee ee ee ee 126 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 2 ee es ee ee ee eee ee ee 152FOUNDATIONS AND DEVELOFMEN? OF THE KODERN F SCHOOL INTRODUCTION A study of the modern French violin school is a vital one, for contemporary violin technique and style may be traced to that school, and, in fact, are funda- mentally based upon it. One may even go so far as to say that every contemporary violin virtuoso of inter- national importence, be he German or French, Russien or Italian, is « direct pedagogical descendant of the founders of the Paris schocl. fhe modern German school, which has produced such outstanding artists as Adolph Busch end Cari Flesch, was fostered by the fanous violinist, Joseph Joachin, who was @ pupil of Joseph B0h=. Bthm is the connecting link between the French school and the German, for he studied the violin under Pierre Kode, one of the founders of the French school, end wes responsible for spreading the teachings of bis master throughout Germany. Phe only other line of teaching existing in Germany at the time of the inception of the modern French school was that of the old Mennheim school of Anton Stamitz.' These teachings were being carried forward by Ferdinand Eek and his brother Franz, the latter being the tescher of the eminent violinist Louis Spohr. Spohr himself wes a prolific teacher end had numerous pupils, among whom was Ferdinand David, but his importance as a teacher dwindled and fiaally disappeared with the advent of Joschin. why this was so, I am not prepared to say. There is no contemporary violinist of note wio may be gaia to be an indirect pupil of Spohr. Similarly, the significance of the Italien violinist Pagenini, probably the most outstanding figure in the entire history of violin playing, when considered from a pedagogical view- point is negligible. Leopold Auer is considered the founder of the modern Russian school which hes produced such a generous suprly ef contemporary virtuosi, among whom are Heifetz, iman, Seidel, and Zimbslist. Although these people are Russians and of necessity exhibit the Russian charecteristics in their playing, the school itself stems directly from the Joschin line, for Auer was a pupil of Josehia and Xohne, the latter also a pupil of Bthn, end thus indirectly from the modera French school. he modern Belgian school of Ysaye and his pupils and the Czech school of Sevéik and his pupils are definitely French in their basic char—we acteristics.? One must teke cognizance of the fact that the re- ciprocal influence of the schools upon each other has tended to obscure the fundamental French characteristics of modern violia pleying. Over the basic Preneh principles of style end technique which are still employed today, we find the virtuoso style which was given such e definite impetus by Paganiai, the scholastic approach of the German, the abandon and fire of the Russian,end the cantabile of the Italien. These characteristics and influences have been adopted to a greater or lesser degree by the modern violin virtuoso so that his playing has become less and we have an art of violin less nationalistic until finally playing which is neither French nor German, Italien nor Russian. The difference between the playing of Heifetz and Szigeti, though they supposedly belong to different schools, is esseatially very slight. What difference there is can only be attributed to respective personslities and innate ebilities. It will be noted that the pedagogicel genealogies listed in the Appendix start with the founders of the French school. Yo trace the roots ef such genealogies further back than Viotti, back to Corelli, in fact, as see Appendix A.has so often been done, is valid only when one is con~ sidering the entire history of violin playing. ‘The gap between two such closely related violinists such as Viotti ond nis teacher Fuguani, is unbridgeable. Such a statement is not without reason if one considers the vitally important fect thet modern violin ploying differs from thet of the classical ftalian school of Corelli and Tertini nainly in the use of the right hand and its re~ finements and innovations in bowing, tone quality, ond finesse, und not in the technique of the left hand. This is not strange, for the actual bow used by Viotti was radically different fron thst used by his teacher Pugnani. It is not until the advent of Viotti, not until he first played in Paris in 1782, that we find the modern bow as invented by Frangeis Tourte in use.* he violin cannot be considered as an instrunent without its vow, for the tone which is produced is dependent not only on the violin, but to a great degree on the bow itself. Exactly how the violin sounded when played with a bow used by Pugneni and his contemporaries, we do not know. Nevertheless, we are forced to admit thet it wes e different instrument end *Yiotti's use of the fourte bow and a description of thet be will be found in Chapter 1, This entire subject awaits a definitive investigation which cannot be undertaken here.thet it necessarily sounded different from that used by Viotti. T£ one could compare the setual playing of two men such as Viotti and Menuhin, though a century separates them in time, he woulé possibly find, sna not without due reason, less differeace then between the two contemp— oraries, the waster and the pupil, Fugneni and Viotti. If one is considering modern violin playing, he is forced to start with Viotti, for it is with him that the Ars of violin phaying begins. Lionel de la Laurencie, in the preface to his eble work, L'feole Frangaise de Yiolon says: Hotre travail sterréte au moment ou Vietti joue pour la premiére fois au Concert spirituel de Paris; c'est 1A, en effet, une date décisive qui marque un tournant de lthistoire du violon.> Before we consider this turning-point in the history of violin playing, this revolution in an art, before we con~ tinue the discussion of the French violin school itself, let us examine briefly the political and sociel beck~ ground of France about the year 1760 end the general state of music in Xurope during the last part of the century so that we may bring inte sherper focus this “tournant de Lhistoire du violon.” Fnionel de 1a Leyrencie, L'cole Frangsise de Violon de Ially a Viotti, ctudes atTistoire et a'meeherigue C3 vols. , Faris; 1928), Wentstronss, fy 6France, during the last decade of the ancien régize, which begen with the advent to power of the Bourbons at the end of the sisteenth century and ended with the Revolu- tion of 1789, was divided into three orders of inhabitants: the Nobility, the Clergy, and the Comnons, or Third Estate. During the reign of Louis XVI, the absolute monarchy of the ancien régime was on the wane, and a feudal govern— ment was gredually being superseded by a centralized monsrehy. The political stagnation and growing discontent which was the heritage of the disasterous reign of Louis XV, had foreed his son to yield to liberal opinion, Al- though the Parlement was arrayed fer vested rights in op- position to reforms, reforms were made, reforms which really gave to this period a revolutionary aspect. As typified by the reign of Louis XV, Wrance of the ancien régime was famous for the brilliance of her litera~ ture and art. Yor those fortunately pleced, the social life of theqoch was delightful. The Intellectual Revolu~ tion and its attendant artistic activities were soon to reach their respective maturities, the former in the political and social expression of the French Revolution 4 according te Henri S&e, it was the Clergy al stituted the only real homogeneous estate ia the ancien ré,and the letter in the flowering of romanticism. Tue Age of Enlightenment in France produced such men as Vol~ taire, Diderot, “ontesquicu, Rousseau, Holbach, Kaynal, and Quesnay in the political sciences ana letters; Watteau, Boucher, Greuze, and the Nanserds, father end son, in painting and architecture. In literature, such monuments mon Lescaut, Le Gage*s, Gil Blas, and as Abbé Prévost's Beaunarchais' Berwer of Seville and Vigare are landmarks which will remain throughout the centuries. Perhaps the strongest influence upon the intellectual and artistic life of France is the theater. Jean Robiquet is right when he says: Il est A peu prés impossible de comprendre la Société du “VIIT® siscle si on l'isole de ces thédtres ou elle sllait chercher son plaisir, de ce uilieu factice et charnent qu'on appelle le monde dramatique et auquel elle empruntait bon noubre de ses qualités et de ses défauts; son agitation perpetuelle, sa psychologie en surfuce, sop élégance, son esprit et ss morale indulgente.. At the end of the seventeenth century, there existed in Paris the Phé@tre de Foire in which parodies of both serious drama snd grand opera were produced. By 1712 it had assumed the name of opéra~comique. The opera- gomique continued the role of the old EhéStre de le Foire S50. Pry an : an Robiquet, Le ThéStre 2 Peris au XVIII® siécle,(Paris 1950), pp. Sse, 2 -mnestne 8 Fepie eu XVEIE- sisele,( [amid bitter controversies and politics] intrigues. In 1752 an Italien opera troupe brought Le serve padrona of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi to the Thé@tre Italien in Paris. This gay end spicy Italian intermezzo caused a great furore among the musical dilettanti ond split them into two camps, the buffonists end the entibuffon— iets. Rousseau attached himself to the former and urote not only pauphlets and articles, but 2 little French operetta in the style of the Itelian intermezzi , Le Devin du village, which was immediately performed in the same year os the first Paris performance of La serve padrona. This operetta, in spite of its numerous musical wesknesses, became the model for the French comic opere whose classicel representative is anaré Grétry. The War of the Buffonists did not come to a con clusion until after the great work of Gluck. Tt was he who set out froa the Neapolitan opera buffa and concluéed his reformation on the basis of the French. With his Orpheus snd Eurydice, first produced in Vienna in 1762 “with an itelian text by Calsabigi, Gluck opened the path to reform, Phen followed Iphigenia in Aulis in 1774, Armide in 1777, end Iphigenia in feuris in 1779. The bitter struggle between the Gluckists and the Piccinnists which ended in a complete triumph for the former, elthoughPiccinni's Roland in 1776 wes by no means unsuccessful, gave to the Paris of the last decades of the XVIIT century the operatic supremacy formerly held by Italy, a supremacy which was not to be relinquished until after the days of Meyerbeer. ghe state of ecclesiastical music during the latter part of the century was at a low point. Phe acne of Protestant church music in Germany had been passed and the work of Johann Sebastian Bach was ell but forgotten. Phe period was one of reform, the refors of the clavier sonata by C. P. E. Bach, of the symphony by Haydn, Johann Christian Bach, and the youthful Mozart. These reforms were preceded by important work of the Hannheia school of John Stamitsz, Frenz Richter, and Toschi, as well as the shift of the Italian operatic symphony, in the Scerlatti form of three movements, from the theater into the concert hall. Foremost among the Italian composers who are important in this symphonic development is G. 3. Sammartini, the teacher of Gluck. Other noteworthy musical activities of this period were the establishment of a National Singspiel in Vienne by Joseph TI, in 1778, the rococo songs of Hiller, the pers buffa of Mozart, end the firm establishment of the modern string quartet by Haydn. Music in general was in a state of flux, and one must realize that, in spite offhe ouketanding genius of Worert, Gluck, and Haydn, the -Jatter half of the XVIII century wes a period of trans— ition. It is not until the tura of the century that the reforms of the XVIIT century were realized in clearly de~ fined musical expression. But what of the then existing European violin schools contemporeneous with the time of Viotti's debut in Paris in 1782? Who were the leading violin virtuosi of the day? In Italy we find a flourishing school founded by Corelli at the beginning of the XVIII century end numbering among its exponents such notables as Nardini, Antonio Capuzzi or Ceputi, Manfredi, Giardini, Giuseppe Moriani, Geleazzi, Lolli, Pugneni, Puppo, Fiorillo, Mestrino, and Campagnoli. Of these artists, all of whom were still active in 1782, the last six named had, at some time or other, visited Paris and performed there. In Germany, we find the Mann- heim school still important, as well as other violinists such as Leopold Hozart,® Ditters von Dittersdorf, Christian Cennabich, the Zendas, Danner, Xammel, Schweigl, vilhelm Cremer, Fiselt, and jienhall. Only in France do we find no clearly defined nationalistic violin school. Although ©~he reactionary character of the old Mannheix school con- tributed greatly to its dowafell. In Leopold Mozart's Yerauch einer lichen Violinschule, published in 1756, ‘Show the vio: Sid by placing the base of the jawbone over the tailpiece ana with the pointiL the classical French violin school had a long and fruit- ful growth fron Lully to Gavinies, the infiltration of the style and technique of the annheim school and still more of the Italian school had cast « disguising shadow over particular French charecteristics. Nevertheless, the importance of such men as Blasius, Guénin, Rodolphe Kreutzer, Pierre ia Houssaye, Théodore-Jean Tarede, the Ghevalicr de Saint-George, Bertheaume, Imbault, Chapelle, Alexendre Robincsau, and Guérillot camot be ignored. The youthful Kreutzer, who was berely fifteen years old when Viotti first played in Paris, had first studied under his feather, a pupil of Anton Stamitz, but was soon to fall under the powerful influence of Viotti and become in all respects a true member of the new French violin school. Pierre La Houssaye was s mature man by 1782, thoroughly grounded in the Italian principles and a pupil of Tartini. Although he lived until 1818, he did not adapt himself to the sudden change in French violin style, and found no noteworthy place in the new order, Such a complete sub- mission of those French violinists who were still capable of the jaw directed toward the right side of the violin, & practise which had fallen into disuse. Certain old Wiolins still show, on the lower left “cheek,” a light spot where the beards of the men had worn away some of the varnish, The generally accepted preetise during Leopold Mozart's time was to hold the violin as it is held now, with the jaw on the left side of the tailpiece.oes of change, end the actual musical suppression of all others, could have taken place only under circumstances which indicate a state of disintegration in the classical French violin school. In the following pages, an endeavor has been made to relate how this Phoenix rose from the ashes of a decadent French violin school, and to trace its flight across the pages of the history of violin playing.Chapter I THE FORMATION OF THE NEw SCHOOL fhe arrival of Viotti in Paris produced a sensation difficult to describe. No performer had been heard who had possessed so fine a tone, such sustained elegance, such fire, and a style so varied. In the short time between warch 13, 1782 and September 8, 1783, the dates of Viotti's first and lest appearance at the Concert spirituel as a performing virtuoso, he initi- ated the battle against the prevailing violin style of the day and won it without compromise, setting up new standards in place of the old. We shall discover that Viotti would have been powerless te effect this change without certain other simultaneous developments, but he did create a new art of violin playing which has stood aesthetically firm even to the present day. There has been only one definitive work on Viotti, that by arthur Fougin.® ie find, therefore, that in our knowledge of the life and activities of Yiotti we are limited to that one brochure, contemporary comments end dp, Je Pétis, Biographical Notice of Hicolo PF: ini and a sketch of the story of the Violin, tr. by otrinsean CY y Say > eho Coed, De 2h. 2 i Arthur Pougin, Viotti et L'Scole Hoderne de Violon (Bruxelles 5 SSPE re ‘ua criticisms, and dictionary articles. Wo be sure, there are a few other brochures on Viotti, such as the Notice by Baillot? ond the small pamphlet, Anecdotes sur Viotti, by fe Ms Bymar,* but these and the scattered few others give us little accurate information. There is one other source of material upon which I have drawn, and that is the article in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians on Yiotti, written by E. Heron-Allen, in which he quoted copiously from a manuscript which he possessed. This manuscript is an autobiographical eccount of Viotti'ts life and ectivities written at Schinafeldz for the British consul at Teneriffe some time after Viotti's banishment from Englend in 1798; it is entitled, Préeis de 1s vie de J. B. Viotti, depuis son entrée dens le monde jusqu'au 6 mars 1789. In the Pougin work, there is no mention of this important document. With the few accurate deta available, there are certain portions of Viottits life about which we have little or no information. Giovenni Battista Viotti was born at Fontanetto, Aiotice sur J. 3. Yiotti, n& en 1 2 ¥ontenetto, en Piénont a tendres 16 3 mars Hoequet, raris, i DD. ETthou, S brochure does not carry n 80, * the author's name on the titlepage, the work is signed by Baillot. It is interesting to acte that the date given . the birth of Viotti by his intimate contemporary is Se. 4 gig 3. N. Eymar, Anecdotes sur Viotti, préeédSes de quelques E6flexions sur l'expression en musique C1702, in G0, 35 EPs)415 near Crescentino, in Piedmont, Italy, on May 23, 1755. His father, 4 blacksmith and amateur horn pleyer taught him the elements of music. At the age of eleven, Viotti studied under a roving lute player neme@ Giovannini, good all-round susician who, e year later, became a pro~ fessor at the Ivrée Academy of uusic in the province of furin. In 1766, through the aid of Francisco ora, Bishop of Strambo, afterwards Bishop of Turin, Viotti became a compagnon 4'étude te the eighteen year old son of the Hargquis de Vogliera, Alphonso del Pozza, Prinee of Cis- terna. The young violinist was soon sent to study with Pugnani, who was then et the height of his career, and the Prince of Cisterna, according to Viottits om state- ment, paid for “an education that cost 20,000 francs be- fore it was completed.? He soon began to compose and at the age of fourteen wrote his first violin concerto, the one in 4 minor, now published as N° 3, There is no record whether Viotti was ever formally teught hexmony and com Position but it is supposed thet Pugnani taught hin the theoretical as well as the practical side of music. We have little definite information e= to the activ ities of Viotti before 1780 save that he continued to a, Heron~Allen in the article on Viotti in Grovets Dic— tion: of Music and #usiciens ( ed., New York, 1928), 7 yy COL. a16 study with Pugnani. The letter took bin on a tour be~ fore that year,® although Viotti mokes no mention of it in his manuscript Précis. From Fetis, we are led to be- lieve that Pugnani accompanied Yiotti on his first ex- tended tour in 1780, though Pugnaai left London in 1770 for Turin where he remained eftervards.” In the Frécis, Viotti does not mention that Pugnani was ith him on this tour and merely states thet in 1790 he visited Geneva end then Berne where he wes favorably received. From Switzerland he went to Dresden and then to 3erlin where he p}ayed for Frederick the Great. In the same year he left for Warsaw ond finally arrived ia St. Petersberg, where he was presented to Catherine the Great by Prince Potemkin, In 1781 he arrived in Paris after revisiting some of the northern cities, Although he had intended to spend only « few mouths in Paris, he “delayed his departure fron mouth to month, snd year to year, and re- mained 10 yeers."® About this tine a change wes quietly taking place, so quietly thet although there has been a cognizance of the fects, their implications have been totally ignored. Spougin, Viotti, p.« 14; E.Heron-Allen,op.cit., V,538, col.b. 2 George Hart, The Violin and its Music (London, 188 pe 286, footnctes ee : eae 85, Heron-Allon, op. cite, ¥, 533, col. b.1? @his change was the transformation, one may say the actual invention, of the modera violin bow by Frangois 9 this most famous of bowmskers came from a fourte. fesily of instrument craftsmen. His father is generally eredited with the substitution of the screw for the ergnaillicre which wes the former methoa of tightening the hairs of the bow. The erémailliére was the saw toothed lower part of the bow, the notches of which were used as a means to hold a loop of string or cat-gut. This loop, when tightened by placing one end over a lower noteh would move the nut of the bow in such a manner as to 10 gefore the inventions tighten the hairs of the bow. of Frangois Tourte, bow-meking was in a state of chaos. Ho two bows were exactly alike in materials, length, or shape. Different length bows were used for different purposes. The souete bow was longer and thinner then the bow used for ordinary orchestral playing. ‘There had been no gradual perfection of the bow throughout the years as there ned been for the violin. Stradivarius had a nearly perfect model with which te work. It was he who finished whet his predecessors had begun, Strictly speaking, Tourte %rangois Tourte was born at Peris in 1747; he died there in April, 1835. see appendix B, figure v.18 had no predecessors; starting from an entirely new and revolutionary premise, Tourte not only invented the modern vow, but also perfected it. Before his time all the modern forms of steceato must have been impossible, and the nuances of piano sna forte extremely linited; a rawness, especially oa the treble strings, and a monotony which to our ears would be intolerable, must have deformed the performances of the beat of violin— ists. The violin, under Tourte’s bow, became a aifferent instruments and subsequent bow-mekers have exclusively copied him, the value of their productions depending on thé success with which they heve applied his principles. The fundauentel change which Tourte wrought was to make the curve of the bow concave instead of convex.) The exect anount of the curvature was probably found by a series of patient experiments. The fourte bow, when unstrung, is mathematically found to form a logerithnic curve, the ordinates of which increase in arithmetical proportion, and the abscissas in geometrical proportion.2> This bow was strong ond elastic without being heavy; the effect wes the liberation of the player's fingers ond thumb from much useless weight. Other innovations which "ourte made were the determination of the actual length of the bow, which was set between 29.134 and 29.528 inches including the button, the amount of tapering of the dic- werd John Payne end E. Heron-Allen in article on Tourte in Grove, ¥ (1925), 366, col. be 12g Appendix Ba 13sec Appendix ¢.19 meter of the bow, a differences of 0.13 inches between the extremities finally being settled upon, end the de- termination of the distance of the hair from the stick. He also invented the means of spreading the hairs and fixing them on the face of the nut by a movable band of netel fitting on a slide of mother-of-pearl. Por Tourte to have conceived and executed all these innovations without the advice and practical aid of one or several violin virtuosi is extremely improbable. The name of Viotti has been intimately associated with that of Tourte in the development of the bow. Unfortunately there ic no documentary evidence upon which one can base such a connection. Ta a letter dated London, May 15, 1939, Alfred Ebs-— worth Hill, the head of the English instrument firm of Williem &. Hill and Sons, founded by Joseph Hill in 1762, end probably the foremost authority on bows in the world, wrote to the author: There is no documentary evidexece recording the influence brought to beer on the perfecting of the violin-bow by Viotti or any other contempor- ary players, but it goes without saying that they all frequented the workshops of both violin, and and bow-makers, for we have come across records of violinists visiting the great Italian makers of the past. . + «+ .Speaking from recollection, I think that T an right in saying thet i have seen letters in whieh Viotti, Rode ond also Spohr recommend bows made by Tourte.rétis wrote: = « Vers cette dpoque [1780], Viotti arrive, A Paris. Bientdt convaingu dela superiorité de Tourte sur les autres fabricents d*archets, il lui demanda de chercher le moyens dteupécher le crin de se rouler ep le maintenent également entendu sur le heusse.14 he modern dictionary articles have all copied from the older authorities in their vague statements on the subject. fourte's improvements in the bow were effected after 1775. Tradition says that he was materially assisted in his work by the advice of Viotti. . . Nothing is more likely, for only an eccomplished violinist could have formulated the demands which the Tourte bow was constructed to satisfy. Viotti, no doubt contributed to bring the fourte bow into general use, and it is certain that it quickly drove the old barbarous bows coupletely fron the field, and that in Paris there at once arose a 15 school of bow-makers which has never been excelled.”? The inventor of the modern bow [Tourte], which he Perfecteg about 1775, rerheps with some help fron Viotti. Il parvint vers 1790 & fixer la forme définitive de Ltarchet aiaé dopg ses recherches par les sug~ gestions de Viotti. le J. deBekker goes so far as to say that “Vietti, who wos the first great violinist to adopt Tourte's bow, may have advised its maker. . . ."t6 Tip) g. Pétis, Biographie Universelle des Kusicieas ot Bibliographie Ganeeels ce la Waste, 28d -ed- (Party 1893), Vir, Se 152@waraé John Peyne and & Heron-Allen, loc. cit. 1:e1d0 Seiden Pratt, The New Encyclopedia of ‘sic end uusiciens (teu York, 1930)- bs Bee 1?, ai ‘Wugo Riemann, Dictionnaire de Nusique, 3°¢ ed., tr. Georges Humbert (Paris, 193%), p. [380- tokes' Encyclopedia of tiusic and Musicians (New York, 1908), p. S78.al But whet if Vietti did nelp Tourte, what if he were the first, or one of the first, to use the Tourte bow? If we examine the criticisus of Viotti's playing, we will notice that the comments are directed towards his tone, hie fire, his “sustained elegance"-~all msni- festationus of the bow. After one of his concerts st the Concert spirituel in 1783, we find in the Mereure France the following criticism: + + + Un autre objgct de l'amour du Public, & qui cette fois pardit sans concurrans, ctest iM. Viotti. Son succes a été encore plus’ grand que celui de ltanné pasade, & nous croyons que son talent est meme augmenté. Oa a trouvé que ses sons Stoient attagués avec plus de justesse & Ge sirete; sa maniere encore phys motlleuse mieux fondue, sa composition méue plus agréable. Tia été regu avec les transports les plus mérites, & il semble que les Artistes commencepy & lui pardonner de n'@tre pas né ea France. And again: +. . H. Viotti, sur-tout, a peru réunir tous les suffrages. “Depuis long temps on.n'a entendu ea France aucun Violon gui réunisse & un si heut degré toute les qualiteS qu'oy désire sur cet in strument; le force & la pureté de son, la rapidité Gans l'execution jointe a ls netteté, le erdce & le mo8lieux dans ltezpressign, So musique d*ailleure est trés agréable, & fait désirer, og" il eu essai lteffet sur tun de nos Théatres.2 It is entirely probable that Viotti's success wes in- separably bound with his use of the Tourte bow. Viotti 1 uercure @e France, Concert Spirituel; april 19, 1783. 20rp3a., Kay 10, 1783.Ee 22 was an innovetor, for not only was he one of the first to use the fourte bow in public but Viotti, we oust recollect, was the first supremely great violinist sad composer for the violin to introduce end prove to his audiegges the merits of the Stradivari violins. . - - Pougin also sdéed weight to this tradition when he wrote: Crest A Viotti, ait-on, que l'on doit 1tintro- duction en France des adaireble instguments de le grande €cole de lutherie italienne, a peu. pres in connus chez novs evant lui. L'incomparable Bi stradivarius qu'il fit entendre lors de son arrivée $ Paris produisit une impression profonde sur nos artistes, qui nfavaient presque idée de 1'inmense Valeur des merveilleux chefs—dtoeurre de vieux mettre crenonais.22 Ghat Viotti could have burst like a radiant sunrise upon the horizon of violin playing without the sid of the Tourte bow ond the Stradivarius violin is improbable. dott’ was not the first to pring the teachings of the classical Italian school te Paris, for many Italien virtu- esi found their way to the French metropolis, and wes not Itely still the home of the arts, the fons et orige of learning to which every ambitious French violinist went to complete his education? Viotti was first heard in Paris at e small private 2lg. Henry Will, Arthur F. Nill, and Alfred E. Yill, Antonio Stradivarius, Hie tafe and Work’ (1648-1737), 20° ed. Cuendon, T09), p- tot 2rougin, Viotti, pp. 155-6.EE Ry) & concert and then at his public début at the Goncert spirituel on § wes overwhelmingly favorable, there was dissention among arch 13, 1782, Although literary criticism the Prench violinists who resented this sudden and rude destruction of the status quo. The Mercure de France wrote: ha préGminence de M. Viotti n'a pas été reconaue , d'une maniére aussi unanime; des Connoisseurs prée~ tendent que son jeu est quelquefois brusque & heurté, qu'il sacrifie souvent ltexpressioa et Lfesprit de son sujet au désir de tirer de son instrument de sons extraordinaires; qu'enfin, son genre de composition est inferieur A celui de Sarnowick & quelque autres Virtuoses conaus, Sucl gutil en soit, nous croyons que &. Viotti est un des plus grand Yiolons qui se soient fait entendre au Concert Spirituel depuis vingt ons; quand sa téte est montée, il exécute parfaitement & les morceaux dfexpresgion & les chosesdifficiles; il serait seulement 5 désirer que le plupart de ces choses si difficiles devinssgpt impossible, nos plaisirs n'y perdroient rien. In the fel1 of 1783, Viotti suddenly ceased to appear at the Concert spirituel. Two reasons for this strange action have been advanced: that he wes dismayed and dis- gusted with the success of an inferior violinist; that he gave up publie performences to become premier violon to Marie Antoinette. Careful researeh by Pougin@* nas failed to uncover any competitor te Viottits rule during the 23yercure, Concert Spirituel, April 20, 1762. 24 Pougin, Yiotti, pp. 26-30.rE a4 winter months of 1783, any competitor who would justify the first premise. As far as the second reason is con— cerned, Viotti himself wrote in his Prée + + + and when i had determined to play no longer in public, and consecrate myself entirely to the service of this sovereign, (Narie Antoinette) she in recompense obtained for me, .. .a pension of 150 pounds sterling,,though I had given up pleying for some tine. Marie Antoinette's offer came in 1784, after Viotti "haa determined to play no longer in public" and even “had given up playing for some tine.” Still a third reason might be offered, a reason based upon the rise of the Tourte bow and its immediate acceptance by the violin virtuosi of the day. If Viotti had been the first, or one of the first, to use the new bow, the effect upon audiences and crities alike must have been tremendous. As the use of the Tourte bow by other violinists becare more common, Viotti's monopoly ‘ther or not this af- of popularity must have waned. fected his decision to give up public performing can only be surmised. When Viotti first arrived at Paris, he became the conductor of the orchestra of the Prince of Guémense, ang later, of the orchestra of the Frince of Soubise.*© the "see Grave , "Viotti", ¥ (928), 559. cole a. *Srougin, Viotti, pp. 32-34.25 exact dates of these appointments are unknown. ‘Through— out the decade in which he lived in Paris, Viotti re~ nsined a leading musical figure, playing frequently in private recitals an: quartet perties. The musical audi. Sions which he held in 1785 when he was living at n° 8 Rue de la “ichodiére with Cherubini were eagerly attended by & great number of the violinists and other musicians of Paris. In 1787 Guérillot and Inbault perforned his Symphonies concertentes for two violins, and Pleyed bis piano concerto on December 24 of the same year. ie. Davion a 1785 Viotti joined with Léonard’ an the menage- ment of the 2né8tre ge Uonsieur, a venture which was to end in failure through a series of mishaps and coincidental Occurrences which had little to do with Viotti's abilities, The theater was under the patronage of Monsieur le Conte de Provence, the brother of the King, and for the first time in ten years brought Italian opera to Paris. in spite of the Revolution, Yiotti remained as the director of the Théatre de ionsieur even after it had been removed, in 1891, to the Rue Feydeau. He finally left Paris on the eve of the arrest of the Ring and Queen and arrived ia hondon on July 21 or 22, 1792. After a hurried trip to 27,éonard, whose real nene was Autier, was Marie Antoinette's hairdresser,Italy in July, 1793, to settle some family affairs, he returned to England and for a time his affairs seemed to flow more serenely. During the years of 1794 and 1795, he was heard at nearly all of Salomon's concerts, and began to take pert in the direction of the King's Theater, which played Italian opera. It was during this period that he made the scquaintance of Mr. and lirs. Chinnery, an acquaintance which was soon to ripen into a most valuable friendship. Viotti succeeded Cramer as leader at the King's theater when the latter retired, and maintained that post until he was unjustly deported from England in 1798 for using “heinous ana sanguinsry expressions against the King." He retired to a small plece near Hamburg named Schtnfelaz2® and spent the next three years quietly composing,and teaching the young violinist Friedrich ¥ilhelm Pixis. In 1801 Viotti was allowed to retura to Nnglend where, on the advice of Mrs. Chinnery, he set himself up as a wine merchant. Contrary to contemporary opinion, this business venture was unsuccessful, and he lost Syarious authorities give this curious ana improbable spelling. Available atlases end gazetteers revealed no town in Germany spelled Schtnfeléz, even though contemp— orery maps were used. Section 7: Hamburg of karte des deutschen Reichs im Basstab 1 »Gotha: Perthes ; ‘ogel, shows a village Schenefeld about 15 km. =. by E. of Hemburg. The villege isalso meationed under this name in the Brockhaus Konversations— dexion. Schenefeld was, in all probability, the place Ghere Viotti stayed.heavily.29 In 1802 Viotti revisited Paris, but by the end of the year, ho was agein beck in London attending to the ever-increasing financial problems caused by his wine business. It is interesting to note that the violinist Spohr wrote concerning this period: The Duke. . . .told me to choose a teacher at once from among the great violinists of the day. Without hesitation I named Viotti, and the duke approved of the choice. He was im- nediately written to, to London, where he re~ sided et the tine. Alas! He refused the re— quest: he wrote word that the had become a Wine merchant,’ '. . .occupied himself but seldom with misic, and therefore could not receive any pupils.'30 In 1813, upon the founding of the Philharmonic Seciety of which Salomen was the conductor, and which gave its first concert on arch 8 of that year, Viotti found himself once again drawn into musical ectivities. He conducted occasionally and had several of his com positions performed. A year later, he again hastily visited Paris, and Baillot, his close friend and admirer, *2cependant son [Yiettits] séjour en Angleterre lui fit négliger sa remomuée de grand artiste, et prenant Ltesprét du pays of il était, il s'enrichit bientét dans le com merce des vins, See Henri Blanchard, Eevelologie du Violon (Troisiéme article) in La Revue et Cassese Husicale ie Paris, August 25, 3 P+ S31. 3a. Leuis Spohr. Autobiography, tr. from the German Lond 1865), I, 13." * aoeee 28 assembled a number of artists to hear Viotti, who had already become a legendary character. Four years later, in an effort to recoup some of his lost fortune, Viotti became director of the Opéra in Paris through the assist— ance of his ola patron, the Comte de Provence, who was then Louie XVIII. A year later, the assassination of the King's nephew, the Due de Berry, on February 13, 1820, took place at the opera house, and the Opéra, shunned by the public, was forced to move to the Théatre Favart and then, as these premises proved unsatisfactory, to the Théatre Louveis. These changes proved serious to Viotti's already critical financial state end in the spring of 1822 he returned to England, a ruined man. Despite the sturdy constitution which had successfully carried hia through his previous adverse periods, his health soon began to fail; he steadily grew feebler, and finally died in Lendon at the home of Krs. Chinnery on Harech 3, 1824. Before his death, Viotti had acquired a European feme which had become almost legendery. His compositions were performed continually end he had so firmly esteb- lished the new French violin school thet even contemp- rary writers ecknowledged hin as the founder of a new art of violin playing which was universally recognized.29 In a letter from Paris dated December, 1819, by G. Le P. Sievers, published in the Allgemeine Musikalische Beitung, we find that (Zs) gedacht die oberste Bentrde eines Kinstlors, der mit dem Rufe des ersten und klassischten aller Geiger Suropa's zu seyn, zugleich den nicht minder allgemeinen Ruhm des vortrefflich— sten Tonsetzers fir sein Instrument verband. Habe ich ntthig, angumerken, dass hier von Herra Viotti dic Rede ist? Rerr Viotti hat der Aufmunterung, die sein felent in Frankreich, besonders in Paris ge- funden, die reifsten Iritchte seiner klnstler- ischen’Ausbildung zu verdanken: von dort aus sehreibt sich die tieisterschaft, die er sich, nach dem allgemeinen Gest8ndnisse von ganz Europa, als Geiger und ale Componist flr die Geige ervorben hat. Er 2hlt nicht allein die bertthetesten Viclinisten Frankreichs, einen Kreutzer, Rode, Baillot u. 8. we 2u seinen Schtilern; sondern es sind auch alle jetzigen ausgezeichneten Kinstler auf diesen Tnstrumente, seinen elgenea Ausdrucke gents, 3) entweder seine Kinder oder seine Kindeskinder. Let us examine more closely the basis for this wide spread European reputation which Viotti sequired in thirty-seven years of ectivity. As to his playing, we find an interesting analysis in a comparison between Viotti end his most famous pupil, Rede. In such a con perison, there is less of a tendency to evlogize virtues indiscriminately and often the truth becomes more clear. The authorship of the following excerpt is unknown, but 2laiipemeine Musikelische Zeitung (Jenusry 5, 1820), HT eel 8; eethere is every reason to believe in the validity of its rational judgement. ‘fhe letter is dated from Paris, April 15, 1301, and appeared in the Allgemeine tiusikal— ische Zeitung. + + + Man hat, etwas indiskrete Vergleichungen awischen hn uné seinen Lehrer machen wollen, nan het ihnea ihren Rang gegen einander bestinnen wollen, ohne gu Siberlegen, dass die Henier des einen von der Hanier des indern durchaus verschieden ist. Viotti macht mehr; was Rode macht, ist eleganter und netter. Sener hat mehr Kraft, dieser uchr Grazie. Viotti lusst sich durch sein Feuer hinreissen, er wagt, er verliert sich, und dann ist seine Xtnnheit nicht immer gltteklich; Rode bleibt immer Herr seiner selbst, immer an— genehn, immer rein, aber zuweilen wira er etwas Kalt; ér sinkt nie aber erhebt sich auch nicht genug; Viotti'n entwischen in seiner Heftigkeit zuveilen einige falsche Ttne, und die Kritiker, die empfindlicher fér Verirrungen els fiir Schba- heiten sind, haben viel Authebens von, diesen kleinen Ungitick gemacht; Rode bleibt immer richtig, er beleidigt das Ohr aic, aber er erhabt des Genlith auch selten zu der Begeisterung, die der gleichen Verirrungen gern verzeihet. Das Genie Uberstahlt Fehler; aber die Kunst Fehler au ver- meiden, ersezt das Genle nicht. . .32 From the above comments, one gets a clear picture of the style of Viotti. Such a style would be compereble to the playing of the contemporary artist, Fritz Kreisler, and it is not at all strenge to find the latter claimed by many to be the most outstanding violinist of the day for just those reasons which the critics of the 1800's F2yyz (Hey 13, 1801), III, no. 33, col. 558-9.31 gave for the preeminence of Viotti. Other contemporary criticisms of Viotti's playing have been previously quoted. It is only fitting that the criticisms of his Peris @éput be added to them. Ia the Hémoires secrets of Karch 13, 1782, we find the following: M. Viotti, violon Stronger, qui nta pgint encore paru ici, qui.ctest fait connoftre par hazard pour la premi8re fois dans un petit con- cert particulier avec une modestie rare, 2 fit tomber l’archtt des mains de tous nos grands maftres, doit debuter au Concert spirituel durant is quinzaine: il est des amateurs qui le mettent au-dessus de tout ce que nous avons entendu jusqu'é present. on the 20° of warch, the same collection states: li. Viotti a soutenu dimanche, dans son con— certo de viglon, la haute réputation qu'il s'étoit deja si promptement acquise dans ce pays-ci., Une ex€écution vraie, un fini precieux & une qualité de son admirable dans l'adagio fogt placer cet artiste au rang des plus grends,, maitre. On pretend que depuis le femeux Iulli, il n'a pas paru violon de sa force. On April 29, the kgmoires noted that IL y a eu le 24 un concert de bénéfice pour KH. Viotti, comme il y en avoit eu un huit jours auparavent au profit de madame Mera, Les billets **yGnoires secrete pour servir 3 l'histoire de la république aes Lettres en France depuis 1762, etc., [Louis Petit Bachaumont and others] Gondon, 1783). Vol. XX: March 13, 1782; p- 1223 Haren 20, lyse, b. 1534 April 29, 1782, pe aki. rougin says that Lulli was the Italian violinist Lolli. See Pougin, Viotti, p. 22, footnote 1. It is just as prebable thet the still more famous Gully was meant.