VIBRATO AFTER LEOPOLD MOZART
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Vibrato after Leopold Mozart
The important role that Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) played in the personal and professional life of his son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is well known. Less well known, perhaps, is the importance of the father's pedagogical work, recorded in his treatise Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (1756), in the son's musical and aesthetic education, as it was the most accessible source of information available to Wolfgang in his early years.
It is undoubtedly one of the most important texts on violin playing and teaching ever written. It is also a fundamental book for anyone who wants to understand the aesthetic postulates that began to dominate after the Baroque period, as well as the most basic principles of instrumental technique that prevailed in the Baroque and Classical periods. It is a didactic work that had a great impact at the time, especially because it combined features of both the German and Italian violin traditions, a rare feature in this type of manual. In general, it is a pleasant work to read; in fact, it shows a very fine sense of humour throughout the work, and although the author sometimes expresses himself in a critical and harsh tone, his explanations and analyses are clear and precise.
In this article, I would like to share some of my impressions of the recommendations on vibrato that Leopold left in this text. Among the most important recommendations is the one in which he defends that "vibrato is a naturally occurring ornament and should be played not only by instrumentalists but also by inventive singers on long notes". In other words, the rule on the use of vibrato, which is in fact a tradition dating from the Baroque to the Classical period, explicitly demanded that it be used in a timely manner and with a clear expressive purpose, such as creating tension at certain musical moments. This is reflected in the following comment: "final notes or held notes may be embellished with vibrato".
Leopold thus advocates the Baroque rule of using vibrato as an ornament: "Since vibrato does not remain fixed on a note, but sounds undulating, it would be wrong to play every note with vibrato." This, as we know, contradicts the current violin tradition, according to which the use of a continuous vibrato is not only not a mistake, but aesthetically welcome. Nevertheless, we must not forget that there were violinists in the Baroque and Classical periods who vibrated continuously, as Leopold Mozart points out in his book: "There are some players who vibrate continuously with every note, as if they were suffering from chronic tremors." The big difference in this comment is that this practice was considered distasteful at the time.
Leopold distinguishes three types of vibrato: slow, rising and fast. (a) Slow vibrato implies a wide range of vibration (of the finger) of the note we want to vibrate. As far as its execution is concerned, I would specify that the vibrato gestures can be distinguished between the movement of the wrist or the movement of the forearm. (b) The increasing oscillation is defined as a fluctuation that goes from a slow rhythm to a faster one, "as if from the time of the eighth note to the time of the sixteenth note". In this case, and although it is not explained in the treatise, its execution implies that the gestures of the vibration of the finger, wrist and forearm gradually reduce the movement of the forearm. (c) The rapid oscillation, which Leopold mentions but does not explain, is one in which the range of fluctuation is smaller. In this case, its execution combines, on the one hand, the rapid activation of the corresponding finger with a slight but intense movement of the wrist, but not of the forearm.
In the context of a cadenza, Leopold mentions the use of various types of vibrato. In particular, he refers to the moment at the beginning of a cadenza "of the kind that is improvised in a personal way at the end of a solo". In these cases, he warns that it is customary to hold a note, which may be the tonic or the dominant, and that an increasing vibrato should be applied to this held note. He adds that this note should be attacked softly and then increased to half its duration, "so that the greatest accentuation coincides with the beginning of the fastest vibrato", before ending softly.
Leopold's teachings had a significant impact on his son's development as a musician. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a highly skilled and innovative composer who made extensive use of vibrato in his compositions. His use of vibrato helped to create a more emotional and expressive sound.
The use of vibrato in string playing has a long history that can be traced back to the Baroque period. Later, historically important string players such as Niccolò Paganini and Josef Joachim developed new and innovative techniques for using vibrato in their playing. They experimented with different finger and bowing techniques to produce a more varied and expressive sound:
Paganini used a fast and intense vibrato to create a sense of virtuosity.
Joachim used of a more subtle and nuanced vibrato to create a warmer and more expressive sound.
In the 20th century, the vibrato has become one of the most widely used techniques in modern classical music. This type of vibrato involves a very quick and continuous oscillation of pitch that creates a trembling effect in the sound. It is also popular in jazz, blues, and rock music, where it is used extensively by guitarists and other string players.
Baroque music, the appoggiatura
Leopold Mozart and his violin treatise
Hi, I’m Maite, this blog’s author, violin teacher and modern/baroque violin specialist. Read more