If you are to teach ...

[ysaye]

Every teacher uses different studies and assign different repertoires. What concerto will you give to your student if you are to teach?

In my "Auer" thread, Mozart concerto seems to be the hardest of all according to the responds there. Therefore, I will probably follow the same pattern by Auer but omit Viotti, Kreutzer and Rode concerto (due to its length and same ideas throughout). I like to give my students shorter but as interesting concerto.

I also like the sequence of the studies set by Prof. Auer (Not the Rovelli studies though). But I think the Wieniawski L'Ecole Moderne and Paganini caprices which Prof. Auer didn't emphasize there, need to be added. He did mention the last Caprice by Paganini but not the whole manual. Also, I think the Paganini and Wieniawski Caprices are meant to reinforce the techniques which might be encountered in their own concertos, so personally, I think I would let the students learn the caprices before the concertos (by the same composers).

[This message has been edited by ysaye (edited 11-21-2000).]

[Hildegard]

I would definitely not give the same concerto to all of my students but try to find things that suit each one of them - my college teacher was really good with that and gave me a lot of repertoire ideas. Sometimes you need a piece that makes you work on your weak points, sometimes you need things that emphasize your best qualities. And there's a lot of music to be played! Instead of just picking up the first concerto you think of, go for something different! I love Respighi's Concerto Gregoriano, Dvarionas' violin concerto and Vaughan Williams' Concerto Accademico, for example. Making your students work with lesser known pieces will also teach yourself a lot, since you have to study the pieces even more thoroughly yourself...

[the fiddler of dooney]

As Hildegard I would not play the same music to all of my students, I would like to play the music that they like, to give them a new perspective to the instrument. I like the idea of modern music performed with classical instruments very much. Mixed up with some classical pieces, like Bach it would be a very interesting concert.

I found back to the violin and the classic music after performing blues on the violin. Without recognizing the fact that there is no kind of music that can´t be played on a violin I would not play violin today or post messages on this board.

[This message has been edited by the fiddler of dooney (edited 11-21-2000).]

[ysaye]

You have all your points. But don't you think, concertos like Spohr, Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski are almost compulsory, as far as styles are concerned? I feel that besides those, Mendelssohn, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Paganini are compulsary to play. Then, students may choose whatever they like after.

That's only of my humble opinion.

[Lydia Leong]

Why is Spohr compulsory, style-wise? I'm sort of inclined to think his compositions aren't very good music, to be honest.

Ditto Vieuxtemps.

Wieniawski is also writing in the same show-off-your-technique vein, but IMHO he's a better composer. Stylistically, though, is he really all that important, beyond the style of, "look at my virtuosic technique! and yes, I can play this musically, too!" ?