Bowings Versus Phrasing

8/20/2019 Bowings Versus Phrasing

1/13

NORMAN LUDWIN3c


2/13

2

! A phrase is a musical sentence, a division of the musical ideas.It enables the composer to show their intentions to the performer,to let them know when one idea begins and another ends.

! In music, we use the curved line marking to show that all notesunder the slur are in one phrase.

! In speech, we use space and punctuation to show syntax.

!

Without these tools of syntax, our written or spoken languagewouldappearlikethiswhichisnoteasytounderstandisit?

! Speech without proper syntax, is like music without phrasing,sounding like gibberish, both robotic and boring.


3/13

3

This isBeethoven’s31st PianoSonata. Notethe eightmeasuresunder the slur,showing thephrase thatBeethovenwasindicating, asopposed to

shorter threeor smallermeasurephrases.


4/13

4

When we write musicfor strings, we must usethe same curved linemarking, but now themarking serves as aSLUR indicator.

This means that allnotes under the slur,are not just part of aphrase, but must beplayed withoutstopping the bow.

The notes are allslurred together, untilthe player moves theirbow in the oppositedirection.


5/13

5

During J. S. Bach’s time

(1685-1750), composers wrote

music with very little markings,

sometimes not even slurs. This was

because during this period there

was a widely understood

tradition and many musicalgestures were implied, and not

actually notated.

Though this music has very little

original markings if you listen to

a recording of a cellist playing it

you will here many added

dynamics, tempo changes, and

slurs.

In the late 18th century,

composers began to add more of

their own markings to their music,

as the traditions of the past

became less and less universally

understood; composers also

increasingly wanted more controlof their music as opposed to

allowing the players to freely

interpret their music.


6/13

6

This is the Max Bruch 1st

Concerto for Violin

written in 1870. Note the

many markings including

crescendos, ornaments,

multiple stops, and tempo

changes.


7/13

7

Most of the greatcomposers were very

careful in how they

marked their string

parts, always aware

that players don’t have

circular bows and mustgo both up and down

with their bows.

This is Beethoven’s

Second Symphony, and

though he doesn’t markthe actual up and down

markings, his parts are

very clear for the string

player to understand.


8/13

8

Here is the 1st

violinpart to my work“Growing Orbits”.

Note the number ofbowing indications Iput in the part; I did

this to help therehearsals movequicker and because

it was a high schoolensemble thatperformed it.

For commercialmusic, it is NOT

necessary to add thedown and upindications.

65œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ w

w

rit.

P

w

Adagio q = 60

4 c 4 c

71-89

19

2 ‰ J œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

P

‰ œ œ œ œ

œ

œ

œ

f

95˙

-

J

.

F

˙

œ

œ

œ

#

œ

espressivo

œ

œ

œ

œ

˙

‰

œ

#

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

F

w

‰

œ

#

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

f

w

#

102

‰ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

107 .

J

‰ ‰

œ œ

œ œ

œ œ

œ

‰

œ œ

œ œ

œ œ

œ

‰

œ œ

œ

‰

œ

œ

‰

œ

œ

3 3

w

‰

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

F

w

#

114

‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w

ƒ



120œ œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ œ

œ

œ

œ

>

œ

œ

#

œ

œ

rit.

f

w

Piu mosso{ q = c 75}

f

‰

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

˙

F

3"Growing Orbits"


9/13

9

Here is JohannesBrahms SymphonyNo. 2. It is a rare

case of this greatcomposer

marking in aphrasing mark for

strings, instead ofnormal bowings.

There is no way

the strings couldplay all these

notes in one bow,as notated.

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

2


10/13

10Here is one way that

the strings might bow

this work:

We call this bowing

“one bow a bar”,

because one whole

bow, down or up, is

used for every

measure.

Note the dovetailing

(the practice of

sharing a note

between two

instruments, when one

continues a phrase

after the prior onefinishes).

In this case, it involves

the viola and cello.


11/13

11

This is another way

the strings mightbow this work; this

version has twomeasures in one

bow, so it would besofter and sound

more connected.


12/13

12

Lastly, here is one other

version that strings might

try.

This version is the least

typical of the three; it is

bowed according to the

way the musical line is

written. In other words,

Brahms wrote this phrase

to emphasis the two note

figure, with a hemiola

rhythm. Hemiola is when

the rhythm implies a two

grouping against a three

meter.

This bowing is over the

bar line (which is notgenerally recommended)

and uses more bow than

the previous two

examples.


13/13

13

1. Correct bowings

2. Commas

3. Dynamics

4. Articulations, i.e. staccato, accents, tenuto etc.

5. Crescendo and diminuendo markings

6. Tempo markings, i.e. ritard, accelerando, etc.

7. Good phrasing should be evident in good musiccomposition and shouldn’t be explicitly necessary tomark in with a simple phrasing marking.Professional musicians are trained to play phrases.

8. Bowing is breathing and breathing is singing…bothmust be natural.

Bowings Versus Phrasing

Documents

Transcript of Bowings Versus Phrasing