Ear Training and Violin Playing


Book Description

Ear Training and Violin Playing was written by two Austrian teachers who pioneered the Suzuki approach in the German-speaking world. This valuable little book was written as a supplementary "aid" to the Suzuki teacher, concentrating on posture, bow grip, instrument selection, the bow itself and a helpful analysis of Book One of the Suzuki Violin School. Many insights are offered throughout the book, all gained from intense study, ten years of experience and successful teaching. Some slight departures from Suzuki's own teaching are discussed: the incorporation of native songs, elementary music theory and ear training, and introduction of ensemble playing. Early childhood musical education, it is emphasized, must always be accomplished with love and understanding, and only when parents, students, and teachers form a unified whole.




Violin Dreams


Book Description

"A rapturous, witty, and passionate memoir ... Violin Dreams is not only the story of a man becoming an artist, it’s a history of twentieth-century music.” -- John Guare, Tony Award-winning playwright Arnold Steinhardt, for more than forty years an international soloist and the first violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet, brings warmth, wit, and fascinating insider details to the story of his lifelong obsession with the violin, that most seductive and stunningly beautiful instrument. His story is rich with vivid scenes: the terror inflicted by his early violin teachers, the sensual pleasure involved in the pursuit of the perfect violin, the charged atmosphere of high-level competitions. Steinhardt describes Bach’s Chaconne as the holy grail for the solo violin, and he illuminates, from the perspective of an ardent owner of a great Storioni violin, the history and mysteries of the renowned Italian violinmakers. Violin Dreams includes a remarkable CD recording of Steinhardt performing Bach’s Partita in D Minor as a young violinist forty years ago and playing the same piece especially for this book. A conversation between the author and Alan Alda on the differences between the two performances is included in the liner notes.




Orchestra Expressions


Book Description

Orchestra Expressions(tm) provides music educators at all levels with easy-to-use, exciting tools to meet daily classroom challenges and bring new vibrancy and depth to teaching music. The lessons were written based on the National Standards for the Arts in Music -- not retro-fitted to the Standards. The program is music literacy-based and satisfies reading and writing mandates in orchestra class. The pedagogy involves a "four-fingers-down" start for every instrument and separate but simultaneous development of both hands. Each student book features an attractive full-color interior with easy-to-read notes and includes: -A 59-track accompaniment CD that covers Units 1-15 (a second CD covering Units 16-33 is available separately, individually as item 00-EMCO2006CD or in a 25-pack as item 00-EMCO2007CD) -Historical notes on some of the most notable composers of orchestral music -A thorough glossary of musical terms -Scales and warm-up exercises Future reprints may be printed with black and white interiors. This title is available in SmartMusic.




Heifetz as I Knew Him


Book Description

For the last 15 years of Jascha Heifetz's life, Ayke Agus was his closest companion. She came to him as a violin student in his master class at the University of Southern California, but he singled her out when he heard her play the piano. She became his private accompanist and ultimately his assistant and confidante. A sensitive and astute observer, Agus takes up where previous biographers left off; her book is a loving yet unblinking portrait of an aging master by his disciple.










Etude Music Magazine


Book Description

Includes music.




My Friend Flicka Book


Book Description

Through his intense devotion to the colt Flicka, a young boy, living on a Wyoming ranch, begins to learn about responsibility and gain a better understanding of his brusque father.




The Auschwitz Violin


Book Description

In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin. . . . Imprisoned at Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories of the young woman he loved and the prayers that once lingered on his lips become hazier with each passing day. Then a visit from a mysterious stranger changes everything, as Daniel's former identity as a crafter of fine violins is revealed to all. The camp's two most dangerous men use this information to make a cruel wager: If Daniel can build a successful violin within a certain number of days, the Kommandant wins a case of the finest burgundy. If not, the camp doctor, a torturer, gets hold of Daniel. And so, battling exhaustion, Daniel tries to recapture his lost art, knowing all too well the likely cost of failure. Written with lyrical simplicity and haunting beauty-and interspersed with chilling, actual Nazi documentation-The Auschwitz Violin is more than just a novel: it is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of beauty, art, and hope to triumph over the darkest adversity.




The Etude


Book Description

Includes music.