EASTERN EARLY MUSIC FORUM
Viol Masterclass/workshop
Clare Hall,
Tutored by Amit Tiefenbrunn
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HEN I saw the flyer for this viol masterclass/workshop,
I thought great! - a chance to watch another viol
teacher in action. It is a rare opportunity to be able to observe fellow viol
teachers, but elsewhere in the teaching profession, it is the norm to observe
other teachers. So I went along with the specific idea
of not playing and thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was an interesting day, as I
will explain! Amit Tiefenbrunn
is both a player and maker of viols, baroque violins and other string
instruments. He was recently appointed the Professor Viol at the
THE day started with the 10 participants tuning string by string to Amit's bass viol. Everyone then played g major scale one octave, then two octaves, then with basses to start on B, the tenors on D and the trebles on G. By this time, all players had got the hang of it (the scales) and confidence grew. Amit talked to us about different sorts of sounds of plucked strings, and how the sound starts and is 'finished' naturally, in comparison to the bowed string sound and 'blown' sound of wind instruments. He asked us to think about how we make sound and Amit demonstrated different bow strokes. He pointed out the need for the right technique to imitate plucked sounds with the bow - the natural decay of the note, in other words. Bow speed was referred to in terms of a crescendo and diminuendo. Suggestions of the bowing technique Amit used were, I think, new to most people, myself included. Amit talked about the bowing arm and how the elbow should stay out (away from the body) and the lower arm/forearm moves. The rest of the movement in the bow stroke was then taken up by the wrist, which then resulted in the palm of the hand turning out/up.
THE first consort to play was a group in which members had played together before and this really came across. The second playing of Lupo's Ardo or Number 14, was beautifully played. Amit had some great tips in terms of putting air into dotted rhythms; lifting notes to keep the texture light; a useful analogy of 'bells' in the context of starting notes and letting them ring. Long notes don't necessarily mean a continuous, sustained sound and Amit said this was especially important when other parts have something interesting to play. Overall, the group improved in texture and observed the sound of the consort was more 'gentle'. The second consort played Holborne's The New Yeares Gift and confidence grew in the group with Amit's coaching. His suggestions of starting with the bass, then adding individual parts, helped the overall ensemble. The feeling of 'dance' came through the music with Amit encouraging players to remember the 'light' feeling and not to 'force' anything; just let the sound go.
TWO members of the course, Esha Neogy and Anthea Smith, played some John Ward on two basses, accompanied by the harpsichord. Amit's advice to them was to play through the line with direction and dynamics and to remember to play weak crotchets after minims. This resulted in a sonorous and expressive performance that was appreciated by all. A lively discussion followed at lunch about bowing technique, and this concluded with the general opinion of always remaining open to 'other ideas' concerning technique, and the importance of self evaluation. After lunch Amit talked about the harmonic series and sound waves, the construction of an instrument and the sound it makes. The whole group then briefly discussed stringing; temperament; types of wood used for instruments in connection with the physics of sound; wolf notes; the difference between the double bass and violone; the position of the bass bar in an instrument by Colichon.
AFTER all that (!) the first consort played a Byrd 5 part In Nomine No.1, with Esha playing the In Nomine and this 'floated' beautifully over the music. Amit then advocated using vibrato at the end of each note, leading one note to another. (I personally was not convinced that this suggestion led to an improvement). For the remaining four parts, Amit suggested they could be a gentle 'carpet' for the In Nomine to rest upon, and again with a much lighter bow stoke. This resulted in the consort having a much more interesting texture. Consort 2 played a Holborne Galliard. Advice about bowing to just touch the string was given and Amit encouraged players to play at the beginning of the note and let the sound resonate.
THE day finished with Amit's suggestion of 'learning' or 'practising' consort music at home, and once it had been learnt almost by heart, then to play together. This, he said, was freeing, and the general consensus of opinion was that it was much easier to listen to each other once an individual part had been learnt.
Jacqui
Robertson-Wade
Extracted from EEMF Newsletter 61, February 2006