Mazas Violin Studies: Op. 36, Book 1: Special Studies

Author: (French) F. Mazas
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-07-01
Features: French violinist F. Mazas (1782-1849) wrote many duets and etudes for violin. Opus 36 consists of three volumes: "Special Etudes," "Concert Etudes," and "For the Artist." This is an excellent and highly artistic teaching material that includes various techniques for both the left and right hands, as well as many exercises in singing-style tone quality, timbre, and vibrato. When studying, it is essential to pay attention to combining techniques with musical expression and phrasing. Due to the scientific development of violin performance art, the training-related shortcomings of these etudes have become increasingly apparent, primarily in terms of editing. For example, bowing, slurring, fingerings, position choices, shifting methods, extended and retained fingers, dynamics, and other markings are often outdated and unscientific. Although students can learn various techniques through these etudes, the aforementioned flaws inadvertently cultivate many unscientific habits, which create significant difficulties in future learning.
In light of these reasons, the author has revised and edited this teaching material as much as possible according to scientific playing methods and the principles of melody and phrasing. This ensures that the material is both training-oriented and applicable, helping students learn various techniques while also mastering scientific playing methods and developing a scientific mindset. In some parts of the score, two types of fingerings are marked—these are two options and should not be mixed within the same phrase.