Masterclasses I

Pinchas Zukerman masterclass. Sydney, Australia. August 31, 2000.

Renowned violinist/violist/Conductor Pinchas Zukerman, visiting Australia as part of the 2000 Olympics Arts Festival, presented masterclasses in three cities. Students from around the country auditioned by tape for the chance to participate and four were chosen to perform at each class. In Sydney, the students were all violinists; most were prize winners of local and international competitions with impressive resumes and all were about 18 years old and currently undertaking tertiary training. Of course, violin and viola students and teachers came from near and far to watch, learn and take the rare opportunity to ask questions of the master.

• The selected students played:
  • 1. Concert fantasy on Bizet's Carmen, op 25 by Pablo de Sarasate
  • 2. Polonaise in D, op 4 by Henryk Wienawski
  • 3. Tzigane by Maurice Ravel
  • 4. Violin concerto no 2 in g minor (first movement) by Sergei Prokofiev

 

Zukerman opened the class with a sometimes humourous introduction, explaining to the large audience that although this was a public lesson for advanced students, he would focus on fundamentals of technique, rather than on the music they played because he believes that before one can make music, one must learn to make the sound. None of the students played his or her entire piece; Zukerman listened carefully for about five minutes before interrupting to discuss what he had observed. Here are some of those observations:

 

• Bowing:
  The former Galamian student obviously has great respect for his late teacher's bowing methodology. All four students were shown Galamian exercises [there is a method book available] designed to improve bowing, from open string exercises and slow bowing to finger flexibility techniques. While 20 minutes a day for six months of, say, an open-string bowing exercise might seem like an incredibly boring chore, it's vital if one aspires to make music at the highest level and there is no magic substitute, he advised those in attendance. Zukerman repeatedly emphasised the importance of bowing technique because, he said, 85 per cent of the sound comes from the right arm. "The right arm is your bank account," he joked at one point. Even the bow hold itself came in for special attention. "Bend the fingers, bend the thumb," he repeatedly told one student. Keep them flexible, if you move your fingers apart on up bow, move them back on down. Use the whole bow, "you've paid for all of it", he told another student, with whom he demonstrated effective bow division. (In the Prokofiev, the student had to play four short-bowed, down-bowed quavers starting at the tip of the bow, followed by a long bow beginning at the frog. Zukerman advised him not to play all of the quavers at the tip. He suggested the student divide the bow into four and move down with each note, that is, play one quaver on each quarter of the bow so that he ended at the frog, ready for the long note that came next.) 
• Vibrato:
  Zukerman praised one student's use of both arm and wrist vibrato to achieve different objectives. The student had been learning wrist vibrato for only about six months, so welcomed some suggestions on how to improve this technique. Zukerman believes the down motion is the most important in wrist vibrato, because the up motion will occur naturally if the down is correct, that is, the hand will bounce back up of its own accord. Rather than the "wave to yourself" analogy familiar to many beginning vibrato students, he used "knocking" with the back of the hand to demonstrate. He seems to favour a wide vibrato, but silky smooth. He showed the student an exercise to help with control of vibrato: divide a long bow into four beats, vibrate once for each beat; the next time, vibrate twice for each beat, then three times, then four... When vibrating on sharps, start just a little sharper than the designated note, he suggested to another student. 
• Movement:
  A student who dipped and swayed while playing was scolded. "That's a Julliard thing. Something all the Julliard students seem to have started doing in the last 10 years or so. I hate it. Don't do it," Zukerman said. Swaying the violin was also out. All this movement was unnecessary and energy-wasting because the sound comes from the bow, not artificial movements, he said. One student was also advised that good posture is the key to overcoming nervousness. "Where do nerves come from? Adrenalin. We need to control that and use it for the performance," Zukerman said. Controlling the adrenalin was easier if the posture was correct and confident. Plant your feet, hold your violin up, look straight down the fingerboard... 
• Equipment:
  He suggested a student, and others in general, discard a well-known brand of shoulder rest in favour of home-made padding moulded by the individual for comfort - foam or a folded cloth. The only commercial shoulder rest he thought was okay was the Play On Air, which could be adjusted individually. His argument against the well-known brand and others was that they don't place the instrument in the proper playing position on the shoulder and that the resulting angle of the instrument is incorrect when using such a rest. An audience member asked if he recommended the use of French bows (obviously thinking about expensive Tourtes, etc). Zukerman said he owned one French bow which he rarely used; his own preferred bows were from a contemporary bowmaker. Surprisingly, no one asked him about strings... 
• Suzuki method:
  "These tiny kids watch and listen to other people playing, then pick up these pieces of wood and string and out comes ... [plays the opening bars of the Bach double]." This drew an appreciative laugh from the audience. But joking aside, while some leading performers are detractors of this popular teaching method, Zukerman is a Suzuki fan, believing it provides an excellent foundation to violin playing. 
• While Zukerman has some well-defined ideas on how certain things can be achieved, individual players of course must try different ideas in order to discover what works best for them. But his advice certainly held substance for the first student, who went backstage and practised what Zukerman showed her, then came back later to demonstrate what she'd accomplished using his ideas. In only about 20 minutes, there was a noticeable improvement in her bowing and the resulting sound quality. And the students in the audience were buzzing with enthusiasm after the class, keen to get home and try some of the tips for themselves. 
• A final note:
  Masterclass students should expect the unexpected and have something extra from the standard repertoire prepared. While Zukerman was discussing technique with each of the four students, he "put them on the spot" by asking them to play from a piece other than the one they'd prepared for the class. For example, the first student was asked to play a bit of the Bach g minor solo sonata, another the slow movement of the Tchaikovsky concerto (Zukerman had noted from the student's bio that he'd played this with an orchestra two years ago). Of course, in the circumstances, they had to play these from memory without prior notice. The girl who was asked to play Bach didn't hesitate, but the student who'd been asked to play the Tchaikovsky had an uncomfortable minute before admitting he didn't trust his memory and asking if he could do the slow movement of the Sibelius concerto instead.
  
  
• Contributed and written by © Lee Anthony
• Violinist, violist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv in 1948. He began his musical studies with his father, first on recorder and clarinet and later on the violin. At 8, he entered the Israel Conservatory and Academy of Music, studying with Ilona Feher and in 1961, with support from cellist Pablo Casals, went to the United States to work with renowned pedagogue Ivan Galamian at the Julliard School. Zukerman won the prestigious Leventritt Foundation International Competition in 1967, which launched his stellar career as one of the world's finest violinists. He is also well-known as a chamber musician, performing on both violin and viola with colleages including Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Tokyo String Quartet and the late Jacqueline Du Pre. As a conductor, he has worked regularly with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra. In 1998, he was appointed as musical director of the National Arts Orchestra of Canada. Zukerman, who records exclusively for BMG Classics/RCA Victor, has an extensive discography which has earned him 21 Grammy nominations and two awards. Biography written by © Lee Anthony

•  Suggested Etiquette
• 1. Arrive on time - do not disrupt the proceedings by making a late entrance.
• 2. Usually a ticket is required or at least a sign-up. Master classes fill up quickly and may have a limited number of spaces. Arrange to attend early.
• 3. Do not expect to play unless you have been asked.
• 4. Before attending, find out who the violinist conducting the masterclass is and read about him/her. Listen to some of his/her recordings.
• 5. Find out ahead of time the music that will be used , if possible the edition, and become familiar with it. Take a copy of the music with you, and a pencil.
• 6. Take a notbook to take notes in, a taperecorder is nice, HOWEVER! you must ask permission to use it and they may be prohibited.
• 7. It is not a social period. It is a class. Sit where you can give your full attention to the teacher and student, not with your buddies so you can comment on happenings.
• 8. There is usually a question and answer period. Have your question written down either before the class or about something during the class. After the question is answered take written notes on the answer.
• 9. If you are one of those who has been chosen to play, have your solo MEMORIZED, but also do bring the music to write things on afterwards.
• 10. Remember different teachers interpret different music and technique differently. And that is a good thing to do) 
  

World-famous violinist Pinchas Zukerman gave a masterclass at BYU last week. He worked with 3 violinists. There were, of course, plenty of technical things that he talked about, particularly about bowing—bow hold, bow angle, bow speed, etc.—that don’t apply directly to brass playing. One overriding concept, however, was very relevant. In every case, he slowed the students way down (to very slow quarter notes) and worked on getting a full, relaxed, resonant sound. Nothing else mattered until that was in place.

As I mentioned, bowing seemed to be a point of emphasis. I grew up around violin playing—My mother and 5 of my siblings play/played—so I realize this is a big deal. Mr. Zukerman emphasized a natural, relaxed, open approach. For brass and woodwinds, bowing translates roughly to breathing (the thing that gets the vibration started), which is something that’s a little harder to scrutinize for us because it’s mostly hidden. We can, however, work on taking full, relaxed breaths and using air in a relaxed, efficient way. The bottom line, and the concept I really took away from the masterclass, is an overarching emphasis on a full, relaxed, resonant sound. A great reminder for all musicians!

"Not every 'f' means loud, couldn't this 'f' stand for 'fun'?"

This was one question posed to a Sphinx Competition participant Saturday in a masterclass by Pamela Frank, concert violinist and violin professor at both Curtis Institute and the Peabody Conservatory. The masterclass was held in downtown Detroit's Courtyard Hotel.

I strongly suspect that the 'f' in "Pamela Frank" also stands for 'fun'. Not that Pamela was all fun and games. But she certainly brought enthusiasm to harmonic analysis, as well as a wonderful ability to help students bridge the gap between technique and expression. It's gap that can grow wide in the development of upper-level technique, when so many hours get devoted to acquiring technique itself.

For example, a lot of us only dream of being able to get our fingers around the wickedly technical Violin Concerto No. 1 by Paganini, the piece that Brendon, 16, of Newport News, Va., played for Pamela. But since he had the piece in his fingers, Pamela wanted a lot more.

"If I played that well, I would have a lot more fun then you are having," Pamela said.

She started by asking Brendon to characterize the piece, how does it begin? "If you can't describe it, you can't play it."

They agreed on 'happy crazy; for the opening. How does this translate to violin-playing? Crazy can be free, released.

"Free in every way: the sound and the rhythm," she said. Anything but strict, metered time. When the orchestra part is free underneath you, that is carte blanche to play around with the rhythm.

"All that technique, could you use it for good and not evil?" she joked. "Play that arpeggio totally free, that's what you practiced so much for. That said, freedom has to be practiced, too. Play it 10 times differently, every day."

And happy? She asked for a smile, "How about some teeth?" She kept saying silly things until he laughed, then had him play while he was laughing. She also kept poking him with her bow when he got too serious.

"Did anyone hear the sound, was it different?" she asked the audience. It was: freer.

They decided that another section sounded "frustrated." And how does that translate into violin-playing? Tight, fast, dense; or, slow bow, fast vibrato, more pressure.

Another part of it sounded like "love."

"Could you not stare at your left hand and stare it into submission?" Pamela requested. "When you practice, please practice communicating, instead of just playing." Communication has to happen between people. Play for someone.

Then came the passage that I would characterize as "really fast impossible double-stop thirds." Brendon and Pamela agreed that this should sound "playful."

"When you have a difficult technical passage, eliminate when is technical and just play it," she advised. In other words, to get a feel for the flow of the whole thing and to start getting the character, try it without the thirds, or without whatever causes the barrier. "You have to de-etude passagework -- every passage is a melody."

She had him try it without the double-stops, aiming for a feeling of playfulness. Then, she had him try the same passage with the double stops restored, trying to keep the overall musical idea the same.

"You don't save the musicality for the concert," she said, "you have to practice it."

Similarly, you don't save the harmonic analysis for the concert. The two other participants played unaccompanied Bach.

"Bach is not instrument-specific," Pamela told Scott, 24, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who played the Largo from Bach's Sonata No. 3 in C major. (Suzuki students, the third piece in Book 8 is a simplified version of this piece). Bach Sonatas and Partitas, though they were written for solo violin, sound good on marimba, guitar -- just about anything. "It's not about what the one instrument can do, it's about harmony and counterpoint."

She asked what he felt that Bach wanted to communicate. When he started to answer, "Not…" She corrected him.

"I can't work in 'not this' and 'not that,'" she said. "You can't go on stage and 'not play' this or that."

First you need a mood, an atmosphere. Then you find a way to make it physically happen. They agreed that the prevailing feeling of this movement was reflective, calm.

Is a super-fast, continuous vibrato calm? No. "Indiscriminate vibrato makes you sound nervous, agitated. Vibrato cannot be a good or bad habit. Vibrato is phrasing."

"I'm not a vegetarian, I'm not recommending not vibrating," but as an exercise, she had him try the movement with no vibrato. It sounded very good.

In Bach, harmony and dissonance dictates the phrase, with emphasis on dissonance.

"If you can't find the end of your phrase, find a cadence and work backwards," Pamela said. "You have to make a sentence. A phrase is a sentence."

And if you are going to a note, do a little rushing and crescendo, but don't just sit on the note to which you are going. "Sitting on the note you are going to isn't going to it," Pamela said. You have to earn sitting on it.

She also got on his case for emphasizing a harmonically unimportant "F." (last beat of m. 3 I believe).

"I just really like that F," he explained.

"Well, just prioritize your liking!" Pamela said. "Don't give me a false arrival -- pass through anything that's on the way. Harmony is the only guide in this music." Any other effects -- sliding, the use of vibrato, amount of bow, dynamics -- should serve the harmony, in Bach.

Next was Mariana, 18, of Norristown, Pa., who played the Chaconne from the Bach D minor Partita. Pamela wanted Mariana to prioritize beats in this dance movement, which has its emphasis on the second beat of every measure.

"You often play three equal beats," she said. She then had Mariana do some dancing, the dip-step-step of a waltz -- another dance that is in three. Are the beats equal? No, all three have their own length. The dip of the first beat, then beat two is up on the toes, and beat three leads into back into beat one. Similarly, the beats in a Chaconne will not be equal, and dynamics and distortion of time help the performer illustrate the nature of this dance music.

"Could you go to the longer note, where the Chaconne lives, on the second beat?" she said.

Pamela suggested using the back of the Galamian edition of the Sonatas and Partitas, which contains Bach's handwritten manuscript.

"Play the back of the book," Pamela said. "Please do not break up the slurs if the Man put them in."

She advised emphasizing slurs and also playing away from Ds. "I personally play away from the Ds -- you often sit, vibrate and go to coffee on the Ds…" Try a Baroque bow, see what that does.

And a last piece of advice…

"You need to go dancing!"