Susanne Scholz

Part II Plucked, Struck and Bowed

Comparing the sound production on plucked, struck and bowed string instruments

The curved shape of the bows used on violins and violas during the 16th, 17th and part of the 18th centuries, in contrast to the later straight bow shape, favours a more vertical approach to the string. Consequently, the sound production of violins made before 1750 bears significantly greater similarities to that of plucked and percussion instruments than is the case today.

The focus of this part is this hypothesis of a common approach to the sound production of plucked, struck and bowed string instruments, which is artistically explored together with three musicians who play the corresponding instruments. On lute and keyboard instruments all the parameters of expression are determined by the different shapes of the resonating sound, triggered by plucking or striking the string with a movement of the hands: The length and form of the note, the rhetoric intentions and the intended “affect” of the music depend on the way of how to approach, to touch and how to leave the string, either directly with a finger or through a plectrum or a mechanical transmission. 

The clavichord offers a unique, immediate connection between the player and the vibrating string, as the key touched by the fingers is connected directly to the string through the tangent, which, via its metal tip, brings the string into vibration. The clavichord is therefore the keyboard instrument on which the player has the greatest influence over every detail of sound production, making it a particularly valuable source for comparing the player’s movements and the resulting sound with those of a violin player.

The repertoire selected for this section of the second part dates from the second half of the 18th century, with a focus on the clavichord enthusiast C. Ph. E. Bach and music by further relatives of J. S. Bach.

The lute player has the most direct contact with the string, touching and plucking it either directly with the fingertips or – depending on the period – with the fingernails, a feather or another type of plectrum. Exploring the parallels between the movements of a lute player’s right hand and those of a violinist is therefore an extremely fruitful and rewarding endeavour.

Julian Behr, cooperation partner of this section of the second part of the research project, enjoys a distinguished reputation both as a lutenist and as a lute-maker and is also dedicated to researching and reconstructing a lute based on the original Renaissance instruments from Freiberg Cathedral, which were built by the same family of instrument-makers (the Klemm family from the village of Randeck) as the five violins that form the focus of the research in the first part.

Consequently, a significant part of the repertoire will be devoted to 16th-century composers.

The harpsichord has been highly prized for centuries as an instrument for both solo performance and, thanks to its unique and varied chordal possibilities, for playing basso continuo. In both roles, the interplay of finger, hand and arm movement and the performer’s mindset play a decisive role in sound production and in the ability to speak through music.