All Focus articles – Page 79
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FocusTackling the difficult topic of student-teacher relationships
Learning a stringed instrument requires an emotional and mental bond between student and teacher, but what happens when the boundaries blur? Hazel Davis investigates
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FocusIs the golden age of violin making just an illusion?
Robert Lewin, The Strad's long-serving writer on the violin market, considers the ‘old versus modern' question in this article from 1964
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FocusHow to make a five-string viola
The five-stringed viola represents a creative and technical challenge for both players and luthiers. Ariane Todes talks to some of the people who are exploring its exciting possibilities
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FocusViolinist Elizabeth Wallfisch on how she overcame chronic RSI
In the second of our Health Matters interviews from 2009, the Australian violinist explains how sessions at the gym helped her overcome pain
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FocusBringing singing to violin technique: Charles-Auguste de Bériot
The Belgian pedagogue, who was born on this day in 1802, combined elements of the human voice with the virtuosity of Paganini in his violin treatise. Robin Stowell considers his Méthode de violon alongside the Violinschule by Joseph Joachim and Andreas Moser The violin playing ...
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FocusA potted history of Dragonetti – the ‘Paganini of the double bass'
He was Europe's first – and the world's finest – virtuoso double bassist, who was admired by Beethoven and granted favour by Napoleon. But the story of Domenico Dragonetti is shrouded in intrigue: who was the man they called ‘Il Drago'?
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FocusBringing true ensemble playing to your string quartet
In the following excerpt from an article on string quartet playing, published in The Strad, April 1908, our writer offers advice on achieving cohesion – and interest – in your group playing
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FocusWhen Stradivarius violins go AWOL
In this article from The Strad, February 2011, Peter Somerford looks into the murky world of international Stradivarius violin theft, and the efforts being made towards recovery and prevention
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FocusAlma Rosé: the violinist who brought music to Auschwitz
She was the niece of Mahler who rose above the terror of Birkenau to bring music to her fellow prisoners. To commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, The Strad revisits Richard Newman's article on the violinist Alma Rosé, who died 70 years ago
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FocusRemembering cellist Jacqueline du Pré
To mark the great British cellist's birthday on January 26, we revisit four tributes by fellow musicians, published a few months after her death from multiple sclerosis in October 1987
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FocusBerlin Philharmonic pays tribute to former concertmaster Szymon Goldberg
The orchestra is to host a free exhibition on the Polish violinist in February and March
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FocusAsk the Experts: finding a better instrument on a budget
Strad readers submit their problems and queries about string playing, teaching or making to a panel of experts
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FocusJascha Heifetz – unique and influential violin virtuoso
Julian Haylock considers the dazzling technique, supreme concentration and absolute clarity of interpretation that made Jascha Heifetz a unique performer
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FocusCelebrating the great violinist Nathan Milstein
In honour of Nathan Milstein's 110th birthday today, The Strad revisits a ‘Great Violinists' article by Julian Haylock, published in the September 2009 issue
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FocusProtecting your stringed instrument in sub-zero temperatures
As the 'polar vortex' maintains its icy grip on the US, The Strad revisits Douglas Lay's article on keeping your stringed instrument healthy during the winter months
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FocusCellist Gary Hoffman on Brahms, bowings, fingerings, and finding the perfect tempo
The cellist, who gives our January Masterclass, shares his deeply philosophical approach to the instrument
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FocusOur 13 most-read focus pieces and blogs from 2013
A look back at The Strad’s most-read focus articles and blog posts this year reveals a wide range of interests, from hardy perennial questions on subjects like injury avoidance, how often to change your strings and whether success in music competitions matters, to intriguing and revealing posts ...
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FocusFrom the archive: how to annoy a great composer
In an extract from his memoirs, published in The Strad, January 1914, orchestral violinist William Quirke recalls Richard Wagner's arrival in London in 1877 for a series of concerts of his own work
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FocusA lifetime of achievements: pioneering American violinist Maud Powell
Karen Shaffer celebrates the groundbreaking US performer, whose consummate skill and communicative abilities impressed aficionados and the general public alike
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FocusDrawing the line with student–teacher relationships
A string player discusses the contentious issue of student–teacher relationships in and out of the conservatoire. Where does responsibility lie?
