Like many of you I discovered Andre and his JSO last summer watching PBS. I had never cared much for classical music, and was very surprised how quickly Andre’s music drew me in. I could not turn away from the television. That particular program was “Live in Dublin”. I purchased many other DVDs and CDs, and am still totally swept into this music by the maestro we have all come to love. My days and nights are never without the music of Andre and his Johann Strauss Orchestra.

As I continue to watch DVDs, I find myself looking more at Andre’s violin, the positioning of his fingers, and especially like to watch the bow gliding or sometimes hopping across the strings. I am completely taken by this magnificent instrument.

My interest heightened when I read an article about the violin. I immediately wanted to share this with Andre’s fans. I started looking to find out more about the marvelous instrument that Maestro Rieu uses to make us dream. Can you think of any instrument in the whole world that is more sensual or with which the musician can identify himself?

Think of the type of emotion you can bring across with just a few pieces of wood, a horse’s tail, and less than half of the scale! All you need are four notes: Re, Sol, La and Mi. The next thing you know you are flying off to an imaginary place while dreaming, singing, dancing, laughing or crying. Maestro Rieu “lives” his music and is able to bring across his own emotion; and it is heavenly. His music in one of the rare things we still have to escape life’s problems.

The wood used in the making of a violin must be perfect, and are not the rare types you might imagine. This wood is generally maple, pine, or fir that has been aged for over 200 years. It must be thoroughly dry and have been exposed to sun, and not rain for over five years. The wood mustn't shrink, or consequently, one would have to adjust all the patterns. This wood must also be soft, not hard, and cut evenly with the grain.

The varnish is also important. If the varnish is too thick, it can dull the tone. If the varnish is too thin or soft, the tone is muted. The violin produces a harsh tone if the varnish is too hard. If the varnish is just right, however, the tone is beautiful.

Pernanbouc wood, (from Brazil), is used for the bow. It is extremely flexible reddish wood. A wick made of about 150 “thorough bred” horsehairs is stretched from the head to the heel and is parsimoniously coated with rosin. The violin bow measures a bit more than 70 cm and weighs about 60g. It’s the bow that makes the strings vibrate and make the music. Some bows are worth more than a violin; therefore, very important to keep it in perfect condition.

The violin is very complex. It is up to the artist to create the wide variety of sounds a good violinist is able to project from this instrument. The clarity of the sound is determined by the speed at which he moves his fingers. The pitch is directly influenced by the pressure placed on the strings and the moving from one to the other. A chord can be obtained when pressure is placed on two strings. A light oscillatory movement (the vibrato) slightly modifies the pitch.

The right hand is for the bow. The index, middle finger and ring finger rest on the stick and the thumb presses against the frog. The little finger is held slightly apart and the ring finger is a little bent.

The wide movements of the arm is compensated and balanced off by the continuous repositioning of the joints of the fingers. The palm of the hand is almost parallel with the stick. As the hand repeats the forward and backward motions, it creates a motion looking somewhat like a figure eight laying on its side. (Watch for this in the DVDs or concerts.) The bow should be kept as straight as possible keeping it at a 90-degree angle with the vibrating string. The quicker the bow, the stronger the sound. Going from one string to another is done by lowering or lifting the wrist.
 

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Barbara Wilson