Musical Performance Technique and Structure of the German Violin Bow of the 17th—18th Centuries

This article deals with the peculiarities of the construction of the violin bow and the performing technique widespread in the musical practice of the Baroque era in Germany. The comparative-historical analysis of original treatises of German music theorists and paintings of artists of the 17th—18th centuries allowed to reveal the characteristic features of the violin bow structure, the main way of its holding and playing techniques used.

As a result of the study, the conclusion was made about the stability of the structural structure of the German Baroque violin bow, which retained its typical form throughout the period under study. The peculiarity of its structure was a bow-shaped curved cane of medium length with an elongated head, the hair was fixed with the help of a clip-in frog clips or cremaillere. It has been established that the main method of holding the bow was the “French” grip, which allowed the violinist’s right thumb to be placed on the hair near the pad. It is assumed that this grip resulted in a specific technique of playing the baroque violin bow, which German music theorists described as a performance technique that changed the strength of the sound by adjusting the tension of the hair with the right thumb.

At the same time, within the unified complex of instruments and techniques of the German violin tradition of the Baroque era, a new understanding of the originality of violin art and the craftsmanship of bowed instruments was already emerging, and professional schools of masters and violinists were forming, whose aesthetic ideals were nurtured on the basis of Italian violin culture.

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