The Dounis Collection: Eleven Books of Studies for the Violin

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Violin — Demetrius Constantine Dounis (1886–1954) wasone of the most prominent violin pedagogues of the twentiethcentury. He studied violin privately in Vienna withFrantiˇsek Ondˇriˇcek, a much-sought-after teacher who nodoubt impressed Dounis with the significance of pedagogy,and simultaneously enrolled as a medical student atthe University of Vienna. Following his graduation, he madeseveral tours as a violinist in Europe and Russia. After WorldWar I, he was appointed professor of violin at the SalonikaConservatory in Greece, and it was at this time that he devotedmuch of his energy to violin pedagogy and the publicationof pedagogical treatises. He then settled in England and,facing the threat of World War II, relocated to the UnitedStates, first New York City, then Los Angeles, where he diedsoon afterwards.Dounis’ work in violin pedagogy extended to manyareas, but there are two specific areas for which he was highlyrevered and influential in his own time and today. The firstwas his intense concern with the proper ergonomics of violinplaying, for example, the horizontal and vertical movementsof the left hand, the importance of muscular developmentand relaxation, the development of finger strength and independencein the left hand, and the proper means for grippingthe bow in the right hand. This concern may have stemmedfrom his medical studies in Vienna and from his instinctiveawareness of how the body worked best in violin playing. Hisdeep knowledge of these matters made him a much-valuedconsultant by students and professional artists alike.The second area—one that is evident in numerousinstances in his published collections—is his emphasis onthe role of the brain, not the arms or the fingers, in properviolin practicing and playing. In the “General Remarks onTechnique” (p. 10) that prefaces The Artist’s Technique ofViolin Playing op. 12, he discusses this at length: “The truetechnical training of the violinist is not merely a training ofthe arm and fingers but, principally, a training of the brainand memory. The fingers and the arm should obey perfectlythe intention of the player in order to be able to perform anymovement with complete mastery.” Later in the same essayhe adds: “What we call technique is nothing but a series ofbrain-reflected movements. The secret lies in building upthese movement pictures into a rational, logical whole—namely, technique.”The eleven books in this volume, approximatelyone-third of his total output, were written and publishedbetween 1921 and 1946. Six of these books are accompaniedby a subtitle that alludes to a “scientific basis,” although theexact nature of this basis and of science in general is neverexpounded in any detail (his remarks on the significance ofxa0the brain in violin playing may be a part of this). The worthof these studies is greatly enhanced by the ample amount ofwritten material that Dounis provided to elucidate the natureand intent of the exercises. The reader will no doubt encounternumerous instances that illustrate Dounis’ unique knackfor explaining complex performance concepts with a minimalamount of words. For example, his observations on shiftingin op. 12 (p. 12) note: “The whole mechanism of shiftingconsists in knowing how to connect the positions.” Later inthe same book, his explanation of thrown bow-flying staccato(p. 83) is equally laconic: “The thrown bow is nothing but aspiccato with all the notes played with consecutive down orup bow strokes.”The first book in this collection The Artist’sTechnique of Violin Playing op. 12 from 1921 is the longestof the eleven studies and probably the most well knownamongst violinists. He notes in the foreword to this study (p.8) that the intent of this book is to clarify issues pertainingto violin practicing. “The object of this work is to indicatea method of solving all the problems of higher technique ofboth hands, with the least possible expenditure of time andenergy, and to provide definite suggestions for mastering alltechnical difficulties.” Another intent, mentioned previously,is to explain the significance of the brain in violin playing.The Artist’s Technique is divided into two parts, thefirst of which deals with the left hand, the second of whichwith the bow. The seven sub-parts in Part I are: 1) shifting; 2)exercises for the highest development of the muscles; 3) howto practice scales; 4) the technique of double-stop playing; 5)chords of three and four notes; 6) harmonics; 7) pizzicato.The seven sub-parts in Part II are: 1) typical exercises forall bowings; 2) détaché-springing bow; 3) martelé-spiccato;4) accentuated legato-firm staccato; 5) thrown bow-flyingstaccato; 6) thrown staccato-springing staccato; 7) legatosustainedtones. Part I is by far the longer of the two parts,thereby confirming the significance Dounis placed on mattersconcerning the left hand, shifting, in particular. Dounisopens Part II (p. 78) by noting: “The entire technique ofbowing is based on the simple and the accentuated détaché.When the bow is pushed or drawn without accenting thechange of bow, it is called simple détaché. It becomes accentuateddétaché when every stroke is vigorously accented atthe start.” These comments are accompanied by a diagramlabeled “Genealogical Picture of Bow Strokes,” a brilliantschematic representation of how all string bowings are relatedto these two types of détaché bowing.Dounis’ interests in developing finger strength are especiallyapparent in The Absolute Independence of the Fingersop. 15 from 1924. It is the first study in this collection toxa0carry the subtitle “In Violin Playing on a Scientific Basis.”The Absolute Independence of the Fingers is composed of twobooks, both of which are included here: Book I focuses on theabsolute independence of three fingers of the left hand; BookII of four fingers of the left hand. Book I continues with andconcentrates in greater detail on four fingering movementsintroduced in op. 12: 1) the vertical or falling movement(trill); 2) the horizontal or side movement (stretch, chromaticpassages); 3) the movement from left to right (left-hand pizzicato);4) the movement from right to left (chord playing).Dounis contends that finger independence results from masteringthese four movements independently and in conjunction(i.e., any combination of two, three or four of them).He itemized, somewhat dogmatically, the rewards to a dailypractice of these exercises (p. 91): “A careful and daily practiceof the following exercises will develop the strength, solidity,surety and pliability and INDIVIDUALITY of the fingers ofthe violin player in such a phenomenal degree of perfection,that all difficulties inherent to the left-hand technique willautomatically cease to exist…”The roles of the brain and of mental concentration arerecapitulated in the foreword to Book I (p. 89): “The objectof the following exercises is the absolute independence of thefingers…They are of such a nature as to demand constantmental activity and the utmost concentration of the brain.It is impossible to execute any of them while thinking ofsomething else.” This advice should not be underestimated inthese demanding exercises. In Book I, three of the four fingeringmovements noted above are combined in each exercise;in Book II, the longer and more involved of the two books,all four of the fingering movements are combined. Douniswisely notated these exercises on two staves for ease of readability,the novelty of which might prove equally taxing onthe brain as on the fingers.Preparatory Studies op. 16 from 1924 is likewise dividedinto two books, and likewise carries a subtitle alluding to ascientific basis. The first of the two books is composed ofstudies based on thirds; the second book of studies basedon fingered octaves. Dounis’ motivation for compiling theseexercises is explained in the foreword to the first book (p.176): “It is generally acknowledged that the practice of thirdsis one of the best, if not the best, means of shaping the lefthand to fingerboard requirements and of promoting a goodposition of this hand and a correct placement of the fingerson the strings.” He later notes: “Practicing thirds is the idealmeans for promoting a correct position of the left hand;practicing fingered octaves promotes finger stretch throughthe stretches involved.”xa0The exercises in Book I are organized in three chapters.It is worthy to note that all of the exercises in both booksare composed as melodic thirds and octaves, not harmonicthirds and octaves (the latter are given in opp. 27 and 30).Third exercises are written in varying positions, from first totenth, with and without shifting for string crossings. Book IIcontinues the same concept of Book I, though the emphasisis now on fingered octaves. In the foreword to Book II (p.187), Dounis notes that: “The one and only difficulty offingered octaves is the stretch of the fingers: in every otherrespect they are—contrary to the general belief—much easierthan thirds. The reason is that the setting of the fingers isless difficult in fingered octaves than in thirds, and that bothfingers stop always the same interval, while in the case ofthirds—excepting chromatic passages—there are major andminor intervals.”Fundamental Trill Studies op. 18 from 1925 bears thesubtitle “On a Scientific Basis.” The studies in this book elaboratein extensive detail on the first of the four movementsintroduced in op. 15: the vertical or falling movement of thefingers (trill). Dounis notes in the foreword to these studies(p. 218) that: “The object of the following exercises is thedevelopment of RHYTHM and SPEED—the two essentialsof a perfect musical trill.” The studies are organized in tensections, each of which focuses on one of the four left-handfingers and on specific melodic intervals (i.e., sixths, octavesand thirds). Parts I–IV comprise single trills that work each ofthe four fingers. Parts V–VII introduce double trills (sixths);Part VIII features octaves; Parts IX–X conclude with thirds.The Violin Players’ Daily Dozen op. 20 from 1925 comprises“twelve fundamental exercises for the left hand and thebow.” Dounis planned these exercises as a means for keepingthe player in technical shape by addressing different technicalaspects of violin playing in each exercise, for example,horizontal and vertical movements, thirds, fingered octaves,intonation, tone production and left-hand pizzicato. Dounis’themes of scientific principles, although again not explainedin detail, recur in these exercises (p. 232): “How much timecould be saved; how much energy could be spared; and howmuch more profitable would the daily practice be if thatfeeling of ease, fluency and surety could be had AT THEBEGINNING of the day’s work instead of at the end, bypracticing specific exercises for a few minutes composedaccording to scientific rules based on psycho-physiologicallaws.” Later in the same essay, he emphatically notes the actualintent of these exercises: “This is what the following exercisesintend to do: TO GET THE PLAYER INTO FORMIN A VERY SHORT SPACE OF TIME AND KEEP HIMFIT FOR THE DAY’S WORK.”xa0Two aspects of staccato playing are addressed in TheStaccato op. 21 from 1925: the accented legato and theaccented staccato. The collection is subtitled “Studies on aScientific Basis for the Highest Development in Staccato-Playing.” In the foreword to these studies (p. 246), Dounisnotes: “Scientific investigation, along psycho-physiologicallines, proves that the mechanism of staccato is based primarilyupon the rational and thorough development of accentuationin EVERY part of the bow.” He notes later (p. 247): “Tobe able to execute it [staccato] at all times, in every part ofthe bow and at any rate of speed, i.e. to acquire complete, Iwould say absolute, mastery of staccato technique, the followingseven points have to be considered and developed: 1) theaccent (attack); 2) control of the bow before and after eachstroke; 3) the accent during the drawing or pushing of thebow (simultaneous movement); 4) rapidity; 5) swift drawingor pushing of the bow and quick transfer of it from one partto another; 6) rhythm; 7) control of rhythm.”Dounis’ insistence on accentuation in every part of thebow as the means for playing staccato inspired a notationalnovelty to indicate the exact position of the bow. On page248 he includes a diagram of the bow and its division into sixand eight equal parts, each of which is indicated by means ofa fraction (i.e., 1/6, 2/6, 3/6 or 1/8, 2/8, 3/8 and such like).Certain exercises—though not all of them—that follow providethese fractions as a means of indicating exactly at whichpoint the notes are to be performed on the bow.Only seven pages in length, New Aids to the TechnicalDevelopment of the Violinist op. 27 from 1935 is the shortestof the eleven studies in this collection. Nonetheless, it isreplete with Dounis’ themes of scientific principles and fingerindependence. The short Introductory Note (p. 276) to thebook states that “It offers specific exercises, based on scientificprinciples, for the study and development of certain neglectedphases in the technical training of the player: 1) the independenceof the bow from the fingers of the left hand, and; 2) thestudy of thirds in such as manner so as, not only, to developthe third and fourth fingers but also to make possible the useof a new fingering for a smoother execution, without shifting,of short scales in thirds.” The exercises under the first of thetwo phases feature scales in C and D major and arpeggios inA minor, A major, D major, D minor and F major, F minor,each of which is accompanied by a specific set of fingerings.The second phase features harmonic thirds (as distinct fromthe melodic thirds in Preparatory Studies op. 16), each accompanied,as before, by specific fingerings.xa0Although trained and rooted in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century musical traditions, Dounis was mindful ofdevelopments in the music of his time, and of the need forperformers to adapt their styles and techniques to the newdemands posed by this music. Studies in Chromatic Double-Stops for the Violin op. 29 from 1942, likewise a short collectionat only ten pages, proceeds from the viewpoint thatperformers will never be able to adapt to non-tonal music iftheir training is based exclusively on diatonic scales. In theforeword (p. 283) Dounis points out that: “The purpose ofthe following studies is to train the violinist in the intricaciesof chromatic double-stop playing on the violin.” Hisobjective is in response to the modern trend of music which“…is toward chromaticism and atonality, but the teaching ofviolin technique is still based upon the diatonic scale and itsharmony almost exclusively.” His second objective involvesproper intonation: “The acquisition of reliable intonation isalmost impossible if the mind is not trained to visualize thefingerboard chromatically. For this reason all the exercises inthe author’s other works, with very few exceptions, are withoutkey signature and are notated in such a way that theymay be chromatically transposed.” The exercises are composedaccording to the following melodic intervals: perfectfifths, minor sixths/augmented fifths, augmented fourths/diminished fifths, major sixths/diminished sevenths/ perfectfourths, major thirds/diminished fourths, minor thirds/augmentedseconds, and fingered octaves.The Higher Development of Thirds and FingeredOctaves op. 30 from 1946 abandons the recurrent theme ofscientific principles, and introduces a new term as a synonymfor study or exercise: formula. On p. 291, Dounis notes thatthis set of studies is “…the rational sequel to the author’sPreparatory Studies, op. 16. They provide the means towardabsolute mastery of thirds and fingered octaves.” Like op. 16,this collection is in two parts, the first of which treats thirdsand the second of which treats fingered octaves. The differencein op. 30 is that the thirds and octaves are harmonic, notmelodic as in op. 16. Curiously, Dounis nowhere explains theexact meaning of the term “formula” in this collection, whichmight suggest that it did not originate with him. Dounis was one of the most prominent violin pedagogues of the twentieth century. He was revered for his intense concern for the proper ergonomics of violin playing as well as the emphasis on the role of the brain, not just the fingers in appropriate violin practicing and playing. The eleven books that make up this anthology are the most comprehensive collection ever published of this master’s works. It includes clearly edited material as well as content that have not been in print for decades. This 290-page book features an insightful foreword to help string players understand the master’s approach as well as to give the reader a historical perspective. A must for the serious violin player!