I heard the Overture to Il Signor Bruschino by Rossini this morning. This piece is well known for several sections in which the second violins are required beat out a rhythm by tapping their bows on their music stands.
Composers have also been known to call for using the wood part of the bow on the strings, either striking them (col legno battuto, "hit with the wood") or dragging it across them (col legno tratto, "drawn with the wood").
As far as I've ever known, violinists hate doing those things. Beginning violin students are warned never to hit anything with their bows, because if the wood breaks, it cannot be repaired. If required to perform a piece where the bow could be damaged, players will try to bring a cheap old bow to use.
There's a scene in the movie "The Competition" which always bothers me. In order to show their appreciation for something Richard Dreyfuss does in a rehearsal, the wind players of the orchestra applaud while the string players all tap their bows on their instruments.
I don't think so. Professional musicians do not bang $4,000 bows against $35,000 violins for anybody. Not even Richard Dreyfuss.
As a professional amateur violinist, I must second your point. I would never bang my bow on anything. There are the occasional pieces that require the bow be bounced off the string wood side down, or even dragged, but it's few and far between. Personally, I didn't find the piece any better for it anyway.
ReplyDelete