“Kneisel makes it a point to have all his pupils play chamber music because of its truly broadening influence.  And he is unexcelled in taking apart structurally the Beethoven, Brahms, Tschaikovsky and other quartets, in analyzing and explaining the wonderful planning and building up of each movement.  I had the honor of playing second violin in the Kneisel Quartet from September to February (1914-1915), at the outbreak of the war, a most interesting experience.  The musicianship Kneisel had given me; I was used to his style and at home with his ideas, and am happy to think that he was satisfied.  A year later as assistant concertmaster in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I had a chance to become practically acquainted with the orchestral works of Strauss, d’Indy and other moderns, and enjoy the Beethoven, Brahms and Tschaikovsky symphonies as a performer.

TECHNIC AND MUSICIANSHIP

“How do I regard technic now?  I think of it in the terms of the music itself.  Music should dictate the technical means to be used.  The composition and its phrases should determine bowing and the tone quality employed.  One should not think of down-bows or up-bows.  In the Brahms concerto you can find many long phrases:  they cannot be played with one bow; yet there must be no apparent change of bow.  If the player does not know what the phrase means; how to interpret it, how will he be able to bow it correctly?

“And there are so many different nuances, especially in legato.  It is as a rule produced by a slurred bow; yet it may also be produced by other bowings.  To secure a good legato tone watch the singer.  The singer can establish the perfect smoothness that legato calls for to perfection.  To secure a like effect the violinist should convey the impression that there is no point, no frog, that the bow he uses is of indefinite length.  And the violinist should never think:  ’I must play this up-bow or down-bow.’  Artists of the German school are more apt to begin a phrase with a down-bow; the French start playing a good deal at the point.  Up or down, both are secondary to finding out, first of all, what quality, what balance of tone the phrase demands.  The conductor of a symphonic orchestra does not care how, technically, certain effects are produced by the violins, whether they use an up-bow or a down-bow.  He merely says:  ‘That’s too heavy:  give me less tone!’ The result to be achieved is always more important than the manner of achievement.

“All phases of technical accomplishment, if rightly acquired, tend to become second nature to the player in the course of time:  staccato, a brilliant trick; spiccato, the reiteration of notes played from the wrist, etc.  The martellato, a nuance of spiccato, should be played with a firm bowing at the point.  In a very broad spiccato, the arm may be brought into play; but otherwise not, since it makes rapid