those whose turn it is to play do so while the others listen.  This is of value to every student, since it gives him an opportunity of ‘hearing himself as others hear him.’  Then, to stimulate appreciation and musical development there are ensemble and string quartet classes.  I believe that every violinist should be able to play viola, and in quartet work I make the players shift constantly from one to the other instrument in order to hear what they play from a different angle.

“For left hand work I stick to the excellent Sevcik exercises and for some pupils I use the Carl Flesch Urstudien.  For studies of real musical value Rode, of course, is unexcelled.  His studies are the masterpieces of their kind, and I turn them into concert pieces.  Thibaud and Elman have supplied some of them with interesting piano accompaniments.

“For bowing, with the exception of a few purely mechanical exercises, I used Kreutzer and Rode, and Gavinies.  Ninety-nine per cent. of pupils’ faults are faults of bowing.  It is an art in itself.  Sevcik was able to develop Kubelik’s left hand work to the last degree of perfection—­but not his bowing.  In the case of Kocian, another well-known Sevcik pupil whom I have heard play, his bowing was by no means an outstanding feature.  I often have to start pupils on the open strings in order to correct fundamental bow faults.

“When watching a great artist play the student should not expect to secure similar results by slavish imitation—­another pupil fault.  The thing to do is to realize the principle behind the artist’s playing, and apply it to one’s own physical possibilities.

“Every one holds, draws and uses the bow in a different way.  If no two thumb-prints are alike, neither are any two sets of fingers and wrists.  This is why not slavish imitation, but intelligent adaptation should be applied to the playing of the teacher in the class-room or the artist on the concert-stage.  For instance, the little finger of Ysaye’s left hand bends inward somewhat—­as a result it is perfectly natural for him to make less use of the little finger, while it might be very difficult or almost impossible for another to employ the same fingering.  And certain compositions and styles of composition are more adapted to one violinist than to another.  I remember when I was a student, that Wieniawski’s music seemed to lie just right for my hand.  I could read difficult things of his at sight.

DOUBLE HARMONICS

“Would I care to discuss any special feature of violin technic?  I might say something anent double harmonics—­a subject too often taught in a mechanical way, and one I have always taken special pains to make absolutely plain to my own pupils—­for every violinist should be able to play double harmonics out of a clear understanding of how to form them.

“There are only two kinds of harmonics:  natural and artificial.  Natural harmonics may be formed on the major triad of each open string, using the open string as the tonic.  As, for example, on the G string [and Mr. Sametini set down the following illustration]: