VIOLIN
ABOUT
THE ARTIST
Since his concerto debuts at the age of 14, American violinist Eric Gratz has been
celebrated as an exciting performer, known for his daring musical interpretations and
impressive stylistic versatility. Equally desired as soloist, concertmaster, chamber
musician, and teacher, he maintains a varied schedule that has taken him to four
continents, performing in the world’s great concert halls with leading musicians of our
generation. In 2013, at the age of 22, Gratz became the youngest concertmaster in
North America, accepting the post with the San Antonio Symphony, and has since
appeared numerous times as soloist with the orchestra in repertoire ranging from Bach
to Kurt Weill. Additional solo appearances include The Cleveland Orchestra, The
Phoenix Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland, Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra, National
Repertory Orchestra, Euclid Symphony, and Kings Symphony. Eric Gratz believes it is
of the utmost importance to inspire the next generation of musicians, and maintains a
private studio of advanced students. He has served on competition juries from local to
national level, and is regularly invited to teach throughout the Texas university system.
VIOLIN
ABOUT THIS LESSON
American virtuoso violinist Eric Gratz walks us through Eugene Ysaÿe’s Sonata no. 3
for solo violin, “Ballade.” Highlighting the composer’s extraordinary vision for the
piece, Gratz provides a thorough guide through this myriad of textures and tones. As
he demonstrates in this lesson, despite the pyrotechnics required of the violinist here,
there are always idiomatic solutions to Ysaÿe’s writing.
WATCH THE COURSE DOWNLOAD EDITION
Eugène Ysaÿe’s Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, “Ballade” is full of atmosphere and unique textures.
According to legend, the composer attended a performance of JS Bach’s now well-known Six
Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. He was so inspired that he immediately sketched out his own
six sonatas for unaccompanied violin. These became the six sonatas that now comprise his Opus
27. The third sonata is dedicated to George Enescu, also an incredible violinist, composer, and
contemporary of Ysaÿe. Enescu’s unique playing style was known for its particularly vocal, lyrical
quality, joining melodic lines incredibly smoothly. This is worth keeping in mind while preparing this
sonata. Ysaÿe’s markings are also incredibly useful, not only because the fingerings solve a lot of
potential problems, but they can also facilitate that particular Enescu effect.
Opening
The sonata starts with a whole-tone scale, and this is somewhat disorienting. As a listener, it is hard
to place the tonal center, and violinists tend not to spend much time practicing this scale, so it is
often uncomfortable. Pay attention to the consistency of the pitch. For example, the C-sharp on
the G string should fit perfectly with the C-sharp three octaves higher. Think about legato and
efficiency in the left hand, and ensure you have a strategy for the next target.
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Despite its appearance, the opening phrase is quite idiomatic: sixths moving up the fingerboard. As
well as practicing sixths, it is worth ensuring all of your double-stops are fluent before embarking
on this sonata. (Gratz also recommends being familiar with some of Bach’s solo violin works before
trying Ysaÿe’s solo works.) Preparing the many build-ups and climaxes in this piece, consider the
use of restraint. Ysaÿe was quite particular about the placement of crescendos, often leaving them
later in the phrase to avoid peaking well before the moment of climax. As you play this opening line,
allow things to build very slowly, waiting until the music reaches the A and E strings before letting
things go.
Pay attention to the tilt of the bow moving through this rising figure at the start. There is a gradual
shift from just playing the G string to including both the G and D strings. A useful exercise to work
on this involves bowing one string, then adding a second string, then lifting off the original string,
working across all strings of the violin.
Keep this bow control in mind as you play through the first downstroke of the piece and connect to
the F on the D string. There is no need to keep everything perfectly in time here, so long as the
transition is smooth. After the first phrase, allow plenty of space for the rest with the fermata.
Silence can be incredibly powerful in music and help set the atmosphere and give the audience
time to process what they have just heard.
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The next gesture is a G to F-sharp, and the fingering provided by the composer might seem
counterintuitive: finger 1 to 2. However, to connect these notes smoothly with this fingering, the
hand must be ultra-light and relaxed. It is worth the effort to work with Ysaÿe’s fingerings, even
though there may be a more obvious solution. The next phrase uses finger 2 for most of the notes,
allowing for a particularly legato line. A simpler fingering might be easier but would lose much of
the smooth connection between notes. This also sets a slightly sinister tone, which continues with
the following tritone figure.
Chords
Use a small amount of bow at the frog for the bottom of the four-note chord at the start of the
third line. This way, we have enough bow for the melodic line at the top.
There is then an exceptionally rare six-note chord. Four of these notes fall on the G and D strings,
so the bow will spend a little longer on the lower strings before reaching the upper strings. This is a
feasible harmony, but it requires a strategy: open G and B-flat; C and G (perfect fifth); E and D-flat
on the upper strings.
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Played slowly, the effect will be something like the following:
To get used to the entire chord, you may need to practice without the first pair of notes (G and B-
flat), starting with the bow just a little distance away from the frog. This will probably feel more
familiar, like a typical four-note chord, and you can then progress to the full six-note harmony.
Continuing forward, keep a strong sound as the composer writes “sempre forte” and “tenuto forte.”
Molto Moderato Quasi Lento
Measure 6 includes a quarter tone indication under the G-sharp.
This gives a melodic voice that moves from A-flat, up a quarter
tone, arriving at an A-natural at the end of the measure. Practice
this very carefully, as it is not simply a license to play out of tune.
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In measure 8, each group of five slurred notes begins with another symbol, indicating to use the
whole bow. Rather than simply using more bow, it also suggests spending a little more time on the
first note of each group. This has the effect of pushing forward and building momentum to the
main Allegro section of the sonata.
Allegro Tempo giusto e con bravura
Be careful not to take this section too fast, as there is a lot of detail it is easy to skip over. The
accents here really need to pop out from the texture. These outline a chromatic idea that
continues throughout the rest of the piece. It can also be effective to crescendo slightly through
the up-bow and then ensure that the notes following the accents properly come down in volume.
Try practicing this section on open strings to ensure the bowing and articulation are completely
controlled, without confusing the situation with the left-hand fingering. You might even find it
useful to start right on the accent, leaving out the first double stop. As you play the upbow, make
sure you move through the stroke very slowly to allow enough room for the crescendo. You will also
need to find an ideal bow placement on the strings that allows for the sound to grow without being
forced.
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As well as isolating the right hand, it is also important to spend some time focusing on the left
hand. Try the chromatic line legato, making sure the intonation is accurate and also using the
thumb to guide the motion of the left hand.
The number 5 in measure 16 is not a usual fingering notation. This indicates that you need to cover
a fifth ahead of time. Use finger 2 to hold D and A, preparing the fifth that arrives on the next beat.
The following measures are accented in a similar manner to the earlier phrase. This is a moment of
raw intensity rather than refined elegance.
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Glissando vs. Slide
A glissando tends to be more dramatic and wild, possibly even cartoonish. By contrast, a slide is
more subtle and connects two notes in a vocal effect. A glissando will also probably take longer to
execute and might be slightly humorous.
This Allegro section reaches a forte very early; there are no further dynamic indications until
measure 21, which is also forte. This suggests that the composer understood the dynamics would
waver throughout the phrases, at times resisting the urge to play loud, and others growing towards
the outbursts. This is a good opportunity to consider restraint and work out appropriate moments
to play loud and where to hold back. Gratz highlights measure 19 as a moment that should
probably fall below the full forte dynamic and create a more playful texture. Consider rolling these
chords to emulate the Baroque style in this measure.
Another quasi-Baroque moment occurs in measure 21, as the lower melody descends to A. This
differs from most of the rest of this sonata, as the melodic material is in the lower voice and the
held chord is in the upper voice. Instead of ascending through this, break the chord downwards,
leaving the lower D as the longer voice. This is the suspension of the chord, so it should hold
tension before resolving. The marking, mf espressivo, in the following measure is a reminder to
maintain momentum and not allow the music to relax too much.
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Measure 32 contains further chords across four strings, some with upbows and some with
downbows. Aim to keep these sounding the same, as listeners should not be able to hear the
difference between different types of stroke.
There are some fingering acrobatics in measure 32, where the melody line may have to be broken
slightly to allow time for the left-hand fingers to reach the lower fifth of the chord. It is fine to
practice this with a gap to allow time for the fingers to reach their destination in a relaxed manner.
This should program a sense of relaxation, which will carry through as you build up tempo and
gradually close the gap. Pay attention to the intonation of the fifth as well, as violinists often
overlook these. Measure 30 even includes two pairs of fifths, one in the lower register and one in
the upper. This will likely involve some experimenting with hand and arm positions to ensure both
pairs are properly in tune, and you may have to adjust your position as you move through the
chord.
Resist the temptation to push the tempo at measure 44. It is marked dolce and calmato, and Gratz
likens this section to persistent wind flowing through the air. Maintain relaxation and feel the sense
of legato through the chromatic writing. Pay attention again to the quarter tones, making sure the
intonation is accurate so that the effect is truly heard. Try to let the fingers drift as they work their
way down the fingerboard. Repeat the descending pattern in measure 44 several times, letting the
left hand hold more lightly each time. This passage is one of the few moments in the piece where
the left hand can recover some energy, as there is not much opportunity to rest.
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As you practice the shifting in measure 44, make sure you are certain of your destination. Avoid
being too abrupt with shifts or leaping with the left hand. Use finger 1 to find the target note, then
replace it with finger 2 making sure the pitch matches perfectly. Played slowly, the shift down to A
would be played:
At measure 48, the texture becomes quasi-Baroque once more. To highlight this change and to
emphasize the sempre dolce that Ysaÿe has marked, Gratz plays some notes slightly longer. This
directs the listener’s attention to the harmonic progression.
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A transition emerges at measure 56, bringing back the descending chromatic idea heard earlier.
One of the challenges here is maintaining a truly clear sound through the sustained double stops.
There are several aspects to achieving the ideal tone: the right amount of pressure, speed of the
bow, and placement of the bow on the correct sounding point. This can take some trial and error,
but a useful guiding rule is not to overpress, as this builds up tension and stifles the sound. Also,
note that as the left hand moves higher up the fingerboard, the ideal bow sounding point will move
closer to the bridge.
Although maintaining a full vibrato is more difficult with double stops, try to add a little to these
phrases to add a slight shimmer to the melody. It is worthwhile practicing scales in thirds, first with
light finger pressure, then gradually building in this slight shimmer on the notes. This would also be
a good opportunity to improve tone production and think about sound. This provides some good
background for much of the virtuoso violin repertoire and helps to even out vibrato by pairing the
weaker fingers with stronger fingers. The same work can be done with scales in sixths, which come
up a lot in this piece, such as measure 63. Here, the pattern of fingers 1 and 2 going to fingers 3 and
4 is repeated in different positions. Use finger 1 as the guide, and get familiar with the repeated
finger pattern.
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In addition to Ysaÿe’s expressive markings, it is worth considering if any further dynamic or tempo
adjustments could help with transitioning between sections. Measure 68 offers a moment of
stillness with a slight pause before picking up again another version of the chromatic idea in
measure 69. Pay attention to the calme instruction in measure 76. The bow is doing a lot of work
across all strings by this point, and this marking is a helpful reminder not to build tension or anxiety.
The grace notes that frequently occur from measure 79 could overlap slightly to give a more
chordal effect. Feel the musical tension in the harmony rather than being too concerned with
playing cleanly.
This section from measure 76 is particularly challenging for the bowing across the strings. Spend
time practicing the bowing on open strings to get a consistently clear legato sound. You could also
do some overlapping practice to improve efficiency moving from one string to the next. To help
keep track of bowing the correct string without being able to hear the actual notes, you could try
imitating the fingering with the left hand on the body of the violin.
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This should still allow you to focus your attention on the bowing without worrying about left-hand
intonation and accuracy but still have the motion of the fingers to guide the piece.
Identifying patterns can be really helpful when learning this piece. However, be aware of moments
that break these patterns. For example, measure 88 brings in a series of rising and falling chromatic
waves, but in measure 90, there are whole tones in the first and third beats. Measure 93 brings in
double stop tenths. Moving down the violin, some of these will be major, and some will be minor,
meaning sometimes one finger will adjust by a semitone while the other finger adjusts by a whole
tone. The accuracy of these shifts can be improved by practicing scales in tenths (as well as thirds
and sixths).
Although the final page throws in numerous challenges, Ysaÿe has marked moments where the
tempo can relax: Allargando, and Slargando. Make use of these as not only are they musically
effective, they will help to ease the fatigue that may have set in by this point. At measure 113, play
with the upper half of the bow with firm pressure to bring out the notes clearly at the faster tempo.
To help control the bow without flying off the strings, try practicing using just the index finger in the
bowhold.
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Another technique to build familiarity here is to try double stopping the arpeggios, allowing each
note to blend into the next across the strings. You could also practice in triplets, playing each note
three times quickly and letting each bow change occur in the right direction. This allows the left
hand to change slowly while the bow moves quickly.
For the final part in triple stops, make note of the fingering patterns and precisely where they
change. Many of these chords are exactly the same shape or very similar. Remember, Ysaÿe was a
skilled violinist, and despite the challenges in this piece, there is an idiomatic solution to
everything.
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