The Russian Violin School

Considered one of the most important violin teachers in 20th century Russia, Yuri Yankelevich (1909 - 1973) taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1936 to 1973. He contributed a significant amount of methodological work to the pedagogical literature and was known for his systematic and analytical approach. Yankelevich was an heir to the great traditions of the Russian violin school (later known as the Soviet violin school) and his students included over forty prize winners in international competitions. Masha Lankovsky (translator) studied the violin with Nelli Shkolnikova, one of Yankelevich's first students to receive international recognition. A graduate of Indiana University and the City University of New York she has written about the Russian Violin School for The Strad magazine and presented at the American String Teachers Association. Presently she teaches at the Conservatoire de Versailles in France.

Table of Contents

Introduction Yuri Yankelevich and the Russian School of Violin Playing

Part I

Chapter 1 Yuri Yankelevich: Setting up the Violin and Bow Hold

Chapter2 Yuri Yankelevich: Shifting in Conjunction with the Musical Goals of the Violinist

1. General perception of the positions. Different systems of dividing the fingerboard; their conventions and modifications in the evolution of violin playing

2. Shifting and the problem of intonation. The aural perception of intervals and the role this plays in developing a sense of distance on the fingerboard

3. Particularities of moving the left hand along the fingerboard and changing positions in various parts of the fingerboard - in search of the most efficient techniques

4. Relaxed movement as an essential condition for realizing artistic intentions. An analysis of the reasons restricting the movement of the left hand while changing positions

5. An optimal setup and developing correct playing movements

6. Particularities of descending shifts. Coordination between the principal movements of the left hand while shifting

7. General principles of shifting in cantilena and technical passages. The role of objective methodology in analyzing shifting. A classification of shifts

8. Details of executing different types of shifts. How different shifting techniques depend on musical context

9. Shifts made with the help of an open string or natural harmonic. Shifts using chromatic glissando

10. Shifting in double stops: octaves and tenths, thirds and fingered octaves, sixths and fourths

11. The interdependence of the left and right hands while shifting. Methods of shifting while changing bows. Shifts and various bow strokes

Part II

Chapter 3 Maya Glezarova: Aspects of Yankelevich's Teaching Methods

Chapter 4 Vladimir Grigorev: Yankelevich's Methodological System

Appendix A: Selected students and assistants of Yuri Yankelevich

Appendix B: Methodological writings by Yuri Yankelevich

Appendix C: Compositions edited by Yuri Yankelevich

Bibliography