Re: Off topic - SITT 20 Studies in Double Stops

[Lukas-Fabian Moser]

> > The following is one excerpt from the Sitt book, 20 studies in Double 
> > Stops.
> >
> >
> > Why in the first three measures the G, D and A are written as 
> > g4~4~4~4  d4~4~4~4  a4~4~4~4 instead of g1 d1 a1? Any idea?
>
> That’s clearly due to the pedagogical purpose; since the etudes are 
> about Double Stops, the author wanted to make more immediately obvious 
> what exact double stop is played at the moment. (Which I feel would 
> make more sense if neither note was on an open string, but I guess 
> that also appears later in the work.)
One might add that string players sometimes tend to not precisely adhere 
to the written note length in polyphonic double stops: Think of the 
instances where Bach writes a longer note combined in polyphony with 
shorter notes which are _not_ legato.
Playing non-legato and repeating the long note over and over again would 
be silly. But not always the alternative of playing the whole thing on a 
single bow movement is reasonable; so, sometimes the longer note is 
shortened.
Examples:
BWV 1008, Menuet I, Bars 11/13
BWV 1009, Sarabande, Bar 9/10
BWV 1011, Prélude, Bar 3 (the E flat is nearly impossible to sustain 
over the lower C - one can do it by using fingerings of dubious 
appropriateness in Baroque music)

So, in a pedadogical volume, I'd also recommend writing "homophonic" 
double stops to make the meaning clear. (Especially in situations where 
the player might be forced to switch fingers on the "constant" note; on 
the Cello I could write down examples where this is necessary, and if I 
were to write Etudes, I would make sure to put this technique in as a 
very healthy exercise in intonation.)

Best
Lukas