It's the only piece of Sinding that everyone knows, isn't it? not just you. A bit like Litolff's Scherzo.

Oh! I wasn't aware of this development; what excellent news!

increpatio,
Do you know Sinding sonatas or Bowen. I think you are talking about Sinding.
I think Bowen has one sonata, but I never heard it. I am interested in this sonata by Bowen because I liked this preludes for piano.

t-p,

I've just had a look and the Violin sonata has been recorded:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//9999312.htm

There are also two CDs of his symphonies on the Apex label (which I can personally recommend - especially nos.1 and 2):

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//0927483102.htm 

and

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//0927493732.htm

So it's not just Rustle of Spring!!

 

Hi t-p,
I've not been able to loacte the Sinding Op.73 but there are a lot of his scores (mostly for piano and so may be of interest) here:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Sinding%2C_Christian

IMSLP really is a terribly useful website!   

I've just remembered that on Reply 6 and Reply 9, I have left you all holing the vioin and bow, but not actually knowing how to put your fingers down or draw the bow across the string.  Does any other violinist want to pic up the baton from here?  A?  Strinassachi?  (and unpick my mess, if you want to?)

Tommo

Hmm, where to start.

First of all, a further description of how to place your left fingers.  While maintaining your relaxed (!) poise, place all four fingers lightly on the strings.  Put your 4th finger on the G-string, 3rd finger on the D-string, 2nd finger on the A-string, and 1st finger on the E-string - all fingers a whole tone apart (the notes, from the bottom up, will be D/G/C/F).  For a complete beginner this will feel very weird, if not downright impossible.

It should fall into place much more easily if you pivot your left elbow towards the right.  Keep your left shoulder relaxed.  Geminiani describes this hand position, and it's a very useful one to come back to.  When done well, i.e. your fingers aren't interfering with adjacent strings, your fingers will arch well and you'll be right up on your fingertips.

It's also useful to do the opposite: place your 1st finger on the G, 2nd on the D etc.  (Notes from the bottom up: A-flat/F/D/B).  Pivoting your elbow back out to the left should help.  Keeping your elbow loose and flexible, able to swing gently back and forth, helps with overall posture, avoiding tension, and getting the fingers and hand into better positions for clear double-stops and chords.

OK, I'm avoiding attempting to describe how to move the bow over the strings.  Hmm.

Stick to open strings to start.  Gently place the middle of the bow on the A-string.  Don't move it yet.  Have a good look at the stick, and make sure it is parallel to the bridge, about half-way between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard.  A mirror will help with this (as it will for posture generally).

Don't try to move the bow more than a few inches to start.  Go slowly.  Trying strokes that are too long will be uncomfortable at first - and you risk knocking an adjacent string or letting the bow go out of parallel alignment with the bridge.  Pause between bow changes - don't try to do smooth changes yet.

Don't press or saw.  Move slowly.  Let the wrist lead the way.  Your wrist should eventually be able to move with a kind of sideways motion, so it's in front of your fingers/hand on an upbow, changes direction BEFORE the bow actually changes direction, is again ahead of your fingers/hand on the downbow, again changes direction BEFORE the bow changes direction, etc etc.  This motion is not large, and should be very fluid.  Don't worry about it too much in the beginning, but it's what you're aiming for.

Your fingers act as shock absorbers, helping to smooth over the change of direction and soften the initial attack of a note.  Your arm, especially your upper arm, should be completely passive!  It should only move as necessary to accommodate the wrist going in a straight line.  The shoulder should be completely relaxed, and not raised at all.  To play on other strings, raise or lower the elbow very slightly, while keeping the shoulder relaxed.  To repeat - no motion should ever, ever, ever be initiated by the upper arm.

Keep assessing whether the bow is straight.  Keep assessing your grip.  All your fingers should maintain contact with the stick throughout the stroke.  (Some players let their pinkies go up when playing at the tip, as if they're having a posh cup of tea - this should be avoided).  You should have a nicely-formed hollow in your palm and an oval between your fingers and thumb, as if you're lightly holding an invisible ball.  Your fingers shouldn't be splayed out or squeezed together.  You'll have better control  if you let the pads (not the tips) of your 2nd and 3rd fingers press lightly against the side of the frog.

As you get more advanced, you'll find that the bow is the primary vehicle for expression.  You can vary the articulation, pressure, speed, sounding point (how close or far from the bridge you play), the angle of the stick on top of the hair (most players tend to let the bow "collapse" very slightly away from their face - if you think of the hair as a ribbon, they're favouring the outer edge.  This can help prevent harsh articulation, but it's usually solely because the wrist is too high, and you can create a very focused, intense sound simply by getting the bow fully upright) etc.

If you find yourself getting tired, stiff or awkward, stop and have a break, even if you've only been going for a few minutes.  It's better to let your body relax, and then go back to it, than to inadvertently learn bad habits.

I hope this made some kind of sense.  Sorry it's so wordy.

Kapow!! Thank you, strina, for a wonderful post.