Fundamentalists like Norrington & Co often distort what people such as L. Mozart, Spohr, etc actually wrote, by taking passages out of context and absolutely ignoring anything else they don't like, "the other side" - because it doesn't support their agenda!
For example speaking about tone production , L. Mozart suggests that the violinist should aim to imitate the human voice, the singer and adds:
"...the finger of the left hand which is placed on the string should, in the soft tone, relax the pressure somewhat, and that the bow should be placed a little farther from the bridge or saddle; whereas in loud tone the fingers of the left hand should be pressed down strongly and the bow be placed nearer to the bridge. In this first division in particular, as also in the following, the finger of the left hand should make a small, slow movement which must not be sideways but forward and backward. That is, the finger must move forward towards the bridge and backward again towards the scroll: in soft tone quite slowly, but in the loud rather faster...”
OMG, "HERESY!" I hear "pseudo-authenticists" shout! L. Mozart suggesting use vibrato not as ornament but as a normal tool in tone production?!
In another chapter he writes "a closing note or any other sustained
note may be decorated with tremolo" Vibrato was called by many names at the time, frequently tremolo - L. Mozart clearly refers to vibrato when he writes "tremolo". He explains:
"The Tremolo is an ornamentation which arises from Nature herself and which can be used charmingly on a long note, not only by good instrumentalists, but also by clever singers. Nature herself is the instructress thereof. For if we strike a slack string or a ball sharply, we hear after the stroke a certain wave-like undulation (ondeggiamento) of the struck note. And this trembling, after-sound is called tremolo, also tremulant [or tremoleto].
Take pains to imitate this natural quivering on the violin, when the finger is pressed strongly down on the string, and one makes a small movement with the whole hand; which however must not move sideways but forwards toward the bridge and backwards toward the scroll; of which some mention has already been made in Chapter V. For as, when the remaining trembling sound of a struck string or bell is not pure and continues to sound not on one note only but always first too high, then too low, just so by the movement of the hand forward and backward must you endeavor to imitate exactly the swaying of these intermediate tones."
Of course fundamentalists like Norrington, apply only SOME of L. Mozart's principles - and that to EVERYTHING, even to Mahler and Richard Strauss as if they were all cousins, claiming they never heard orchestras play vibrato in their lifetime (of course claims unsupported by any real proof), as if music never changed and evolved at all throughout time as if Brahms and Pergolesi studied with the same teacher! Even we had last year some rehearsals when a certain conductor claimed R. Strauss never heard vibrato!
Why would then R. Strauss write in his music, sometimes even in earlier compositions indications like:
"vibrato, poco a poco senza vibrato" followed by "molto espressivo" - R. Strauss, Ein Heldenleben
"espressivo/molto espressivo, vibrato" - R. Strauss, McBeth
"alle Streicher sehr seelenvoll, mit sehr viel vibrato, daher keine leeren Saiten benutzen!" (All strings very soulfully, with very much vibrato, thus using no open strings!”) - R. Strauss, Elektra
What does Norrington think of Mahler's - “vibrato, mit innigster Empfindung” (“vibrato, with the most inward feeling”) - Mahler 5 ?
Norrington's Mahler recordings are in my opinion absolute aberrations!
Even Rossini asks for vibrato in Mosè in Egitto (1818) a number of times; once he writes:
“vibrato con molta forza”.
And why would such composers ask in the middle of a piece suddenly for "senza vibrato", "senza espressione", if players normally didn't vibrate?!
It is also clear from the way most composers interchanged often for the same passages indications like "espressivo", "cantabile", "dolce" with "vibrato" - and "senza espressione" with "senza vibrato" that they expected singing expressive passages to be played as if sung by a singer, WITH vibrato! The ultimate goal for instrumental music was to imitate the human voice.
This is not my research - I recommend every serious musician read and think and judge for himself:
http://www.classicstoday.com/features/vibratocomposite.asp
It exposes the "fanatical-pseudo-authenticists" agenda for what it is: SHABBY SCHOLARSHIP!
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