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Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique
Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613806716256256 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Coetzee, Zoe |
| author2 | Nell, Mario |
| author_browse | Coetzee, Zoe Nell, Mario |
| author_facet | Nell, Mario Coetzee, Zoe |
| author_sort | Coetzee, Zoe |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134574 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:00.137Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134574 Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique Coetzee, Zoe Nell, Mario Martens, Suzanne Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Music. Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953 -- Concertos -- violin -- orchestra -- no. 1, op. 19 -- D major Concertos (Violin) -- Analysis, appreciation Violin -- Performance Concertos (Violin) -- Instruction and study Music -- Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)-- History and criticism Violin -- Technique Violin -- Bowing UCTD Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Coetzee, Z. 2025. Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1: Exploring Aspects of Tone Production, Bowing, and Left-Hand Technique. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/3173b47f-964f-42e8-b826-c4b034f052d6 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 through historical contextualisation, technical-pedagogical analysis, and reflective practice. Composed in 1917 and premiered in 1923, the concerto is regarded as one of Prokofiev’s most imaginative works for violin. Although it poses significant interpretative and technical challenges, it has received far less scholarly attention than his Violin Concerto No. 2. This study therefore aims to address this gap by examining the concerto’s background, analysing its technical demands in the areas of tone production, right-hand articulation, and left-hand articulation, and reflecting on the practice-led strategies employed in preparing the work for performance. The first part of the thesis situates the concerto within Prokofiev’s early career and compositional style. Drawing on biographical and analytical sources, the study traces the formative influences of his teachers and contemporaries, his encounters with European modernism, and his evolving ‘five lines’ of composition — classical, modernist, toccata, lyrical, and grotesque. The concerto reveals a synthesis of these stylistic tendencies: the lyrical expansiveness of the first movement, the grotesque humour of the Scherzo, and the neoclassical refinement of the Finale. These features highlight Prokofiev’s ability to integrate contrasting impulses into a unified artistic statement. The second part addresses the concerto’s technical challenges. The work requires advanced bow control, dexterous left-hand facility, and seamless coordination between the hands. Pedagogical insights from Carl Flesch, Ivan Galamian, Robert Gerle, Paul Rolland, Simon Fischer, and Kato Havas are applied to issues such as tone production, string crossings, shifting, harmonics, and vibrato. Central to all discussions is the avoidance of unnecessary muscular tension and the cultivation of efficiency, flexibility, and clarity. The concerto is thus shown to push the violinist to the limits of traditional technique while simultaneously demanding interpretative sensitivity. The third part adopts a practice-led methodology. A practice journal, guided by reflective frameworks from Moon and Walker, is employed to document technical experiments, evaluate solutions, and integrate insights from pedagogical literature into daily preparation. This process established a dynamic dialogue between theory and practice, highlighting how technical strategies evolve in response to the specific demands of the concerto. The reflections also underscore the additional challenges posed by performance contexts, where psychological stress can compromise technical stability. The study concludes that Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 offers a rich site for both historical and technical inquiry. By combining contextual analysis, violin pedagogy, and reflective practice, this research contributes to the limited scholarship on the work and provides a practical resource for performers preparing it. Beyond its technical findings, the study affirms the value of practice-led research in bridging the gap between scholarship and performance, thereby enhancing both interpretative understanding and pedagogical application. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2025-12-15T06:27:12Z 2025-12-15T06:27:12Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134574 en Stellenbosch University 102 pages : illustrations, music application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953 -- Concertos -- violin -- orchestra -- no. 1, op. 19 -- D major Concertos (Violin) -- Analysis, appreciation Violin -- Performance Concertos (Violin) -- Instruction and study Music -- Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)-- History and criticism Violin -- Technique Violin -- Bowing UCTD Coetzee, Zoe Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title | Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title_full | Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title_fullStr | Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title_short | Sergei Prokofiev’s violin concerto no. 1: exploring aspects of tone production, bowing, and left-hand technique |
| title_sort | sergei prokofiev s violin concerto no 1 exploring aspects of tone production bowing and left hand technique |
| topic | Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953 -- Concertos -- violin -- orchestra -- no. 1, op. 19 -- D major Concertos (Violin) -- Analysis, appreciation Violin -- Performance Concertos (Violin) -- Instruction and study Music -- Interpretation (Phrasing, dynamics, etc.)-- History and criticism Violin -- Technique Violin -- Bowing UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134574 |
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