Stepping into Ysaÿe’s Sound-World: Practicing Sonata No. 4

Sometimes, a piece of music will unexpectedly capture my attention. This week, I have been waking up in the mornings with the subtly haunting sounds of the Finale from Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 4 for Solo Violin running through my head. I’m exploring new repertoire, and the exploration process involves steeping myself in the music. Sometimes I listen with a score in hand, sometimes I watch a video of a famous player while noting technical details like where in the bow the performer is playing or the color of the player’s vibrato. Other times I just listen to the music. I drive to my violin lesson repeating the short recording of Ysaÿe’s Finale as I move slowly through the usual weekday evening traffic jam.

Immersing Myself in Ysaÿe’s Sound-World

I am intrigued by Ysaÿe’s unique sound-world. His solo sonatas are reminiscent of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas that provided inspiration for these works, but the harmonies are far more modern. The notes don’t always fall where I’d expect, challenging my sense of harmony. I’ve never played music like this before. I am excited to arrive at my lesson and show my teacher how Ysaÿe’s sound is even present in his preparatory scale exercises in his scale book Exercises et Gammes.

Learning Music That Feels Completely New

I want to dive right in to this music, even though I can only play it slowly, and a few passages have melodies that completely elude me, the intervals being unexpected. Working through the opening, I find that my fingers need to fall in unexpected places to play the correct notes. This music feels very new to me to play, unlike Mendelssohn, Beethoven, or even Bach. The spicatto passages sparkle, the chordal sections bring out the polyphony, and the double stops ring brightly, some pushing at the upper edge of the instrument’s register.

Turning Challenges into a Practice Plan

At my lesson, my teacher breaks down the work I need to do to approach this piece and advises me to pay close attention in the practice room to all of the difficult passages. We work to categorize the techniques I need to work on to play Ysaÿe. For the Finale, I’ll need to work on spiccato, double stops, chords, and for the ending, long shifts. When I practice each day, I segment my practice according to these categories. Some days, I don’t get through all the categories, but other days I do, and either way, it is alright.

Finding Joy and Structure in Practice

As an amateur musician, I treat practice time as a time to explore music for the enjoyment of learning, but I also know that structured practice will enrich my own musical development. I want my practice to be enriching, because most of my time playing the violin is time spent practicing. I’ve discovered that organizing practice around techniques while learning repertoire is a way to connect my own growth as a musician to learning music that I am drawn to. I’ve shared some of these techniques, tools and resources in my Practice Hub.

Hearing the Music Anew

On my way home from my lesson, I listen to Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 4 again, my ears sharpened by the work I did over the past hour during my lesson while diving in to the beauty and challenge of Ysaÿe’s music. I look forward to the week ahead familiarizing myself with the music while spending time making the music sparkle through my time practicing.

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