34 Johnson ⦁ Violin Intonation extreme tension differences potentially warping the bridge.”31 Therefore, Biber was fully incorporating the pain that Jesus experienced not only into the tight collection of notes, but also in the potential for the violin bridge to be warped and undergo extreme tension. The connection between music and the rosary does not end with Sonata No. 7. Sonata No. 6 includes a rosary of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleading with his Father regarding the upcoming events of his crucifixion. This sonata also employs the use of scordatura tuning to change the strings to A-flat, E-flat, G, and D (see Example 3). The outside interval of this tuning is a tritone, which further emphasizes the concern and pain that Jesus was feeling at that moment in his life.32 Example 3. Biber, Violin Sonata No. 6, mvt. 1, mm. 1-6, with rosary image.33 Almost every use of scordatura tuning in Biber’s “Rosary” Sonatas can be explained upon reflection of the rosary image associated with each sonata. It is clear that Biber incorporated religious ideas into his music, therefore affecting the tuning of the violin as well. The tuning and temperament of the early violin family impacted the violin’s use in both an ensemble and solo musical setting during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It is clear that the violin’s tuning system is not necessarily simple. There are many factors that play a role in how the violin is performed in a solo or ensemble setting. The pitch standard for tuning, the way in which the violin is carved and assembled, and the pitches to which the strings are tuned all play a part in how the violin was used in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Today, violinists continually modify their intonation, whether through changing the open strings or adjusting their fingers to create proper interval jumps. The 31 De Souza, 2. 32 De Souza, 4. 33 Biber, 24.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=