The Young Violinist's Repertoire, Book 3: Violin & Piano Book

A cultural tour that spans centuries without feeling like a textbook. One moment you're in Renaissance Italy, the next in 19th century Russia or Romantic Germany. The melodies are memorable enough to stick with players long after they've closed the book.

Intermediate violinists ready to move beyond pedagogical exercises into genuine repertoire. This book assumes solid first position work, basic vibrato control, and comfort in common keys.

• Approach the Baroque gavottes as dances, not court formalities. The rhythm should breathe and walk, not march.
• In the lighter character pieces (Kabalevsky's The Clowns, Grechaninov's The Joker), commit to the comedy. Exaggeration in articulation serves the music.
• Balance tone production across the register shifts in pieces like Weber's Gypsy Dance. The lower passages need the same resonance as the higher ones.
• Coordinate with your pianist on the introduction and any ritardandi in the Bach movements so the architecture feels intentional, not accidental.

Scatter these pieces across recitals and studio performances throughout a season. The shorter works fit naturally into chamber concerts, while the dances add character to contemporary music programs that might otherwise feel heavy.

• Baroque bow articulation and phrasing conventions
• Stylistic distinctions across periods and national schools
• Intonation in fixed positions across multiple keys
• Musical independence from the accompaniment
• Navigation of moderate technical demands (position shifts, varied rhythmic figures)
• Interpretive choices within established genre conventions