Useful Sources for Self-Studying the Baroque Violin
Before YouTube and masterclasses, violinists had treatises – and they are still excellent teachers.
Why Sources Still Matter
In an age where every question has a tutorial, it’s easy to forget that the most reliable advice about Baroque violin playing was written 250 years ago – often with a quill.
Reading historical sources isn’t about recreating the past; it’s about understanding the language in which the past thought about music.
The great writers of the 18th century left us remarkably detailed guidance – sometimes poetic, sometimes pedantic, always personal.
As Leopold Mozart wrote in Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (1756):
“A performance without taste and without the proper expression is like a painting without perspective.”
The point still stands. These texts teach more than technique; they teach attention.
The Primary Voices – Treatises Worth Reading
A few centuries of violin wisdom, in their own words:
Francesco Geminiani, The Art of Playing on the Violin (London, 1751) – Still the cornerstone of expressive bowing and ornamentation. Read it slowly; every sentence conceals a practical experiment – including my absolutely favourite left-hand exercise.
Leopold Mozart, Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (Augsburg, 1756) – An entire worldview in staff lines and sarcasm. Wonderful for phrasing, articulation, and musical character. (My personal favourite moment happens in a footnote – who finds the context around the so-called “Luftviolinisten”?)
Giuseppe Tartini, Trattato di musica secondo la vera scienza dell’armonia (Padua, 1754) – A physicist’s soul in a violinist’s hand; explore his thoughts on tone and the mystery of “difference tones.”
Johann Joachim Quantz, Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen (Berlin, 1752) – Written for flautists, indispensable for violinists. Learn how rhetoric, gesture, and tempo work together.
C.P.E. Bach, Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen (Berlin, 1753) – Keyboard, yes – but also a masterclass in emotional timing and phrasing.
Michel Corrette, L’art de se perfectionner dans le violon (Paris, 1782) – A compact, articulate look at Classical-era French violin playing. (Short, clear, and – very unusually for the 18th century – quite readable.)
They rarely agree on everything (or anything…) – which is precisely why they’re worth reading.
Modern Companions – Scholarship That Still Speaks
For those who prefer 21st-century punctuation, a few excellent guides bring historical ideas into practical focus:
David Boyden, The History of Violin Playing from its Origins to 1761 (1965) – The classic reference; thorough, readable, and still unmatched in scope.
Robin Stowell, The Early Violin and Viola: A Practical Guide (2001) – A bridge between research and the practice room.
Judy Tarling, Baroque String Playing for Ingenious Learners (2000) – A thoughtful bridge between historical theory and modern technique.
These companions don’t replace the old masters – they help you read them.
Listening as Reading
To understand the style, start by listening to musicians who speak it fluently.
Listen to Enrico Gatti, Amandine Beyer, Enrico Onofri, Rachel Podger or Monica Huggett – their playing makes the principles of Baroque phrasing and articulation instantly tangible.
Listen not to copy but to observe: how phrases breathe, how cadences speak, how rests carry weight – you can even follow along with the manuscript!
Listening historically means hearing the intention behind the gesture.
Building Your Own Self-Study Path
The trick to learning from sources is restraint. Choose one treatise, one recording, and one sonata – and live with them for a while. Read a few lines, try them immediately, and watch what changes in your hands.
Soon these ideas start tapping you on the shoulder in every piece you play – Bach, Telemann, Brahms, even that étude you’ve avoided for years. Once you notice them, they refuse to leave you alone. Happily, they tend to improve just about everything they touch.
In my online violin lessons, we use these same sources not as textbooks but as living companions. Together, we translate 18th-century insight into 21st-century sound – from Geminiani’s bowing ideas to Tartini’s theories of tone. Because the best teachers, as it turns out, are still writing in ink.
More threads to follow ・・・
Starting Your Historically Informed Journey – Without a Baroque Setup│Practical first steps if these sources make you want to experiment with HIP ideas on your modern violin.
Bringing HIP Awareness to Modern Violin Playing│How to bring what you read in these books directly into your sound, phrasing, and everyday practice.
The Beauty of Gut Strings: Warmth and Expression in Sound│For when all this talk of gut, resonance, and colour makes you want to hear and feel the difference under your bow.