Reply To: violin music
I think you transcribed the music correctly. The difficulty is that this heavily edited score includes some notation that is not standard music notation. The dotted slurs that do not agree with the rhythmic values, and the "=1" fingering indications are two good examples.
I have now changed my mind about how best to handle the dotted slurs, which are really the editor's recommended alternate bowing. I think they should be described in a TN and not included in the music line. I'd put an asterisk before the first note included in the slur (the half-note A), and put a TN at the bottom of the page that says "A dotted-line slur extends from the half-note A to the eighth-note D in the upper voice. A similar dotted-line slur extends from the half-note F to the eighth-note G. in measure 2 dotted slurs connect the half-note G to the sixteenth-note G and the half-note B to the sixteenth-note G." That way the notes and their values are not interrupted by the unwieldy special slur markings, and the interpretation of the slurs is left to the player, as it is in the print.
I believe the equal signs should be omitted from the fingerings (but the fingerings must be included in the music) because they simply indicate that the player is to substitute the first finger for the finger that is used for the previous (same) pitch.
This all brings up a very large dilemma. Bettye Krolick, who was a professional violinist, said flatly that string music of some degree of complexity should only be transcribed by a string player. The difficulty is that since Bettye is no longer able to transcribe music, I do not know of any certified transcriber who is also an advanced string player. We must not tell string players that they cannot get their music transcribed, so we must step in and do the best we can. As a composer, I studied string music notation fairly thoroughly, but only standard practices. If you can find a violin teacher to explain the things you do not recognize, that is the best way to proceed.
I do not recognize you from your email name but I may know you. Please email me off this website and perhaps I can give you some more personal help. My email address is published in the NBA Bulletin.
Larry