Violin intonation on the harmonics), losing the desired tone, brilliance and intonation. String longevity depends on string quality and playing intensity. A violin is tuned in fifths, in the notes G, D, A, E. The lowest note of a violin, tuned normally, is G, or G below middle C. (On rare occasions, the lowest string may be tuned down by as much as a fourth, to D.) The highest note is less well defined: E, the E two octaves above the open string (which is tuned to E) may be considered a practical limit for orchestral violin parts, but it is
Poème élégiaque in D minor, Op.12 (Ysaÿe) for violin and orchestra; "Amitié, Op. 26" for two violins and orchestra, "Poème nocturne, Op. 29" for violin, cello, and orchestra; "Harmonies du soir, Op. 31" for string quartet and string orchestra. This crucial work of Ysaÿe's, which ignited his passion for poem compositions, was inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Ysaÿe builds on the virtuoso pieces of the 19th century and utilizes devices such as "scordatura", in which the violin's lowest string is tuned down to give it a darker, warmer timbre. The beginning of this piece, marked "soutenu et calme", opens with a very lyrical theme from the