Violin excerpt · Audition repertoire
Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
III. Adagio molto e cantabile
A sustained lyrical excerpt with almost nowhere to hide. Tests sound, bow control, and the ability to shape a long line at a very slow tempo.
At a glance
- Instrument
- Violin
- Composer
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Work
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
- Movement
- III. Adagio molto e cantabile
- Era
- Classical (c. 1750–1820)
- Composed
- 1824
- Tempo
- Adagio molto e cantabile
- Clef
- Treble clef
- Level
- Audition, professional standard
- Audition list
- Yes, standard excerpt
How to practise it
The bow style, the trouble spots, and the stylistic decisions that come up most often on this excerpt.
Bowing
The tempo is slow enough that bow distribution becomes the central technical problem, running out of bow mid-phrase is the commonest failure.
Where it goes wrong
Intonation is fully exposed at this tempo. Slow practice against a drone is the standard preparation.
Style
Vibrato should be continuous but not uniform; the line needs shaping, and an unvarying vibrato flattens it.
Tags
Work on the technique underneath
Arco's violin curriculum builds the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading this excerpt assumes, with recorded violin playback throughout.