Dounis Method

[Jim Garber]

I just came across the Dounis Collection (http://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=1133+105&Cat=) published by Carl Fischer. This is a pretty hefty tome comprising 11 books of his violin methods.

What was esp interesting to me was a section where he asks the player to hold down three left hand fingers and alternate with the fourth. This is very similar to a finger-busting exercise that Carlo Aonzo has put us thru in his workshops.

BTW is this the same Dounis who composed for the mandolin?

Jim

http://www.sharmusic.com/Prod_images/p36143C.jpg

[RSW]

This is indeed the same Dounis (Demitrius C. Dounis) that had a dual career as concert mandolinist and composer. He wrote 'Reve Oriental' which I recorded a few years back and probably other works for mandolin (all lost or maybe even destroyed by the composer himself). As well as being one of the most accomplished mandolinists of his day (or any day, for that matter), Dounis also was a virtuoso violinist though he is better known for his skills as a violin (viola and cello) pedagogue of uncanny insight. His students included George Neikrug (www.neikrug.org/biography.htm) and (apparently kept secret) William Primrose and Jascha Heiftetz. At the time when he reconstructed his life in the USA, Dounis started to distance himself from the mandolin and only occasionally giving concerts, often with an alias : Anton C. Dounis. I have a poster of one of his concert appearances and from the repertoire listing, he certainly was not reticent about tackling the most difficult music (for violin). Calace dedicated his 2nd prelude to Dounis and Pettine spoke of him as a musician and mandolinst without peers. I have heard several of his cylinder recordings (actually own the one with him playing the 2nd prelude) and find his art and technique on the highest level. With respects to the violin methods or tutors that have just been compiled together (good idea), I doubt if there is much there of interest to a mandolinist, it amounts to a lot of gymnastics and high position work but the studies for independence of 3 and 4 fingers might be adaptable. I have worked on this stuff with the violin but not the mandolin.

[Jim Garber]

I will probably go over and pick up this book since I can use some of the exercises to improve my mediocre violin playing as well.

Evidentally parts of the this method, published separately, have been out of print.

Jim

[Eugene]

Here (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=25;t=29818;st=0;r=1;&#entry334348) is reference to some downloadable Dounis, thanks to cumin.

[mandoisland]

Thanks for the information in this thread. I have bought some Dounis books many years ago, not knowing then, that Dounis was also a mandolin player. Thanks to this thread I was lead to the Cylinder Preservation Homepage and have been listening to cylinder recordings half day. By listening to the broadcast I just discovered 3 recordings by a group Trio Arriaga with mandolin, guitar (two mandolins) which cannot be found when you search for "mandolin" - nice resource!

[Jim Garber]

By listening to the broadcast I just discovered 3 recordings by a group Trio Arriaga with mandolin, guitar (two mandolins) which cannot be found when you search for "mandolin" - nice resource!
You can find them by searching for Arriaga.

Jim