Coda

Any investigation of performance style will revolve around a number of critical research questions: who is the performer, what (and where and when and why) does the performer play, how does the performer play, and how does the performer’s way of playing compare to other performers? This book’s four-part structure addresses these questions in a clear and comprehensive manner, using the Bach solo works as a case study connecting each part. The first part introduced the performer and the case study repertoire, providing crucial background information for the entire book. The second part examined what the performer played, providing answers to related questions such as where, when, and why he played. The third part questioned how Heifetz played, focussing on the case study and drawing on many of the discoveries made in previous chapters. Finally, the fourth part of the book placed all the accumulated understanding of Heifetz’s performance style into a wider context, focussing once again on the case study.