After playing hundreds of events throughout the years I have finally put some of my personal arrangements down on paper. This version of Ave Maria takes the original theme and turns it into a concert piece. After the first verse with a multitude of chords is performed, a second version comes with string crossings reminiscent of the Bach Chaconne. Rubato is definitely acceptable and at times necessary to bring out the feeling of this piece.

For those who are still progressing, the chords can be omitted where needed to make the piece more approachable.

Quarantine Etudes for Violin by Dr. Piotr Szewczyk
Composed in May 2020 during the global pandemic.

All major etude books for violin, including those by Mazas, Kreutzer, Dont and
others, are firmly rooted in romantic harmonic language; minor and major triads,
arpeggios, diminished and augmented chords, dominant 7th etc.

A 21st Century violinist will encounter a much more varied musical language.
Those standard etudes don?t prepare students for octatonic scales, various
modes, whole tone scales, rapid chromatic twists and turns, atonality, extended
jazz harmonies etc. that are a big part of contemporary music.

I created these bite-sized etudes to help students experience different musical
languages and go against the ingrained familiar patterns their fingers are used to.
I hope they will be fun and adventurous challenge for violin students of all ages.