What is it called when a violinist quickly bows all strings in an 'arpeggio-like' flourish?
You can hear this 'arpeggiating' flourish in Heifetz's 'Last Recital' during Strauss's Sonata for Violin & Piano here (already cued to 45:48) and (in case you prefer animated movie soundtracks over Strauss) in the Coraline Sountrack very briefly here (already cued to 15:22).
What is the term for this — is there a term for this?
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I believe the term you are looking for is "bariolage." It is often used to describe passages that alternate between two strings—one open and the other mostly stopped (often playing a melody that is meant to be heard apart from the open-string pedal or cover tone)—but can also be extended to passages involving more strings. There are some good examples at en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bariolage. As a string player, I love this technique when it's done well, because it is usually not nearly as difficult to play as it sounds, and I can really dig into it. As a composer, I like the technique because I can very quickly create a more complex texture to surround my harmonic or melodic ideas. One of my favorite 20th-century examples is the beginning of the second movement of Alfred Schnittke's second string quartet.
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