Literary notes about Virtuosity (AI summary)
In literature the term "virtuosity" often connotes an extraordinary level of technical mastery or brilliance, whether describing musical performance, the execution of style, or even metaphorical skill in other fields. It is employed to denote a bold, almost flashy, demonstration of ability in various art forms, as seen when a Scherzo demands “enormous virtuosity” from its performers ([1]) or when Handel’s blend of voices and instruments is praised for its “free virtuosity” ([2]). At times it carries a critical tone, suggesting that an artist might lean too heavily on technical prowess, as in observations about a painter’s “sleights of virtuosity” detracting from unity in effect ([3]). Beyond music and the visual arts, the word also appears in contexts as diverse as culinary skill ([4]) and rhetorical agility ([5]), underscoring a versatility in usage that mirrors the multifaceted nature of artistic expression. Its varied deployment in literature underscores not only a recognition of masterful execution but also an implicit debate about substance versus style ([6], [7]).
- The same with the following passage:— Altogether the Scherzo requires enormous virtuosity, which most members of the orchestra do not possess.
— from The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky by Modest Chaikovskii - Not only does Handel use all styles, but how well does he blend the voices with the instruments in those airs of great brilliance and free virtuosity!
— from Handel by Romain Rolland - All the tricks of painting and sleights of virtuosity were despised, special emphasis being scarcely laid upon pictorial unity of effect.
— from The History of Modern Painting, Volume 3 (of 4)Revised edition continued by the author to the end of the XIX century by Richard Muther - I can not reconcile her extreme youth with her miraculous virtuosity as a cook.
— from The Laughing Girl by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers - At the same time, Defoe has great stylistic virtuosity.
— from A Short Narrative of the Life and Actions of His Grace John, D. of Marlborogh by Daniel Defoe - Dazzled by the virtuosity of the performers, the Comtesse exclaimed to Swann: "It's astonishing!
— from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust - “As one reads on through the book and rereads, the rhetorical virtuosity becomes more obvious and the poetry less.” + — Nation. 80: 294.
— from The Cumulative Book Review Digest, Volume 1, 1905Complete in a single alphabet by Various
