Bariolage
Bariolage (French) is the rapid alternation between neighbouring strings of a bowed string instrument. Usually one of the two strings is open: the bow swings between a stopped note and the unchanging note of the open string. The technique is well known from the Preludio of Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E major for solo violin.
- Meaning
- rapid alternation between neighbouring strings
- Usually
- one of the strings is open
- Sound
- an unchanging note alternating with changing notes
- Instruments
- violin, viola, cello
- Well-known example
- Bach, Partita No. 3 in E major for solo violin, Preludio
Swinging between two strings
In bariolage the player alternates rapidly between two neighbouring strings. As a rule one of them is open and always gives the same note, while the other string is stopped. The result is a sound in which one note stays the same and the others change. The bow moves across the two strings in a quick swinging motion.
Alternating with the open E string
Our own example for violin: every second note is E5, the open E string. In between, the notes on the A string change: B4, C♯5 and D5 stopped, A4 as an open string. The bow swings between two neighbouring strings.
The same notes without bariolage
Only the notes on the A string, without the inserted E5. The melody is the same; only the swinging to the open string makes it bariolage.
Well-known passages
A well-known bariolage is in the Preludio of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E major for solo violin. The technique also occurs in chamber music, for instance in Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet op. 50 No. 6, and likewise in Johannes Brahms, for instance in his String Sextet in G major.
| Work | Composer | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Partita No. 3 in E major, Preludio | Johann Sebastian Bach | solo violin |
| String Quartet op. 50 No. 6 | Joseph Haydn | string quartet |
Common mistakes
- Playing the open string too loudly: The unchanging note should sound along, but not cover the changing notes.
- Moving too far away from the string: The longer the bow’s path from string to string, the harder fast bariolage becomes.
- Confusing bariolage and double stop: In a double stop two strings sound at the same time, in bariolage one after the other in alternation.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
Open stringDouble stopBow (string instruments)Bow changeString instrumentTremoloSixteenth note
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 4 October 2026
← Back to the glossary