(Ger.: ‘to lift up’).
The term was used, together with closely related words such as the synonym erheben, as well as heben (‘to lift’), abheben (‘to lift off’) and Absetzen (‘to take off’), by many 18th-century writers in connection with string bowing. The manner in which the term was employed implies that the bow should be raised clear of the string to produce an articulation. However, the technical means for doing this, and the extent to which the bow was expected to be raised, are generally unspecified; though in relation to specific contexts some writers clarified their meaning with expressions like ein klein wenig gehoben (‘raised a little bit’; G.S. Löhlein: Anweisung zum Violinspielen, 1774, p.80), or ganz von den Saiten abgehoben (‘completely lifted off the string’; J.F. Reichardt: Ueber die Pflichten des Ripien-Violinisten, 1776, p.24). It seems clear that whenever such terms were used there was no suggestion of the employment of a springing bowstroke.
See also Bow, §II, 2(vii)
CLIVE BROWN