Category: Music

Chats to 'Cello Students

the Orchestral Player and Soloist--The Necessity of "Stretching" for the Intervals--The Locality of the Neck Positions--The Enharmonic Difference of Sharp and Flat Keys--Absolute Pitch--How to Leap any Awkward Interval--The Positions not Determined by Mathematical Rules, but b...

Chapters

1. CHAPTER I.--Preliminary Remarks--'Cello Difficult to

2. CHAPTER II.--How to Hold the Instrument--Attitude of the

3. CHAPTER III.--General Knowledge--Eccentricity not Necessarily a

4. CHAPTER IV.--Early Attempts at 'Cello Playing--Firmness in

5. CHAPTER V.--General Remarks on Bowing--Useful Method of

6. CHAPTER VII.--On "Staccato" Bowing--Spiccato--Slurred

7. CHAPTER VIII.--On the Positions--The Individual Requirements of

the Orchestral Player and Soloist--The Necessity of "Stretching" for the Intervals--The Locality of the Neck Positions--The Enharmonic Difference of Sharp and Flat Keys--Absolut...

8. CHAPTER IX.--Portamento--The Various Uses of Gilding--Some

9. CHAPTER X.--Double-Stopping--Useful in Developing the Hand--How

10. CHAPTER XIII.--Scientific Basis of Harmonics--Some Peculiar

11. CHAPTER XIV.--Special Effects--"Trick Staccato"--Various

12. CHAPTER XV.--Delivery--Style--"Form" _v.

In introducing this little work on Violoncello Playing, a few words of thanks and explanation are perhaps necessary. My thanks are due to the professional friends, and students-...

13. CHAPTER I.

Several works of more or less excellence have already been written on the violoncello and its study. It is all the more difficult then to write a work treating on the whole subj...

14. CHAPTER II.

Most pupils are surprised I have no doubt, at the evident discrepancy seen in the plates usually published with 'cello schools, when compared with the manner in which our first...

15. CHAPTER III.

The general education of the student must on no account be neglected, in prematurely or unduly developing his talent for 'cello playing. The life of a musician is distinctly soc...

16. CHAPTER IV.

The first attempts at 'cello playing must be made with long, smooth bow-strokes, care being taken to have a nice even tone from heel to point; great vigilance is here required o...

17. CHAPTER V.

The student should always strive to produce a beautiful pleasing tone from his instrument. Rapidity of execution can be acquired with downright hard work, but great skill, promp...

18. CHAPTER VI.

This style of bowing (Ex. 14) is known as _martelé . It consists of a smart heavy stroke, with the upper third of the bow. The bow is stopped suddenly at the end of each stroke,...

19. CHAPTER VII.

The staccato bowing, if neatly executed, has a very brilliant effect; to obtain anything like mastery of it the student must first be careful to see that the bow is held correct...

20. CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE POSITIONS--THE INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS OF ORCHESTRAL PLAYER AND SOLOIST--THE NECESSITY OF "STRETCHING" FOR THE INTERVALS--THE LOCALITY OF THE NECK POSITIONS--THE ENHARMON...

21. CHAPTER IX.

The subject of gliding, although referring more directly to phrasing, is so nearly connected with shifting and the choice of positions that one is insensibly led into its treatm...

22. CHAPTER X.

In consequence of the great distances which separate the notes in the neck positions on the violoncello, nothing very extraordinary is written, or is expected in the matter of d...

23. CHAPTER XI.

Arpeggios are chords, the notes of which are sounded separately. A modified way of expressing that chords are to be played in arpeggio, is by placing a curved line immediately p...

24. CHAPTER XII.

There are various embellishments in use, some of which are expressed in notation, such as the cadenza, the group of grace notes, the appogiatura. Others are expressed by signs....

25. CHAPTER XIII.

In considering harmonics, the names of two of the greatest violin players the world has ever seen force themselves to one's mind:--Paganini and Spohr; the exponents of two schoo...

26. CHAPTER XIV.

There are various effects possible on the violoncello, which one often finds introduced in modern solo compositions, but on which most works on the art of violoncello playing ar...

27. CHAPTER XV.

Up to the present chapter the student has been instructed how to interpret and perform that which he sees on the music sheet before him; to give a soulful and intelligent readin...