Foundations of Modern Cello Technique
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Foundations of Modern Cello Technique Creating the Basis for a Pedagogical Method Valerie Welbanks Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Music (Performance Practice) Department of Music Goldsmiths College, University of London July 2016 Supervisor Roger Redgate Declaration I, Valerie Welbanks, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work submitted in this thesis is my own and where the contributions of others are made they are clearly acknowledged. Signed………………………………………………. Date…………………….. Valerie Welbanks Page 2 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the memory of Alexander Ivashkin. Page 3 Acknowledgements I would like to extend my most profound thanks to the following people, for their encouragement, assistance, advice and patience: Patrick Dawkins, Louise & Don Welbanks, the Dawkins family, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Roger Redgate, Helen Vidovich, Jon Hargreaves, Richard Shaw, Richard Jones, Mandhira de Saram, Nicola Price, Tom Green, Rohan & Rosie de Saram, Neil Heyde, Marie-France Mathieu, Attila László, Richard Meadows, Fei Ren, Naomi McLean, Leslie Snider, Jean-Hee Lee, Elaine Gould (Faber), Samuel Wilcock (Chester), Barry Truax, Stephen Wingfield (Canadian Music Centre), Sharon Kanach, Vivian Rehman and Anita Wilke (Breitkopf), Michael Bach, Russell Rolen, and anyone who ever patiently listened to me speak about this subject. Page 4 Abstract Throughout their studies, cellists use short technical exercises such as scales and études which, under the supervision of a teacher, provide the skills necessary to play the repertoire. Etudes in particular – this body of formal, pedagogical works that developed in tandem with the rise of the virtuoso – are designed to strengthen specific technical notions in musical context, providing access to more demanding repertoire. Surprisingly, however, the last significant collection of études for the cellist is Popper’s High School of Cello Playing (1905). The rich palette of extended techniques for cello, achieved through a century of innovation and experimentation, has no equivalent representation. The cellist who desires, or is required, to meet this new rise in virtuosity must essentially decipher new idioms alone, unless fortunate enough to work with a specialist who will pass on the fruits of personal experience. I suggest that many of the problems which modern music faces today are connected to the performer’s dearth of proficiency concerning certain musical and instrumental techniques. As a survey of pedagogical material will show, few steps have been taken to enable cellists to gain the technical fluency needed for providing engaging performances of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. Through discussions with contemporary music specialists, the study of existing publications, and my own performing experience, I present the cello’s extended techniques as a linear progression of traditional technique. Three future projects guide the content and structure of this thesis: curriculum development, the creation of an online database, and the commissioning of concert études modelled on Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin. The 24 sections of this thesis guide the reader through a technique’s origin and development, basic acoustical information, and performance advice, creating a pedagogical framework. Only with a clear methodological approach can contemporary music be expected to become more than a specialism. Page 5 Table of Contents Declaration ....................................................................................................................... 2 Dedication ........................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 5 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 6 Table of Figures ............................................................................................................... 8 Table of Exercises .......................................................................................................... 10 Introduction: Perspectives & Retrospectives ............................................................. 11 Part I: Where Are We Now? ........................................................................................ 20 Performance Materials 20 Performance Treatises 23 History of the 20th-Century 29 Summary 30 Part II: Defining & Codifying Extended Techniques ................................................ 31 Adapted Techniques ................................................................................................... 37 1. Harmonics 39 2. Pizzicato 60 3. Bowing the String: Point of Contact 76 4. Bowing the String: Speed & Pressure 93 5. Between the Notes 107 6. Stopping the String 111 7. Expanding the Register 117 Non-traditional Techniques ...................................................................................... 124 8. Bi-tones 126 9. Strike Tones 132 10. Cello Percussion 139 11. Bowing the Instrument 146 12. Changing Bow Hold 150 13. Sustained Polyphony: New Uses of the Bow 153 14. Multiphonics 160 15. Vocal & Theatrical Effects 169 16. Mutes & The Prepared Cello 173 17. Independence of Hands 177 Page 6 Part III: Musicianship ................................................................................................ 180 18. Dissonance 182 19. Tuning Systems 188 20. Microtonality 208 21. Phasing & Repetition 220 22. Complex Rhythm 223 23. Live Electronics 227 24. Interpreting Notation & Style 236 Part IV: Looking Ahead ............................................................................................. 265 Current Approaches 266 Suggested Pedagogical Avenues 267 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 271 Monographs & Treatises .......................................................................................... 271 Dissertations & Articles ........................................................................................... 274 Scores ....................................................................................................................... 276 Websites ................................................................................................................... 277 Wikipedia Articles 280 YouTube Videos 281 CD Liner Notes ........................................................................................................ 282 Appendix I: 20th-Century Etudes .............................................................................. 283 Appendix II: Components of Modern Notation & Style ......................................... 291 Appendix III: Basics of Signal Processing ................................................................ 296 Appendix IV: Further Study ...................................................................................... 302 Appendix V: Practical Component - Recital ............................................................ 313 Page 7 Table of Figures Figure 1: Timeline, connecting traditional training to modern technique ...................... 32 Figure 2: Dividing the cello’s string ............................................................................... 40 Figure 3: First notated harmonics - de Mondonville Les Sons Harmoniques (1738) ..... 41 Figure 4: First notated harmonics for cello - Berteau Sonate, Op. 1 (1748) ................... 42 Figure 5: First notated natural harmonic glissando - Rimsky-Korsakov Christmas Eve 43 Figure 6: Nodes and antinodes of 3rd harmonic - string in motion (relative to resting position) .......................................................................................................................... 43 Figure 7: Natural glissandi notation (Rolen) ................................................................... 53 Figure 8: 'Seagull' effect - Crumb Vox Balaenae ............................................................ 55 Figure 9: Natural harmonics notation, concert pitch ....................................................... 59 Figure 10: Natural harmonics notation, fingered pitch ................................................... 59 Figure 11: Finger plectrum ............................................................................................. 66 Figure 12: Early use of snap pizzicato - Mahler Symphony No. 7 .................................. 69 Figure 13: Pizzicato notation .......................................................................................... 74 Figure 14: Points of contact notation .............................................................................. 90 Figure 15: Less common notation for points of contact ................................................. 92 Figure 16: Modifying points of contact - Gubaidulina Ten Preludes, No. 5 .................. 92 Figure 17: Modifying points of contact - Strange Star Salon ......................................... 92 Figure 18: Notation example of nageln ........................................................................ 102 Figure 19: Overpressure graphic notation - Saariaho Mirrors for flute and cello ........ 105 Figure 20: Overpressure notation - Romitelli Professor Bad Trip