Heritage

During the research and preparation of this compilation of études, I would end up spending an entire day in the ‘company’ of the cellist I was focussing on at the time. This led to an increasingly intense day as my knowledge grew, and in the end, as if transported to another age, I would feel so close to that person that it confused and upset me that I was not able to speak to them. For a musician, living in the present is not necessarily enough. The world of the past is full of dynamic and inspiring individuals waiting for us to engage with their music and history. Musicology is an important aspect of being a musician. Knowledge transports us to the era of the composers and musicians we love, to the personalities we wish to unlock so that it may assist our interpretations. It is therefore crucial to recognise and correctly perceive the different eras of music history. For example, by distinguishing the characteristics of the world of 1820 compared with, say, that of 1880, we will understand the particular prospects available and achievable to the composer. And teachers: what was the world of Martin Berteau or Nicolas Platel like, compared with that of Jules Delsart or Gaetano Braga? For this compilation, I have selected those études I find most effective for technical progress, as well as attractive encore repertoire. In fact, the encore concept is an essential factor here, and I have consequently taken steps to enhance the expressive potential of some of the études. For example: Popper No. 28 is a gem, but why only hear the superb opening once? Also, the last couple of bars, which only deflate the exciting energy of the rest of the piece, will not exactly generate cascades of applause. His No. 4 and 9 are fine studies, but why repeat the same material twice in the same key? I love the romantic circle of fifths a few staves into Duport No. 7. In this ‘enhanced’ version we get to play it twice. Piatti No. 9 is one of my favourites, but I do find the original bowing disappointingly predictable. It also makes it difficult to display dynamic variation. I always found that the concluding bars of the 7th Caprice arrive too abruptly following such climactic heights. Therefore, I suggest an alternative ending. The book is full of such…’interferences’. Recognise what is of my pen, should you want to return to the original text. Regrettably this book does not feature a single female cellist. I had hoped to find material by Suggia, Garbousova, Harrison, or Mukle. It would have been wonderful to include something by Lisa Christiani (Mendelssohn’s friend whose ‘sensational debut in Paris 1845’ is described in Baker’s Dictionary of Music, published in the US in 1918). I was not able to collect suitable material even from my own, most brilliant, teacher, Maja Vogl (1923-2010). Many names are missing. So one keeps reading and researching in order not to leave anyone forgotten. It is fascinating to think how they all had their own approach to music, to learning, to teaching. Take a look at the photos and our colourful past. These cellists created a platform for us upon which we continue building. They form our heritage.