Forgotten Cello Music

84. Forgotten Cello Music: Bréval's Six Sonatas of Op. 40

Have you played from Suzuki Vol. 4? The first two pieces are two movements by Bréval, Sonata in C major, Op. 40 I. Allegro; II. RONDO. Grazioso.

Well, wouldn't you know, he wrote five more in that set (very common for the period to write in sets of six). They are all great examples of prime learning material.

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83. Forgotten Cello Music "MODERN SUITE" Op. 122 by G. Goltermann

1. Prelude
2. Romance
3. Funeral March
4. Gavotte
5. Tarantella

A rambling episode. Not very interesting. But some nuggets hidden in amidst all the gobbledy-gook.

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81. Forgotten Cello Music: France and Holland (and Belgium) in the 19th C. Daniel van Goens and Leon Boellmann.

You can go to my Youtube channel to answer some questions if you have the time and interest.

80. The Violoncello and Its History: Cello in the 19th Century, IV. ITALY

On to the fourth section of a new century four violoncello playing.

What does Italy have to offer? This is a short reading. That should give quite a hint.

One famous cellist I'll mention: Alfredo Piatti

71. Robert Fuchs: 7 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 78

Listen to this now.

60. Cello in Germany in the 19th Century: Hugo Becker "Love Scenes" Op. 7

Here is yet another little gem of a piece. While it requires some attention to higher positions in places, the over all accessibility for the upper intermediate player is in your grasp. As you will hear in my own recording, the amount of practice I got in did not satisfy except to the level of moderately good. But in reality, my goal is more at showing you that such much exists and should be played by more competent cellists than myself. That being said, I greatly enjoy recording these works and will continue on regardless.

There are six movements or scenes that Becker has artfully reimagined as musical prose.

1. Begegnung ("First Sight" or "Meeting")

2. Zweifel ("Doubting")

3. Träumen ("Dreaming")

4. Tänderlei ("Flitting")

5. Frage ("Question")

6. Antwort ("Answer")

Please support me as I continue to present worthwhile music for cellists to play in addition to all the great standards we already are accustomed to.

59. W. FITZENHAGEN: 19th Century Cello in Germany

I'd simply like to say; I like Fitzenhagen's compositions. 

Not very convincing? Listen to this podcast.

Still not really sure? Look over the scores.

And you still need convincing? Play some of his music for yourself.

Even though he may best be known as the cellist who not only gave the premiere performance of Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme but also the cellist brazen enough to alter the score so much that it was nearly unrecognizable as one that the master composer originally penned. 

Despite that negative reputation, he did compose a number of very charming pieces.

~Two sets of pieces for students, two cello quartets, numerous character pieces, and others.

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Episode 58 is set squarely in Germany in the 1800's. 

There was an explosion of capable cellists in that country in this period. They wrote an enormous body of music for the concert stage as well as for the aspiring student. Come along and explore some forgotten Etudes by the likes of Schröder, Lee, Werner, Kummer, Büchler, and Heberlein. Although there are many more names that could be included there were already so many etudes to choose from just from these six that any more would have meant for an impossibly lengthy time commitment just for recording the music. 

This episode aims to be informative and helpful in providing alternate (or perhaps in addition to) studies to the scores of "traditional" ones you are already familiar with, which were passed down to you from your teacher. 

That's the point of this podcast. Discover Forgotten Cello Music and put it to good use. Assign it to a student, play it for yourself, and ultimately perform it in some capacity.

Can you find "The Happy Farmer" in this episode?   

When you do, go look up the same music I used to play it. The version used in this ep. is simply a refreshing and practical rendering.

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55. Quarenghi: "Capriccio" for Cello and Piano

I said I'd learn and play this piece for the podcast. Well, I learned the entire thing but it was challenging. It was fun. However, sometimes you are unable to make the fingers move properly due to inactivity as a performer. For that reason, you'll hear excerpts. If anybody else has ever heard or even played this number for yourself I would like to hear about. (If you have a recording wouldn't that be fun to hear?)

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Episode 54 is Part 4 and the final installment in my exploration into Counterpoint. 

It started simply due to an accident. Upon finding and perusing through Guglielmo Quarenghi's 600 page cello method, there in the middle was a complete study on counterpoint. Included were original compositions of his own exemplifying 5 Species of Counterpoint, Imitation, Canon, and Fugue.

I was hooked because of the singularity of the inclusion. This was also indicative of the lack of attention paid to counterpoint especially in relation to Bach's music and how central a role it plays in a cellists upbringing. 

What are your own thoughts on learning Bach's suites for cello or any other composition? Is it necessary to learn counterpoint to be an informed player or is it more of an issue of adding to the palette? (Or would you phrase it differently?)

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Episode 53 is part 3 of a four-part series on Counterpoint, taken from Guglielmo Quarenghi's massive, 600 page, Cello Method. 

So far in this counterpoint series:

1. Intro. to Counterpoint and the 5 Species; Bio about Quarenghi
2. Imitation and naming the parts
3. CANON: naming the parts
4. (in Episode 54: Fugue)

After counterpoint there will be an exhilarating Capriccio for cello and piano by Quarenghi. 

Today, in this Episode:

• Definition of a canon
• Two examples from Grove's 
• pointing out all entries of the subject
• Performing the canon by Quarenghi
• Conclusion: Why the seeming obsession with Counterpoint?

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Episode 52 Counterpoint "Imitation": Second installment in a four-part series.  ~ 1. Counterpoint: intro. and 5 Species; 2. Imitation; 3. Canon; 4. Fugue

Quarenghi was a cellist, composer, and pedagogue (an author, too) from Italy in the 19th C.

This episode features a biographical sketch about him from The Violoncello and Its History and Counterpoint. I introduce him and the Five Species of Counterpoint. All together I am planning 5 episodes (shorter in scope) that cover Quarenghi and his dealing with Counterpoint in the cello method. 

They are: 

1. Counterpoint: the Five Species
2. Counterpoint: Imitation
3. Counterpoint: Canon
4. Counterpoint: Fugue
5. Capriccio for cello and piano

Quarenghi seems to have been an interesting character at least in so far as he wrote an enormous Cello Method--about 500 pages--and provided ALL musical examples from his own creative output, i.e, he composed them. But what's more is that he included an entire section on counterpoint, which I never recall seeing in a cello method before. This inclusion is certainly no after thought, signifying the importance of the old form that masters such as Palestrina, Gabrieli, and Bach cultivated to the highest degree. 

Episode 49. ITALY in the 19th Century: Ferdinando RONCHINI, from  "The Violoncello and Its History"

First, apologies for the lengthy introduction to this episode. I felt it was necessary to explain why I have been largely absent from podcasting for the past few months--not the least of which is during summer time when family takes a more prominent position. Also, to shamelessly plug my social media (also very sparse uploads during the summer months) and invite you to take part in supporting AND getting excellent Forgotten Cello Music merch in return for your donations!

This installment sees a turning back to earlier formats (minus the long introduction). The focus is mainly on one composer/cellist named Ferdinando Ronchini. He is not a known cellist/composer to me, however, after looking at his list of arrangements, I noticed that I actually own a published copy of some Debussy transcriptions of his. So, I have seen his name but not conscientiously. 

There is a bit of an intro to the Italian section to lay the ground work for the world in which Ronchini was living. Now, he was apparently a pretty decent composer and arranger. The music I chose for this episode is an original work "Mazurka" and one splendid arrangement--Suite Anglaise by Henry Purcell, arr. by Ronchini for cello and piano. 

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 France in the 18th Century: from "The Violoncello and Its History" by Joseph Wasielewski

Section III.

"A substantial hindrance existed from the circumstance that the method of violin playing,...had been in a measure used as a model without taking into consideration the important difference in the dimensions of the fingerboard in the two instruments." p104

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This marks the end of the Unit on The Violoncello in the 18th Century. It covered three countries to a fairly comprehensive degree and inserted a great many anecdotes about the cellists who cultivated the emergence of this amazing instrument. It is regrettable that there was apparently not enough information, or Wasielewski did not think it necessary, to include separate sections on other countries such as England or Russia, for example. While there are some references to cellists either moving to England or Russia there is hardly a whisper of any native cellists from those countries. 

But it is an extremely fortunate occurrence that the author put down so much information about the cello and its progenitors at all! This book is packed with compositions mentioned and can be used as a database as such. Once your read this important book, you will also be privy to the vast numbers of cello compositions that are at our disposal, that is, now that we have the internet. 

When I was a college student, this was hardly the case, even though the internet was already in quite a robust and useful position, I still had to go into various college libraries and spend hours sifting through the stacks just to find "new and interesting" works. This was pleasurable work, since I naturally like quiet spaces filled with books, but I would not have found any of the works by Nölck or Goltermann without visiting specific libraries in Europe. 

I spread the contents of this book to help make more people aware of the music available to cellists.

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Continuation...

This episode picks up from the previous one, Ep. 45, The Introduction to the 18th C. from The Violoncello and Its History, by Joseph Wasielewski. (Although dated as far as writing style is concerned, it is an incredible source for anyone interesting in expanding their knowledge about cello history and getting to know more cello music. It is a well-written book and I recommend it to all.)

ITALY is the country in question. With it come some interesting characters, including Gabrieli, Cervetto, one cellist named Ferrari, and of course Boccherini. We also hear about the introducing of Thumb Position into cello playing as well as what instrument Bach wrote his famous Six Suites for solo violoncello for.

Please join in on the nearly hour long journey of the first unambiguous look at cello playing. 

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Georg Goltermann wrote two Grand Duos, opp.15 and 25. This episode features Op.15 in D minor. All three movements are presented and talked about. This is a long talk about why I feel that Goltermann's music is worth your time. The melody is well constructed, the harmony is more interesting. It speaks to me on a deeper level. 

Goltermann's influence on my affinity to Forgotten Cello Music when I was still a young student. When I started learning his Concerto No. 4 in G major it left a mark on my memory. Then his Nocturnes and Sechs Tonbilder later on confirmed what I had always felt. That this was convincingly worthy of the studio where students could learn the art of structure and harmony on a smaller scale before being introduced to the "Greats". 

This is my take on this music. My apologies for the rather bad playing, particularly of the Grand Duo. My cello has been suffering and is slowly being reduced to box of worthless junk. Hopefully, one day, it will return to the environment that it was created in, thus revitalizing its voice and character. Crossing my fingers and planning for that glorious day.

Goltermann had a higher capacity for elevated composition than we think. Based on the one or two student works we learn one would never suspect that he was worth performing on the concert stage. But his two Grand Duos,  op. 15 in D minor featured here, are evidence that he had a mastery over composition and could write great music. 

Please listen on Spotify as it is the only platform that you are able to answer any questions or polls I pose. They are external from the episode content but are visible once your click on the episode itself. If you are in Spotify, the question will be above the description. Take a moment to enter your response. I love to hear from you.

Here's the question: "Is the music of the Grand Duo of higher quality than his student-type oriented compositions?"

Johann Schetky was a well-known and celebrated Cellist in his day, i.e. the 1700's. When he moved to Edinburgh, Scotland he was already a sought after musician and found employment in the North because of his acquaintance with J.C. Bach. He apparently liked the Capitol of Scotland enough to fall in love and settle there permanently. 

Whether you are into details about individuals or history in general, you'll want to listen to Schetky's own preface to his Op. 7 Cello Duets. He is a straight talker that does not give a student any false sense of ease when it comes to perfecting the art of music. This is a document that sheds light onto the business of educating students in a broad sense. 

Looking back over the year. I actually played lots of music. There were many great discoveries as well. 

Georg Goltermann, J. Klengel, J. Hollman, Cervetto.

Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoy my presentations. Happy New Year Everyone!

Broderip and Wilkinson wrote a cello treatise in the late 1700's. They put many traditional tunes in there. A little searching and I dug up at least some of the sources for those tunes. I'd be honored for you to join me while I look into and play those tunes. 

But it is Xmas season as well. So, I'll include some Xmas Carols. Think of it as busking out on the street, or the on the square of the social media gathering point. 

Consider giving a TIP this Xmas to a Cellist who loves to play but hasn't played in public for almost three years. Thanks for taking the time to read this and listen to my podcast about Forgotten Cello Music.

This is episode 34. Beethoven wrote a little Minuet. It has been learned by children the world over and is played quite a lot. (Maybe not as much as Für Elise however.)

Recently, a student surprised me with a performance of this  little dittie. I responded by arranging it for two cellos and subsequently recording it. After which the inspiration hit me. Playing only the solo and bass line of the piano accompaniment, seemed to me, to be a startling similarity between the Baroque music I have been playing recently. Not only that, but,  Beethoven did not write anything less than artistically and creatively of the highest quality.

Come along and discover with me and find appreciation for this "annoying" Minuet that we learned as children and quite possibly disliked, at least, until now. :)

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Cello Students:

Are you looking for a teacher with lots of experience? I have 20 years plus. It ranges from the traditional one on one to small groups in middle- and high school ensembles and even to leading out in sectionals for University orchestras. I began teaching online well before there was any hint of a global pandemic, and so have plenty of experience with a video chat style lesson as well. 

Lessons are based on the traditional method, but over the years I have been working out how to mentor students into a natural way of playing so as to give good-sounding results early on. In just the past year alone I have brought three total beginners up to late-beginner/early-intermediate territory in ease of playing and learning music on their own. (While also recognizing their own diligent practice!) 

I am quite proud of this fact since, for so many students (I am included in this group) starting to learn an instrument is unnatural, difficult, and almost a fearful type of "work". My aim has been to help students acquire tools so that practice at home continues what was learned during the lesson. As a private teacher, because there is generalIy only one HOUR per week together, I strive to guide my students into healthy, productive habits that last throughout their time alone with the Cello.

If you are interested, you can send a message, an email, or even fill out this form I created for lessons.

eMail: travelingcellogroup@gmail.com

The Violoncello and Its History

by Joseph Wasielewski

The introduction to this nearly 300 page book spans 40+ pages while setting the stage for the cello. In it, Wasielewski talks mostly about the instrument which arguably, the cello is loosely modeled after, that is, the Viola da Gamba. Although, not every piece I feature in this episode is forgotten (Marias' "Folia", Dowland's "Pavan", Corelli's "Giga"), the history leading up to the cello and the early portions of its history are easily passed over for more current, exciting, even tangible events. 

This episode is rather a mish-mash of ideas, information, and opinions. I am not the best expresser of information nor do I communicate effectively or in interesting ways. Yet, this sort of research and production always holds a place of intrigue and special interest for me. It is likely that I will continue on with The Violoncello and Its History accompanied with recordings (mostly, at least) by neglected composers and forgotten works. 

If there is any music you would enjoy hearing from the 18th Century send me a message and I'll see what I can do to bring that to fruition. :)

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