One of my most treasured possessions is the
Catechism of Violoncello Playing by Professor Carl Schroeder. First published in German in 1889, this enchanting book was reprinted in English in 1893, edited by one J Matthews. It's like a little pocket guide book, the sort you can just whip out of your jacket pocket, (dog-eared from constant consultations) in an instant find out how to do a 'martelé' stroke with the bow, say, or artificial harmonics, how to hold the bow correctly, or simply how to sit, and hey presto! with this invaluable advice, you are now able to execute the most advanced manoeuvres on your violoncello.
It really is quite extraordinary how Prof. Schroeder encapsulates the entire gamut of cello technique within this compact vade-mecum. Not only that, he tells us how to clean the bow hair with soap and water (very useful if I get bits of sticky bun entangled in the hairs), and how to get fluff out of the insides (maybe useful?): 'The dust that collects inside the Violoncello is removed by warming grains of corn and throwing them inside. The instrument is then shaken about, and on letting the grains out again through the F holes, the dust comes away with it.' Do I dare extricate my cello's navel fluff in this fashion?!
Also, what sort of case to buy (not so useful now: they didn't have lightweight carbon fibre boxes in those days...) - 'A good Violoncello is worthy of a good case to preserve it against damp and dust' - what about careless airport baggage-handlers, I say?
I love the bit about prices of Violoncellos; 'The best old Violoncelli such as those of Stradivarius and Guarnerius are in our day very dear,- £300 to £1,500 and over. Amati Violoncelli are much cheaper and cost about £150 to £500. other Italian instruments cost, when they are in good preservation, from about £45 upwards'. Well now, I'll take two Amatis please, and a case for them - 'Cases cost from £1 to £5. The latter price includes a leather covering'.
The handsome chap above illustrates the positioning of the left hand fingers and how to hold the bow at the point, and at the heel. He is, according to the English editor's notes, adopting the French mode of left hand playing, with slanting fingers. In a long footnote, in fact it occupies most of the page, our editor says of the left hand positioning: 'Considerably greater variety exists in the manner of holding and playing the Violoncello than is the case with the violin, and the following observations upon this point by the well-known English violoncellist, Mr Edward Howell, will be read with interest:- "The English (really Duport's) style consists of holding the fingers stretched out over the finger-board in the first position, with every finger over its proper note in the scale of C. Under the French system, the fingers are not stretched out at all, but are held sloping back as in playing the violin. The advantage of the former of these styles over the other is obvious. The English method of holding the hand keeps the fingers and hand always in readiness; the fingers have only to be dropped on the note required and with a large amount of certainty. Moreover, a firmer pressure is obtained upon the strings as the flat of the finger is used. Added to this is the certainty and ease with which the hand can be shifted, and an enormous amount of pressure to be used when using the thumb. (Anyone, apart from me, getting worried yet?). The French style of fingering is illustrated by playing with the tip of the finger, each finger being shifted with each note of the scale. The result of this arrangement, which necessitates the bringing forward of the finger for each note, is a loss of power of grip, and a perpetual glissando effect. The labour of the performer is increased to a large degree, with results scarcely satisfactory, or even, pleasing." If the English method be adopted, the left arm must be held out straighter than as shown in the engraving'.
I'm not sure which I should adopt for greater aural and/or physical pain, French or English?
More on this delightful missal in my next post - on the thorny problem of lady cellists. For now, just to point out our charming chappie's elegant right foot. It says underneath the pictures: ' The right knee is sunk rather deeper than the left, that it may not interfere with the bowing, and in consequence of this, the right foot is placed back a little further, and without putting down the entire sole as in the case of the left'. He clearly didn't go a bundle on the Alexander Technique.
Click on the engravings above to get a bigger picture.
La Crème Anglaise?
