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Fedorchenko Study Book for young CellistsA selection of 15 studies in first position on
The Study book by Alexei Fedorchenko is a precious collection of little Etudes from different composers ( mainly Russian and German ) who were also Cellists and pedagogues themselves : they certainly knew what was needed to create the right basics and foundation to grow generations of young performers and brilliant Cellists ! Davydov, Romberg, Lee, Kummer, just to name a few, all belong either to the famous Russian or German School ( thriving in the 19th Century ). Any serious Cellist should play studies and etudes ! There is a huge selection from which to choose and for all different levels.Remember ! Playing just the pieces set for the Graded exams is not enough to give you the right preparation to become a good Cellist : you need to broaden your repertoire and strengthen your technique right from the start !
What are Etudes anyway ?" Etude " is the French equivalent of " Study " . It is a fairly short piece which isolates and develops a particular aspect of technique. ( For example, if I you want to improve your fluency and speed in the bow, you could find an etude with lots of slurs and marked "Allegro" ). Study doesn’t mean boring ! The majority of them are nice melodies and tunes, which make you improve all areas of your technique in a very pleasant way ! Many of them have lovely second parts ( duets ), which encourage the pupil to emulate the teacher’s playing.
Let’s start ! Etude no. 4 - (download it here) by Roman Sapozhnikov ( Cellist very well known in Russia for his Cello publications ) " Arpeggio style " etude. Very simple structure : use the whole bow for the Minims and Half the bow for the crochets. Watch out ! Some of the crochets are in the upper half of the bow, some are in the lower half. This means : go to the tip ~ stay there ~ go to the hill ~ stay
there, and so on
Etude no. 9 - (download it here) by Friedrich August Kummer ( Brilliant Cellist Virtuoso, 1797 - 1879, Germany ; Pupil of F. Dotzauer, founder of the famous School of Dresden. Composed several virtuoso pieces very popular and in demand in his times and many Etudes ; particularly famous and still in use nowadays is his Violoncello-Schule Op 60 ) The bow is divided in three perfectly equal
parts ( 1/3 of the bow for every crochet ! ). The dotted minims make you always
go back to the heel. Quite a soft and fluent piece :
use fairly fast bow towards the fingerboard.
Etude no. 10 - (download it here) by Roman Sapozhnikov ( see above ) Fairly calm, so that you can carefully draw the bow parallel to the bridge with a nice, deep sound. It would help to know this etude ( and others ! ) by heart : you could then have your eyes "available" to see if your bow is going straight and you would be free to listen to your sound. Bow distribution : same concept as etude n 4 ; sometimes,
instead of the minim, we have two slurred crochets ( which still make your bow
travel the whole length of the bow, half the bow for each crochet ) ; be sure to
start the 2nd half of the study with an Up bow.
Etude no. 11 - (download it here) by Friedrich August Kummer ( see above ) Bow distribution : same concept as etude n10 ; more emphasis on
the lower half of the bow ( four crochets ), apart from bar 7. At bar 6 use 3/4
of the bow for the dotted minim and the remaining 1/4 for the crochet ( Of
course ! )
Etude no. 12 - (download it here) by Bernhard Romberg ( Brilliant Cello Virtuoso, 1767 - 1841, Germany ; Father of the German School ; French influences in his musical education ; he revolutionized the Technique of the Cello and was the link between Classical and Romantic Period. Close friendship with Beethoven ; he deeply influenced F. Dotzauer, Father of the Dresden School and also promoted the love for Cello playing in Russia while touring as a Soloist ; Very gifted Composer, wrote several Compositions which are marvelous didactic and musical material for all Cellists ) Same concept as Etudes n 11 & n 12. All these Cellists -
Composers new the great importance to have, right from the start, an even and
deep basic sound on which to build later on more demanding bowing techniques.
by Sebastian Lee ( Cellist , 1805 - 1887, Germany ; Pupil of a Pupil of B. Romberg ; spent most of his working life in Paris ; Strong French influence, stylish playing ; his École de Violoncelliste, 1845, was accepted as a manual at the Paris Conservatoire ; very melodic compositions, among my favourite ! ) For Solo Cello ( not a duet this time ! )
Similar concepts of bow distribution as before, but also an element of big
change of strings, from the A to the G string ( for ex. at bars 5 & 6 ).
When making a change of Strings try to keep the bow glued to the string ( don’t
loose contact at any time ). At bar 5 & 6 imagine you are playing all the
time on the A string and that, incidentally, just your elbow,
reaches for the notes on the G string.
Etude no. 37 - (download it here) by Roman Sapozhnikov ( see above ) Still more good bow distribution, but
especially clear change of strings. The purpose of this study is evident right
from the beginning, with huge, broad changes of strings on D, G and A. In this
case, the whole of your arm changes level radically to reach the different
strings ( do not use just the elbow, like in Etude no. 14 )
The following etudes concentrate on the development of Détaché Détaché is a basic stroke you generally play in the middle of the bow, using mainly your elbow. It doesn’t mean you have to play " detached " in the old sense of " separated ", but, quite the opposite ! In the " simple détaché " the notes are imperceptibly joined to sound legato even though the bow changes direction. Détaché may refer to a bow stroke of any length : sometimes a long détaché is called " le grand Détaché " ; sometimes ( and there are no generally recognized signs ) the notes are really " detached " with accents or little gaps between the notes. Experience and knowledge of the style of the piece ( depending on the Period and the Composer ) will tell you which is which !!
Etude no. 15 - (download it here) by Roman Sapozhnikov ( see above ) Détaché in the middle of the bow for the
quavers ( glued to the string ) ; broader Détaché still roughly in the middle
for the crochets ( every crochet slightly separated, but without loosing contact
with the string ).
Etude no. 16 - (download it here) by D. Lyebidova ( sorry, no information ; probably a Russian Cello Pedagogue ) Détaché in the middle of the bow with lots of elbow action.
Study this piece at quite moderate speed ( Andantino ), so that every change of
direction is smooth ( no jerking movements, please ! ) and the sound is rich and
resonant. In this case I would play the crochets still smooth on the string, no
separation, just slightly longer bow then for the quavers
by Sebastian Lee ( See above ) More Détaché in the middle of the bow with lots of elbow action. See " instructions for Etude n 16. All quavers in these two pieces. Both Etudes can also be played with : mixed bowing n1 : two quavers slurred and two quavers separate. 2 slurred quavers down, then up down ~ 2 slurred quavers up, then down up & so on. Play in the middle of the bow, always in the same spot & with the same length. But how ?? Length of two slurred quavers = length of just one separate quaver ( separate quavers are broad and fast ) mixed bowing n2 : three quavers slurred and one quaver separate. 3 slurred quavers always down ~ separate quaver always up. But how ?? Length of three slurred quavers = length of just one separate quaver ( separate quaver is even faster in this case ). Save the bow on the three slurred quavers ( that is, don’t go to fast with the bow ), but then go fast and light with the lonely separate quaver. Goal : smooth détaché in the middle of the bow ; mixed bowing training
Here are a few Etudes on triplets Etude no. 30 - (download it here)by Roman Sapozhnikov ( see above ) Two possible bowings :
When you play the study with bowing a. : in the middle of the bow, a kind of broad détaché ; make sure that the first note of every triplet is slightly stronger then the other two. When you play the study with bowing b. : use the whole bow for
every set of two triplets.
by Sebastian Lee ( see above ) More triplets, but this time also with lots of String changing. The first note of every six notes must be very clear and the strongest of the all lot ! To make it clear, first place the bow on the string then draw the bow firmly. Once reached the tip, come back with a fast crochet all the way to the heel. Then, start the next bar in exactly the same way. ( Do not start the sequence of triplets from the air : the first note would never sound neat ) While changing strings, keep the bow glued to the string and as
it were a snake moving on rocks ( which means no sudden, jerky movements traveling
from string to string ). The left hand moves lightly, without pressing too much
on the fingerboard : leave the hard work to the bow !
Etude no. 52 - (download
it here) In this Study the triplets are all separate, but there is still a slight accent on the first note of every triplet ( the first accent happen down bow, the second up bow, the down, then up, etc. ). Play lightly in the middle of the bow : elegant motion of the elbow. Goal : Agility and elegance in playing " détaché " triplets !
Let’s now put all together with ... a Theme with Variations ! It’ s a form in which a Melody, after being played once, is then presented in altered ways : you can still recognize the tune, but every new section uses different bowings, moods and speed to make it more interesting. Etude no. 63 ( Theme with Variations )
Bonus study n.29 - (download it here) for bowing distribution and even sound. By Sebastian Lee.
Bonus biography : Karl Davydov (Brilliant Cello Virtuoso, 1838 - 1889, Russia ; called the " Czar of Cellists " and " The Father of the Russian School ". Director of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire for some time ; he greatly developed the Cello bowing technique ; he also used to say to his pupils " listen attentively and observantly to the best Violinists, as it is to them that I owe all I learned " : Roland will be happy !!! ) |
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Etude no. 14 - (
by Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer
