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Historical and contemporary perspectives on the postures and physiological pitfalls of playing the baroque cello (2015)

Annabeth Shirley
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Name: Annabeth Shirley Main Subject: Baroque Cello Research Coach: Wouter Verschuren Title of Research: Holding the violoncello: Historical and contemporary perspectives on the postures and physiological pitfalls of playing the baroque cello Research Question: How can baroque cellists today prevent occupational injury due to long hours of holding the violoncello in playing position? Are there suggestions from current physiological techniques that can inform and improve how we approach playing the baroque cello? What can the treatises and iconography from the 18th - 20th centuries tell us about holding and playing the cello without an endpin? Summary of Results: When Luigi Boccherini’s body was exhumed in the 1990s, expert analysis concluded that this famous baroque cellist suffered numerous musculoskeletal injuries, many of which were a direct result of his profession. Baroque cello playing had caused skeletal changes in his spine and legs significant enough to still be evident in his mummified body nearly 200 years after his death. Musicians place huge strains on their bodies for the sake of their art, made even more apparent by the condition of Boccherini’s remains. Fortunately, awareness of the physical strain and injury suffered by many musicians is rapidly increasing, and so too have scientific studies, health practitioners, and music teachers augmented the focus on physical health for enabling a lifetime devoted to music. The aim of this paper is to discover suggestions and methods for minimizing physiological harm when playing the cello without an endpin. Of course, there is no one answer, one cure, one ideal posture for baroque cellists. This paper will not present the one best way of holding the cello that will ensure an injury-free, painless career. Rather, this paper will present suggestions, thoughts, and ideas gleaned from an investigation of cello treatises, physiological research, health practitioners, fellow cellists, and iconography. The presentation of this research will include visual examples, written instructions, and physical demonstrations as suggested by the historical sources and contemporary experts. Comparison off the different recommendations will ideally assist fellow baroque cellists in combating the postural tendencies and pitfalls of holding the violoncello. Biography: Originally from Salem, Oregon, USA, Annabeth obtained dual bachelors degrees in Cello Performance and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan in 2012, and a bachelors degree in Baroque Cello from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in 2013. In the past several years she has performed with the Nederlands Kamerkoor, Ars Musica, Symphonie Atlantique, and CaféHaydn. Also a devoted dancer, this summer she will perform a new choreography in which she will both dance and play her cello. She plays an 1830s instrument of most likely French origin.
typeresearch exposition
date01/01/2015
published26/05/2015
last modified26/05/2015
statuslimited publication
share statusprivate
licenseAll rights reserved
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/63665/63666
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue3. Internal publication


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id name copyright license
137112 Holding the Violoncello Annabeth Shirley 2015 All rights reserved
105942 Bibliography Annabeth Shirley All rights reserved
105940 Baroque cello outline Annabeth Shirley All rights reserved

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