An Approach to Romantic cello playing in Brahms's time

María Cadenas Rodríguez

About this exposition

The revolution of sound recording at the beginning of the 20th century influenced classical performance practice, setting definitive interpretations and eradicating more personal approaches to music-making. Many fundamental expressive devices were lost over the years and thus Romantic musical performance was no longer understood in the same way. This is why my research tries to look backwards in time with the aim of exploring the main attributes of Brahms’s Romantic style in music for string instruments. My research aims to: (1) understand lost Romantic expressive devices and how they worked, and (2) explore ways of using them today. I first analysed primary and secondary literature to establish context. Then I examined historical edited cello scores by Brahms, using them to show the different fingerings and slurrings provided by the main cellists of the period, which give us a clear idea about the use of portamenti, for example. Finally I listened to cello and string quartet early recordings to hear sonic evidence of these techniques, before applying them in Brahms's chamber music for cello. The main outcome I found is that diverse and emotional approaches to music-making made the Romantic period unique. I hope these tools can encourage today’s cellists and string players in general to create new, more personal, freer and more creative approaches to playing Romantic repertoires.

type	research exposition
keywords	sound recording, performance, romanticism, music history, Art of Interpretation
date	10/11/2019
published	15/06/2020
last modified	15/06/2020
status	published
share status	private
copyright	Maria Cadenas
license	All rights reserved
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/729059/729060
doi	https://doi.org/10.22501/koncon.729059
published in	KC Research Portal
portal issue	1. Master Research Projects

name	Johannes Brahms
copyright	https://www.pinterest.es/pin/198158452331435215/?nic_v1=1azzzP8C3NzOlo5ajb6iK95c1tle7SHhsqRl0jGjBeNg3itWQZawcxlzy8SWiYnOhv
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	KC-logo_jewel-NL
copyright	https://www.koncon.nl/
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usages	picture

name	Johannes Brahms
copyright	http://www.martijnhooning.nl/muziekgeschiedenis/brahms1_e.html
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	KC-logo_jewel-NL
copyright	www.koncon.nl
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usages	picture

name	Figure 1. Alfredo Piatti
copyright	http://www.cello.org/heaven/bios/piatti/lgpiatti.htm
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 2. Joachim quartet
copyright	http://www.cello.org/heaven/bios/piatti/lgpiatti.htm
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 3. Karl Davydov
copyright	https://interlude.hk/schools-cello-playing-russia-armenia/
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	several strings
copyright	me
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usages	video

name	up and down 2
copyright	me
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usages	video

name	better bow changes
copyright	me
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usages	video

name	slur same finger
copyright	me
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usages	video

name	more closed
copyright	me
license	All rights reserved
usages	video

name	bow speed and pressure 2
copyright	me
license	All rights reserved
usages	video

name	Figure 4. Hubay-Popper Quartett 1898
copyright	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Popper
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 5. David Popper
copyright	http://www.davidpopper.org/photos
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 6. Hugo Becker
copyright	https://www.icollector.com/Hugo-Becker_i15665537
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 7. Robert Hausmann with Johannes Brahms
copyright	http://www.b3classic.com/pagina_nueva_101.htm
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usages	picture

name	Figure 8. Julius Klengel in 1903
copyright	https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Klengel
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usages	picture

name	Piano quartet n.1, Op.25 in g moll edited by Ossip Schnirlin, 1st movement
copyright	Piano quartet n.1, Op.25 in g moll edited by Ossip Schnirlin.Editorial Berlin:N.Simrock, Ed.648, 1927
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Piano quartet n.1, Op.25 in g moll edited by Ossip Schnirlin, 1st movement
copyright	Piano quartet n.1, Op.25 in g moll edited by Ossip Schnirlin.Editorial Berlin:N.Simrock, Ed.648, 1927
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Cello Sonata n.1, Op.38 in E minor edited by Julius Klengel, 1st movement, bars 76-91.
copyright	Cello Sonata n.1, Op.38 in E minor edited by Julius Klengel. Editorial C.F.Peter, Leipzig (c.a.1925)
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Piano trio n.2 in C dur edited by Ossip Schnirlin, 1st movement
copyright	Piano trio n.2 in C dur edited by Ossip Schnirlin. Editorial Berlin:N.Simrock, Ed.648, 1927
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Cello Sonata n.1 in E minor edited by Hugo Becker, 1st movement, bars 34-38.
copyright	Cello Sonata n.1 in E minor edited by Hugo Becker, 1st movement. Editorial B.Schott's Söhne, Mainz 1922
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Cello Sonata n.1 in E minor edited by Hugo Becker, 1st movement, bars 91-92
copyright	Cello Sonata n.1 in E minor edited by Hugo Becker. Editorial B.Schott's Söhne, Mainz 1922
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Cello Sonata n.1 in E minor edited by Julius Klengel, 1st movement, bars 1-4
copyright	Cello Sonata n.1, Op.38 in E minor edited by Julius Klengel. Editorial C.F.Peter, Leipzig (c.a.1925)
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Piano quartet n.2, Op.26 in A dur edited by Ossip Schnirlin, 1st movement
copyright	Piano quartet n.2, Op.26 in A dur edited by Ossip Schnirlin. Editorial Berlin:N.Simrock, Ed.648, 1927
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Becker plays Minuet
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNQGBNjHxDQ
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Joseph Hollman - Chopin- Nocturne in F (192 kbps)
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uku64KH8lmw
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Joseph Hollman - Gavotte No. 2 (Popper) (1922)
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nDR6EsXT4Y
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Bruch- Kol Nidrei - Judith Bokor
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrEgiZT1DI
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Guilhermina Suggia plays Kol Nidrei from Max Bruch
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIGR6OJji04
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Arnold Földesy plays Kol Nidrei
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o5rMqahKKQ
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	A.Rubinstein- Romance - Judith Bokor
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLN8SYDIaJs
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Felix Salmond plays Kol Nidrei
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COyiIcXXZq8
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Salmond - Beethoven- 7 Variations on Mozart’s Magic Flute aria Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc2ez5AHdZE
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Schumann- Cello Concerto, Langsam - Bottermund
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9VsoGlW88
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Gregor Piatigorsky ('cello) - The Swan (Saint-Saens) (1927)
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBYTR4cOuk
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Wilhelm Kempff & Paul Grümmer play Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 3, in A major, Op. 69 - 1st mvmt
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmCxXxyt4Ws
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Feuermann – Brahms Cello Sonata no 1, 1934
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypw3YxFQO2w
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Haydn- Cello Concerto in D - Suggia-Barbirolli 1st Recording (192 kbps)
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyLOvOVHnc
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Elgar - Cello concerto - Harrison - NSO - Elgar
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6k86n4m7rs
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	william-henry-squire-1871-1963-elgar-cello-concerto-hartyhalle-o-r1930
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1doUJI5KuVg
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	brahms-quartet-no-1-catterall-quartet-1923
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeDFTTE7oMU
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	flonzaley-string-quartet-brahms-piano-quintet
copyright	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1doUJI5KuVg
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

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An Approach to Romantic cello playing in Brahms's time (2020)

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