Steven Isserlis raised a very
important point about choice of fingering which is central to learning/practising/performing
a piece of music! The focus of his post1 was the Dvorak cello concerto,
especially a sequence of three slurred eighth-notes (E, D, B) at the beginning
of the 2nd subject in D.
First, I sang the notes to get a
feel for the passage in question then reached for my score for more detail. I
sat and worked through that section ie from B as first note with p, piu tranquillo
under it 3 ½ bars before the A, which is the first note in the theme, through
to the start of the tenor clef 6 bars ahead to put the 3 notes into context. I
wrote down every possible fingering combination and I played my air cello
working out the feel of these various possible fingerings before sitting down
with my actual cello and playing the passage including the next six bars to see
which fingering would, to my mind, preserve the legato and beauty of this
second subject in Dvorak’s cello concerto. I took into consideration the
problems you raised about accenting or causing a glissando if opting for
staying on the A string. Here are my thoughts:
My favourite option is to stay on
A string and do F# on 3rd finger 4th position, shift to 4th
finger on E, 2nd finger on D then stretch back/minor shift to B on 1st
finger then D with 4th finger etc.
Why? 1) Generally speaking, it is
technically better to incrementally inch your way up and down the cello like a
crab when staying on the same string than create larger distance shifts (unless
you want a large shift for dramatic effect under certain conditions). 2) I
found this fingering was the most reliable way to consistently achieve legato
with no audible shifting or accent sounds between notes. This is the sequence
of fingering you worried produces an accent on the E. When playing it I
discovered that this doesn’t happen if you don’t think of it as a shift as such
but instead, I take this mental/technical approach:
Start on a short up bow close to
the frog of the bow for the A then long, free flowing down bow on the F# with a
soft bowing hand/wrist and warm vibrato with left hand. Then, just before
moving to the E, fractionally stop left hand vibrato and mentally picture where
your 1st finger is naturally hovering above the E so that the shift
for the left hand becomes like a mid-air finger substitution between the 1st
finger hovering over E and the 4th finger shifting to the E. Aim for the E (with
the 4th finger) while shifting/substituting very swiftly, in that
split second you lighten and change bow to play E on an up bow (and the
following 2 notes). This way you avoid the unintended accent on the E and the
glissando between E and D isn’t a problem since your 2nd finger is
already in position to play the D. Then the B is achieved smoothly too by
turning the slight shift back into a stretch with the 1st finger to
lessen the shift so there’s no audible movement here either. This way, all the
notes are even, there’s no audible break in the legato and the shape of the
theme stays intact.
The other options I experimented
with and decided against:
E with 1st finger 4th
position and shift back to 4th finger first position: I didn’t find
I ended up with a glissando. I think that’s because I avoid this by speeding up
my left hand shift while lightening the bow. However, much as it is quite easy
to find the notes intuitively with less practice because it’s just 4th
position to 1st position, I found it can produce inconsistency of
execution in that at times, you can hear a slight thud as you land on the 4th
finger D if you don’t time your fast shift with lightening the bow perfectly.
So in terms of preparing it for a performance, it’ll take more practice
(shift/bow exercises).
Crossing to the D string:
This, I find, is the scariest
option because 1) it’s easy to miss that note on D and 2) it can cause tension
in the left hand, it feels stiff and you can’t move and vibrato freely and it’s
easy to cause a break in the sound while shifting across and up while changing
string. So I’d find it harder to keep the legato and theme smooth and natural.
I feel it is prone to erratic results eg accidental glissando, break in legato,
break in sound while jumping over to it, missing note etc so requires more
practice and is more nerve-racking to perform. Therefore I’d discount it on
those grounds. It also sounds more muted and less clear and bright than the A
string which is a shame for such a tuneful passage. Nevertheless, generally
speaking, the easiest/most reliable way to locate a note which is also an harmonic
note, as this D is, is by flicking my hand up to play it as a harmonic either
for the whole note or momentarily to check I’ve landed it before pressing down
and vibrating. It also gives me the option of discreetly correcting the note
before pressing down on it which gives the illusion of getting it right every
time even when you haven’t! Also, it avoids glissando and is easier to keep
legato than shifting and immediately pressing down.
These are just my thoughts on the
way I’d go about it. Just a mixture of personal preference and the way I was
taught to approach pieces. This is just the kind of stuff I get passionate
about. I can spend all day just thinking about those 3 notes, working on them
in context, playing them until I know the section off by heart and feel it’s
going in the right direction (to be honest, I looked at the bar mentioned and
then could play the rest through hearing it in my head without looking at the
music). To my mind, all musicians should ideally work in this way on every bar
of all their pieces ie work through all the options and repeat/internalise
their preferred option until it feels second-nature. I know it takes time but
if you love music and playing your instrument then you don’t notice. I love
paying attention to detail and taking my time over a piece of music and probing
deeply into the practical, technical playing dilemmas as well as the meaning,
feel of the music and the composer’s mind/intention. The listener is key. As a
performer you want to convey the feeling of the piece, connect emotionally and
give them the best possible experience of the piece. Engendering an
interest/passion for so-called boring technical details, I think, can enhance
the enjoyment of listening to classical music performances live because you
focus harder on the instrumentalist when you are more knowledgeable. Hence, I
feel strongly that musical instruments and classical music should be taught in
schools. Children and teenagers should be taken to concerts and their tickets
should be substantially discounted or even free otherwise they are
prohibitively expensive for families. This would encourage the next generation
to like and attend concerts and take their children to concerts and so on.
1Steven Isserlis ‘the
emotion is in the detail’ (02/02/2017) facebook post, available at:
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