personality Archives

Practicing, Some Practice Advice (Part 2) — by Michael Haber

Frustration and Discouragement, Orchestra Auditions, Some Final Thoughts, a Final Comment FRUSTRATION AND DISCOURAGEMENT: Now is the time to talk about our number one enemy. When I look back over all my teaching, one observation stands out above all others. It has not been a lack of talent or intelligence which stood in the way of progress for most students. It has rather been the fact that many people become both frustrated and discouraged by the amount of work and the unwavering discipline and persistence it usually takes to become an excellent musician. I have something simple to say on this subject: frustration and discouragement have been the common lot of most of the musicians I've known, born of the eternal gap between our dreams of how we want [...]

By Michael Haber|2024-04-10T18:34:38-04:00September 3rd, 2017|Categories: Auditions, In the Practice Room, Orchestra, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery, Videos|Tags: frustration, Coordination, soul, Auditions, Experience, Michael Haber, self, personality|

The Britten Cello Suites (Part 1) — by Aron Zelkowicz

Cellists have as much reason as anyone to celebrate the upcoming Benjamin Britten centenary, if not more so. The five major cello works he wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich – the sonata, the Symphony Concerto, and the three solo suites – have been taken up in short order as standard repertoire. By my unofficial count there are twenty recordings of the complete cello suites on the market, not to mention sixteen “incomplete” cycles of one or two suites here and there. So it can be easy to forget that this music hasn’t been around for very long. Those of us of a certain age can remember relics like the individually published suites, each score with its distinctly colored cover. Or Rostropovich’s classic 1970 LP titled, rather definitively, “Britten: The Suites for [...]

By Aron Zelkowicz|2022-03-18T13:25:36-04:00November 12th, 2013|Categories: Performance, Repertoire|Tags: silences, centenary, solo cello suites, Aron, compelling interpreters, solo suites, Zelkowicz, effect, opera, grandiose, Janos Starker, Suites, indulge, Performing, Effective, memory, cello, genius, Mstislav Rostropovich, cellobello, 1971, navigation, movements, Benjamin Britten, non-verbal drama, Britten solo cello suites, pizzicati, personality, canto|

Bach Suites and You – by Robert Battey

“In a work of art the intellect asks questions; it does not answer them” -Friedrich Hebbel Few tasks are more daunting than attempting to discern and convey J.S. Bach’s precise intentions for his Cello Suites. Just playing them is hard enough, but a true and meaningful interpretation of the Suites requires an entirely different heuristic model than that of our other repertoire. This is because the autograph of the Suites has been lost, and we are left only with several flawed and inconsistent copies. Since there is no original source, everything, from notes to rhythms to phrasings, must be questioned. With many pieces, one can rely on the fidelity and accuracy of a high-quality edition, prepared either from autographs or composer-supervised prints. There, you have the simple choice of either [...]

By Robert Battey|2021-07-26T15:08:34-04:00January 16th, 2013|Categories: Artistic Vision, In the Practice Room, Performance, Repertoire, Self Discovery|Tags: Rhythm, careless, textual, personality, interpretive ideas, accuracy, personal research, cello, conclusions, The Fencing Master, judgment, ambiguity, Pierre Fournier, cellobello, curiosity, transcribing, Instruments, liberation, Anna Magdalena, printing, Bach Suites, dilemma, uncertainties, virtuosity, lute, Anner Bylsma, publications, editors, enjoyment, lute arrangement, artistic, rainbows, flawed, recordings, meaningful interpretations, autograph, response, phrasing, genius, complexities, monochromatic, Pablo Casals, Bach Cello Suites, sloppy, challenges, historical, Battey, normal teaching model, Bach, Bach's original intentions, slurs, repertoire, inconsistent copies, robert, painting, Teaching, Bach’s precise intentions, study, colors, instrument control, Editions, parameters, Janos Starker, Barenreiter, text booklet, interpretive creativity, experimentation, paris|

“Which Hand Do You Hear?” — by Bonnie Hampton

When Paul Katz invited me to participate in the “CelloBello” Blog, I was intrigued and immediately saw his idea of a free exchange of cellists sharing their experiences, exploring ideas together and just being in contact as a larger community. As cellists,we have a rich heritage and spirit and we certainly love that instrument a great deal.  Otherwise, why would we carry it all over the world! There is so much to explore, but one thing which I find an endless investigation is the whole use of the bow. Of course, all the issues of the left hand are immediate. We play the notes. Expressively, our uses of vibratos are part of our individual “voice,” but while one might call the work of the left hand, our craft, how we [...]

By Bonnie Hampton|2019-08-05T15:06:25-04:00May 4th, 2011|Categories: Artistic Vision, In the Practice Room, Self Discovery|Tags: vibrato, communication, individuality, cello, personality, Listening, cellobello, possibilities, musicianship, music, passion, searching, Experience, Bonnie, virtuosity, clarity, Coordination, discussion, exploration, Sound, Hampton, expression, improvement, hands, Teaching, character, individual voice|

Putting Your Best Foot Forward in Auditions — by Yeesun Kim

Let's face it. A musicians life is full of auditions. Even when you might not be taking a formal audition, each concert may turn out to be an audition for your next project. For many students, February in particular is a busy, stressful month filled with college auditions, summer festival auditions, recital juries and so forth. When you are a beginner, auditions generally represent a relatively encouraging nudge of "Do your best." Later, they have greater consequences, and dealing with the pressure can become quite torturous. Some are more at ease than others, but I believe it is safe to say that auditions are not activities anyone particularly enjoys doing. Of course listening to auditions is not so easy either. One is asked to sit through 7-8 hours per day [...]

By Yeesun Kim|2023-02-27T12:56:31-05:00March 22nd, 2011|Categories: Auditions, Performance|Tags: cellobello, connection, Auditions, intentions, control, personality, clarity, potential, energy, pressure, confidence, stress, Kim, tuning, Yeesun, Interpretation, anxiety, commitment, cello, communication|