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History of Cello Bow Technique Development from 1785 to 1839:

The Austro-Germans and the French have made great impacts to the bowing techniques of the cello. Though their styles are somewhat different, each had made a significant mark in music history. [1] There are at least twenty-seven different styles that came from this time period, in which the French and Austro-Germans adapted to the newly introduced Tourte bow.[2] There had been many influential players from France who influenced bowing techniques, such as Jean-Pierre Duport, Jean-Baptise-Aimé-Joseph Janson, and Jean Tricklir. They slowly changed the fingering methods of the cello, as there was a perceived notion that using the violin and viola de gamba technique on the cello was detrimental to its style.[3] The bowing technique of placing the fingers on the bow stick above the frog became more widespread as the French valued consistent, beautiful tones above all else. Thus, the French all shared the same techniques for the cello. For the Austro-Germans, their techniques varied from locations inside the Holy Roman Empire. The cellists would use lower bow grips, as well as using vibrato and the down-bow to express emotion and expression through their work. They would not utilize the Tourte bow until the 1800s, and even then they would deviate from the French by holding the bow in an upper grip.[4]

Add-on to spiccato technique:

There are multiple ways to play the spiccato technique. There are the “scoop” spiccato, the “ball bounce” spiccato, and the “seesaw” spiccato for the Sautillé technique. The “scoop” method is less percussive compared to the other two types of strokes, as it is closer to a short note on a string than bounced bowings. [5]It can be referred as a “brushed” stroke, as the bow touches the string like the light, repeated brushstrokes on a canvas. [6] The movement is called the "scoop" method as the player makes a "scoop" motion with their bow.

The “ball bounce” technique is like dribbling a basketball. The bow is repeatedly tapped against the string per stroke, just like how a dribbled basketball repeatedly touch the ground [7]. The resulting sound can be rather loud, brash, and hard, as this technique requires one to strike the string. With that said, this technique can be played softly, to play a more pointed spiccato [8]. Tempo with this technique can vary, although it is usually paired with slower songs.

The “seesaw” spiccato, or sautillé/springbogen is a rather quick and light succession of short notes that go off the string. The word sautillé has its roots in the culinary term sauté, or to cook food in a pan so that it jumps. This technique appears as quick see-saw motion across the strings.[9] It is also known as the “uncontrolled” spiccato, in which the tempo is decided by the bouncing properties of the bow and cello than the player[10].


Vibrato

The pitch perceived by the listener is the midpoint of the extremes of the changing pitch. A vibrato of large amplitude is usually associated with a loud sound, while smaller ones are good with softer sounds[11].

It is considered beautiful due to a psychological phenomenon that people are attracted to changes in the environment than steady tones. Cyclic changes can keep people’s attention, and thus heard for all its duration. Vibrato that swings irregularly will disturb the music, or simply perceived as poor style or expression by the player.[12]. Thus, one should aim to vibrate the notes evenly. The sound having a regular frequency is key to play a good-sounding vibrato.


Ricochet or Jeté                                                            

This bow technique is like the “seesaw” technique, as it is dribbled against the string. However, the bow is “thrown” or held in such a way that it bounces several times in one direction that the bow is thrown [13]. To play this technique with increased volume, individual bow strokes are given to each note played that needs to have high volume. There is also the arpeggiated ricochet, in which the ricochet technique is done across multiple strings. [14] The bow is to hit different strings, one after another.

  1. ^ Walden, Valerie. An Investigation and Comparison of the French and Austro-German Schools of Violoncello Bowing Techniques : 1785-1839, 1993, p. 42.
  2. ^ Russell, Tilden A. “Book Reviews: Eighteenth Century: ‘One Hundred Years of Violincello: A History of Technique and Performance Practice, 1740-1840’ by Valerie Walden.” Notes - Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, vol. 55, no. 4, 1999, pp. 907–909.
  3. ^ Walden, Valerie. An Investigation and Comparison of the French and Austro-German Schools of Violoncello Bowing Thniques : 1785-1839, 1993, p. 518
  4. ^ Walden, Valerie. An Investigation and Comparison of the French and Austro-German Schools of Violoncello Bowing Techniques : 1785-1839, 1993, pp. 634-636.
  5. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, p. 88
  6. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, pp. 88-89
  7. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, pp. 88-89
  8. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, pp. 88-89
  9. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, p. 89
  10. ^ Benedetti, Evangeline. Cello, Bow and You: Putting It All Together. Oxford University Press, 2017, pp. 89-90.
  11. ^ Mantel, Gerhard, and Thiem, Barbara. Cello Technique: Principles and Forms of Movement. First paperback ed., Indiana University Press, 1995, p. 97
  12. ^ Mantel, Gerhard, and Thiem, Barbara. Cello Technique: Principles and Forms of Movement. First paperback ed., Indiana University Press, 1995, p. 97-98.
  13. ^ Mantel, Gerhard, and Thiem, Barbara. Cello Technique: Principles and Forms of Movement. First paperback ed., Indiana University Press, 1995, p. 97-98.
  14. ^ Mantel, Gerhard, and Thiem, Barbara. Cello Technique: Principles and Forms of Movement. First paperback ed., Indiana University Press, 1995, p. 98.
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