Preliminary Remarks—The 'Cello Difficult to Master—The Choice of a Teacher—Choice of an Instrument and Bow.

Several works of more or less excellence have already been written on the violoncello and its study. It is all the more difficult then to write a work treating on the whole subject of 'cello playing, without in some measure going over the ground that has already been covered by previous writers. As I have found, however, that certain branches of this interesting study have received but scant treatment, and in some cases have even been completely ignored, I have directed my special attention to these subjects; thus, much that has been passed over in existing works will be found to have here received due treatment. Throughout the whole of the present work, I have endeavoured to clothe the matter in as original a manner as possible, and putting aside all stereotyped phrases, have tried to write in the same language that I would express myself in to a pupil having a course of actual lessons.

If by so doing, anything that the student may have passed over as being unimportant, now forces itself upon him, my aim will be accomplished.

In various parts of the work I have endeavoured to introduce the reader to some of the higher branches of 'cello playing, as far as it is possible through the medium of literature, but it must be understood that any treatise on the higher branches of music can only be of a general character, the laws which govern musical expression, or those in connection with the delivery of a musical composition are so fugitive, and players vary so much in the observation, or disregard of them, according to their individual temperament, etc., that to give any hard and fast rules would only be to put fetters on all individuality.

If the student is really musical he will obtain the best results in this direction, by hearing our first class artists interpret the works of the great masters: by thus bringing his faculties of observation and imitation into use, he will gradually absorb some of their style, which in due time will assert itself in his own performance.

The 'Cello a Difficult Instrument to Master.

If the reader has already commenced the study of the 'cello, it will be advisable for either his parents or himself to make direct enquiries of his professor, whether the latter thinks the pupil is sufficiently gifted to continue the study of this most difficult instrument. Of course every 'cello player cannot be a Becker or a Klengel, but unless the student has a very correct ear, and if he is old enough a fair amount of ambition, it would be better for him to study some less exacting instrument; that is if he feels compelled to learn something. The piano is generally supposed to be the fallback classical instrument, but I would not recommend this, we have quite enough piano playing of the second and third and the atrocious order, without violin and 'cello cast-offs trying their hand at it. I do not know of a more pathetic sight, than to see a youth with no musical gifts whatever, wasting the best years of his life, and his—or his parents'—money, in the study of an instrument for which he has no natural capabilities.

Perseverance, although a very estimable gift, never yet by itself made an artist, the real artist is an artist because it is impossible for him to be anything else. Nevertheless if the pupil can feel assured that he has a fairly fine ear, capable of easily distinguishing the difference in musical pitch, and a natural feeling for rhythm, he will be justified, providing he likes music almost better than anything else, in taking up the study of an instrument, which for solo work ranks with the violin for difficulties.

The Choice of a Teacher.

The pupil is caused to suffer much inconvenience and perhaps even spoiled altogether for any real artistic work, if his early studies are not directed in an efficient manner. One smiles when one sees an advertisement in a local morning paper after the following fashion. Mr. ----, Professor of Music. Lessons on Piano! Singing! Violin! 'Cello! Guitar! and Zither! also French! and German! All one man, remember, not half-a-dozen, and yet learned as he evidently is, I would not trust him to show a pupil how to hold his bow correctly. If the student resides in or near London, he will obtain better results, and in the long run will find that it costs him less, to connect himself with one of the recognised institutions, such as the Royal Academy of Music or the Guildhall School of Music. To be recommended by one of these institutions is to obtain the passport into the highest musical circles. In the provinces the choice of a good 'cello teacher is not so great, the reader will do well to remember that being a member of some fairly well known orchestra, is not always a guarantee of excellence, sometimes influence, or money, or perhaps both have been the means of obtaining the coveted position. The student will do better then to have lessons from someone who is known to be a master of his instrument, and if it should happen that the teacher is a better player than an exponent of the art of 'cello playing, if the student carefully watches his style, and hears him play often, he will at least learn how a composition ought to be performed, even if he is compelled to find out for himself how the mechanical part of its production is accomplished. I know one of our first class teachers (violin) who seldom takes the instrument into his hands during a lesson, contenting himself with verbal explanations; this, unless the student is above the average standard of intelligence can never be productive of really good results; practical demonstrations generally being far more effective than mere talk. The pupil then must see that his teacher can play the exercises which he teaches, and should the teacher make any objection to exhibiting his skill in this fashion, depend upon it that the lack of it has a great deal to do with it.

The Choice of an Instrument and Bow.

Do not let my reader imagine that in the present work I am going to weary him with a long discourse on a matter which is so much controlled by the length of the purse; I flatter myself, however, that the advice will at least be sound. To those who can afford to buy a real genuine Cremona of good name, I have nothing whatever to say; if they can afford this, they can, or ought for their own satisfaction and safety, to pay for professional advice as to the real merit of their purchase. It is to the readers with a limited amount of spare capital that I wish to address myself, and I would tell them that there are a lot of fairly old instruments either German or French copies of one or other of the early Italian School, that will be found quite good enough for solos. These instruments may have individual faults and weaknesses, but the player will gradually find these out and learn to humour them. Of the old English instruments I would advise the reader to beware, a lot of them although of good wood and passable varnish, yet manage to have some more or less irreparable fault not readily discernible at first sight. An instrument of this class I have in mind, a beautiful 'cello spoiled with the f holes being cut about half their length too low, making it impossible to play a forte passage on the A string owing to the bow coming in contact with the lower corners; so that this would not be readily noticed a fingerboard had been fitted, which was about three inches longer than is usual. Others are thin in the wood, causing wolf notes in various positions. These latter remarks refer more particularly to nameless old English instruments of the home-made type, and of course do not apply to the best work of such makers as Forster, Banks, Thompson, Joseph Hill, etc., many specimens of which have a particularly fine tone.

To the young player buying an instrument for life, if upwards of £15 can be given it is far better to purchase an entirely new one of good make, of a model suited to the individual taste of the student; by the time he has worked some ten or a dozen years on it he will have brought out most of the beauties of tone which the instrument is capable of giving. A really good new instrument improves more rapidly than is generally admitted—with good hard exercise work in all the positions.

In choosing a bow Dodd and Tourte are names to conjure with, but happily there are no lost "secrets" in the art of bow making, and fortunately a new bow after a few weeks use is better than an old one, therefore the craze for old bows except with collectors and rich amateurs, will never be so pronounced as is the case with old instruments. If the student can pay say a couple of sovereigns, he must consider himself tricked if he does not secure a bow good enough for any sort of work, and one which will with care last for years.

I have lately come across some French bows without any name, retailed, I believe, at about thirty shillings, which are very fine indeed, nice and light with plenty of spring. Some recommend a second-hand bow, saying that in buying one that has been used the faults, if any, will have made their appearance, but as it is hardly possible to tell whether a bow has been much used unless the stick is very badly worn, this is hardly sound. Buy from a conscientious dealer, pay a fair price and trust to it, that is all that can be done.