The Violoncello and Its History

Оглавление

Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski. The Violoncello and Its History

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

Viol da Gamba

The Art of Violoncello Playing In the Eighteenth Century

I.—ITALY

II.—GERMANY

III.—FRANCE

The Art of Violoncello Playing In the Nineteenth Century

IV.—ITALY

V.—GERMANY

VI.—FRANCE, BELGIUM, AND HOLLAND

VII.—England and Scandinavia

VIII.—THE SLAV STATES AND HUNGARY

CONCLUSION

SUPPLEMENTARY

APPENDIX

A

B

C

METHODS AND SCHOOLS

Отрывок из книги

In the following pages I present to the musical world the History of the Violoncello and Violoncello playing. I have preceded it by the History of the Viola da Gamba, for the reason that this instrument must be considered the precursor of the Violoncello. For my work I have made use of the musical dictionaries extant, especially Gerber’s old and new musical Lexicon as well as Fétis’s “Biographie Universelle des Musiciens.” What has been borrowed from other works will be indicated in the course of the narrative. The great courtesy of Herr Friedrich Grützmacher, the Royal Concert-director of Saxony, in placing at my disposal his extensive collection of old and new Violoncello Literature, has been of especial value to me in my undertaking. By its means I have been enabled to find my way through the historical development of Violoncello composition. I willingly seize this opportunity of expressing my thanks to him for it.

December, 1888.

.....

Besides Sainte-Colombe there were at that time two able French gamba players—namely, Desmarets and Baisson. Marais, however, excelled them in artistic execution. He added to the six strings of the instrument tuned in the accepted manner—

also a seventh, the A of the “contra octave.”28 This enabled him to surpass in harmonised playing all his predecessors and contemporaries. He was the first who caused the lowest strings of the gamba to be cased in metal wire so as to give them greater tension and resonance, a step in advance which was soon adopted for the two lower strings of the violoncello. Besides some operas, Marais was the author of a considerable number of gamba compositions which appeared in five parts. The fifth of them, for one and two gambas with a bass, was printed in 1705.

.....