The Impossible Duet: Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia for Cello and Violin

I'm proud to announce that my new scale method, "The Art of Scales for Cello" is now available. To preview selected pages from the book, please follow this PDF link: http://www.artofcello.com/book.pdf

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The video was shot by Harold and Alex of Xero pictures http://www.xeropictures.com/.

In case you were wondering, I couldn't find a violinist to play with, so I decided to just learn the violin part myself!

Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia for cello and violin

• Category

  Music

[angelcakes208]

So when you play the violin like that... Do you feel like a giant?

[space922]

I wish I could play that piece for my cello, yet sadly, I suck.

[aservantofelohim]

This is the best video on YouTube right now!

[1banders]

As is typical of modern (shudder!) string technique, the performer in this video employs an almost relentless vibrato. I find that quite unpleasant.

The following videos demonstrate that such a relentless vibrato is completely unnecessarily:

/watch?v=j1RpUkL5ekE

/watch?v=A0dsjgloJpY&list=PLB9­­1378C67FAFE7A5

/watch?v=ZSnzEmdHfR4

/watch?v=ZmxaxfS1vvo

[godislove1058]

It is essentially a matter of balance with vibrato; vibrato, when correctly utilized, embellishes music. Excessive or incorrectly executed vibrato will indubitably result in an unpleasant sound.

[Javier Corona Vázquez]

¡¡¡Genial!!! Gracias artofcello

[1banders]

Look Ma, no Gyspy violin tone and very little vibrato:

/watch?v=A0dsjgloJpY&list=PLB9­1378C67FAFE7A5

/watch?v=ZSnzEmdHfR4

[1banders]

Look Ma, no Gyspy violin tone and very little vibrato: /watch?v=ZmxaxfS1vvo

[1banders]

Compare with this real (Baroque) cello performance: /watch?v=j1RpUkL5ekE

Note the absence of the anachronistic 19th c. continuous vibrato, the absence of the Gypsy violin sound, and the gut strings. Metal strings were not introduced until WWI, when the disruption of commerce and the demand for surgical gut made it hard to find quality gut for strings, thus forcing strings players to settle for metal.

[1banders]

The only reason modern string players play continuous vibrato is because that is the technique they learned. The resulting sound is quite ugly.

[1banders]

Yes, it's vibrato. But there's no need to play it continuously.

The notion that the notes would sound "bland" without it is nonsense. Historically, vibrato was used only occasionally, as an ornament. Continuous vibrato was a primarily a 19th century aesthetic, foreign to music of earlier periods.