The next time you are frustrated with a passage of fast string crossings or a boring accompaniment figure, pull up the full score on IMSLP. Look at what the cello is actually doing for the music . You might realize that your simple G-D-G-D pattern is the heartbeat holding the entire symphony together.
Playing cello from only the parte is like having a telephone conversation. You hear your voice and the other voice, but you miss the body language, the room, the environment.
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For many aspiring cellists, the world of music begins and ends with the —the individual printed line of notes on a single staff, marked with beautiful bowings, fingerings, and the occasional dynamic. But to truly graduate from a player to a musician, one must open the largest, most intimidating book on the stand: the Partitura (the Score).
Playing from the Partitura is like watching a movie in IMAX. You see the hero (sometimes it’s you, the cello!), but you also see the villain (the timpani), the sidekick (the violas), and the landscape (the flutes).
Happy practicing, and don’t break your bridge.
Do you have a favorite piece where the cello score is particularly beautiful? Let me know in the comments below!
