Artistry and Cello Technique

What is artistry? How can a musician communicate the depths of human emotions through sound? Dr. Anderson asks one of the most celebrated cellists of our era, Bernard Greenhouse (1916-2011, founding cellist of the Beaux Arts Trio), these very questions, and probes cello techniques that have enabled him to captivate audiences all over the world. The discussion centers around Beethoven's notoriously difficult Sonata in D major for Cello and Piano, using the work as a springboard for illustrating Greenhouse's approach to interpreting music. Greenhouse discussed the influence of his teacher, Pablo Casals, and showed how performers can "turn music into speech that can be understood." To that end, he demonstrated techniques for enunciating notes, and for creating rhythmic momentum and dynamic inflections. This book is intended for advanced cellists who wish to improve their playing. It sets forth Greenhouse's cello technique, and documents his interpretation of Beethoven's sonata in the form of annotations to a performer's edition of the score.