Fruher Anfang auf dem Cello, Band 1
A violincello method for children aged four and older
String Methods - Sheet Music

Violoncello

SKU: BA.BA09691

A violincello method for children aged four and older. Composed by Egon Saßmannshaus and Kurt Sassmannshaus. Stapled. Barenreiter's Sassmannshaus. Since 2008 completely new arranged edition, replaces BA 6611. Violoncello-Schule (Cello Methods). Performance score. 64/2 pages. Baerenreiter Verlag #BA09691. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA09691).

ISBN 9790006536542. 30 x 23 cm inches. Language: German. Illustrations: Charlotte Panowsky.

Please note our English language edition of this volume BA 8996.

Being a large instrument, the cello makes a lasting impression on many small children, frequently leading to a lifelong rapport. “Früher Anfang auf dem Cello ”– the 'Cello Sassmannshaus' – was developed specifically to make proper musical and technical progress on this special instrument. It transfers the principles and experience gained from the violin tutor in order to ensure quick success.

After beginning with open strings and simple note values, learners become acquainted with the 'cuckoo call' (minor 3rd) as a basic interval for guidance purposes and for mastering good intonation. Volume 1 makes use of nursery rhymes, all of which are supplied with words to ensure that the melody lines can be easily grasped as a whole. Then the third, first and fourth fingers are successively introduced, as are accidentals and note values from the whole note (semibreve) to the eighth note (quaver). From the very beginning the volume places a special emphasis on reading musical notation and offers training in moving from one string to another and basic bowing strokes. Large print and delightful colour illustrations make the volume especially appealing to children. Enclosed is a sheet of cut-out musical cards that allow young learners to invent many puzzle and guessing games and later to master scales and pitch names.

To accompany this volume we recommend “Spielbuch für Streicher” ('Recital Pieces for String Ensemble', BA 9698) and “Weihnachtsspielbuch” ('Christmas Pieces for String Ensemble', BA 9699), both edited by Egon and Kurt Sassmannshaus. They give even the youngest learners an opportunity to try their hand at string ensemble playing.

The authors
In 1976 Egon Sassmannshaus, one of the most experienced and renowned violin teachers in Germany, published his tutor “Früher Anfang auf dem Cello”. This standard work for young string players quickly became the most popular and best-selling tutor in the German-speaking countries for beginners on this instrument. His son-in-law Michael Corssen, the co-author of Volumes 3 and 4, is a baroque cellist and conductor who heads a music school in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Egon Sassmannshaus's son, Kurt Sassmannshaus, functioned as co-editor of the English-language edition, “Early Start on the Cello” (BA 8996, BA 8997, BA 8998, BA 8999), adapting his father's successful tutor to meet the needs and requirements of English-speaking children.

The combined knowledge and experience of the Sassmannshaus/Corssen family make these four volumes the most thoroughly researched and thought-through cello tutor for beginners all over the world.

About Baerenreiter's Sassmannshaus

Children playfully learn reliable technique at the earliest age. For more than three decades the Sassmannshaus Tradition has been the household name for excellence in beginner methods in German-speaking countries. More than half a million students have successfully learned to play using this publication.

This tried and tested German method is now available in English! The best-selling method that gave generations of European musicians their foundation is now available in English, with content and songs newly adapted for today's English speaking children.

What makes this method so special?

• The child-friendly and age-appropriate text underlying the music enables children to perceive melodies as a whole and to understand their singable qualities.
• Songs and scales in different positions are easily explained and mastered within the first year. This is an important advantage over methods that confine children to the first position for many years.
• Note reading is emphasized from the first lesson - children are brought up to become proficient sight-readers and play in chamber music ensembles as early as possible.
• In contrast to other beginner methods, The Sassmannshaus Tradition progresses swiftly by introducing advanced techniques in rudimentary form, such as shifting and varied bow strokes.
• Ensemble playing is encouraged from the very beginning.
• The method is suitable for single instruction as well as for group and class lessons.
• The large print notes and text as well as many colorful illustrations are particularly child-friendly and very attractive to pre-school children and school children alike.
• The substantial volumes contain comprehensive material and carefully calibrated learning curves. They keep children curious and interested for many months and years.