Cello Power Book 1
Thumb Position Duets for Two Cellos
by James Hook
String Duet - Sheet Music

Chamber Music Cello

SKU: CF.BF122

Thumb Position Duets for Two Cellos. Composed by James Hook. Arranged by Marion Feldman. SWS. Contemporary. Collection. With Standard notation. 12 pages. Carl Fischer Music #BF122. Published by Carl Fischer Music (CF.BF122).

ISBN 9781491146262. UPC: 680160903764. 9 x 12 inches.

Cello Power is a series of books designed to be used to expand the cello student’s facilityand knowledge of the instrument. The books are structured to focus on the advancedmaterials that appear in our cello literature. Most important are the exercises and myfurther recommendations on how to work on them. The process is first to digest thefundamental of each and thereby to enable one to build a solid technique in preparationfor the difficult passagework ahead. An example are the double-stop excerpts, which arebroken down into two-string bow patterns to aid in intonation and to clarify the spacingfor the left hand.Books 1 and 2 are planned to fill the gap left vacant by lack of materials covering, ina progressive order, the transition from the introduction of the thumb position into astudent’s studies and the work on the much more difficult application of this informationinto studies by Popper, Grützmacher and Piatti. Of course, then there are the ensuingrepertoire demands of the concertos of Dvořák and Saint-Saëns and such like.Book 3 is aimed at developing a sure and secure technique and facility in the lower areaof the cello. This includes material to help make the fifth, sixth and seventh positions lessawkward for the student. The goal is to aid in the ability of the student to become moreable to apply this technical comfort to the attainment of a more nuanced and emotionallyfulfilling musical performance on the cello.
The James Hook duets were originally written for two baroquerecorders. I knew the pieces from having played them on therecorder in my youth. They are charming baroque pieces whichstay within a limited range of notes on the instrument. This ledme to try to arrange them for cello. We cellists need this type ofmaterial, for there is very little material of this nature for the thumbposition. I wrote them out using treble and tenor clef becausemuch of the thumb position repertoire work is in either one ofthese clefs. The intermediate level cellist must become adept atreading and recognizing where in thumb position this materialis played. The first cello part is on the A- and D-strings. This is aplacement that enables familiarity with the most common area ofperformance in thumb position. The second cello part is writtenfor performance on the D- and G-strings, which is less commonbut frequently used for notes in the lower range of the instrument.I would hope that the teacher, using this material, will expect thestudent to know the note names and to be able to “ghost play”(i.e. finger) the notes in their proper place on the cello beforeplaying them through with the bow. Also, because they are duos,it is a good way to continue to develop good intonation and anawareness of the intervallic relationship of sounds between thetwo instruments.