CHAPTER 5: EARLY RECORDINGS
“Although sometimes treatises seem to be in contradiction with the edited scores, evidences of early recordings allow us to interpret much better those aspects which remain ambiguous in texts such as portamento and vibrato practices.” (Brown, 2003:8)
As unfortunately few early recordings from Brahms’s time exist, I have been working with recordings made by following generations. I chose some students who were studying with Brahms’s contemporaries in order to observe the differences between them and between written sources. The cellists I am analyzing are the following:
-Julius Klengel (1859-1933) studied with Grützmacher.
-Hugo Becker (1863-1941) studied with Piatti and Grützmacher.
-Joseph Hollman (1852 –1927) studied cello with Servais and Davydov.
-W.H. Squire (1871 – 1963) studied with Piatti.
-Paul Grümmer (1879-1965) studied with Klengel and Becker.
-Arnold Földesy (1882-1940) studied with Popper and Becker
-G.A.X. de Medim Suggia (1885-1950) studied with Klengel.
-Felix Salmond (1888 –1952) studied with William Whitehouse.
-Hans Bottermund (1892-1949) studied with Klengel, Becker, and Schroeder.
-Beatrice Harrison (1892-1965) studied with William Whitehouse and Becker
-Judith Bokor (1899-1972) studied with Popper and Becker.
-Emanuel Feuermann (1902-1942) studied with Klengel.
-Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) studied with Becker and Hausmann.
After analyzing all the early recordings I collected, really interesting information arose. The earliest cello recording I listened to dates from the year 1908 and is performed by Hugo Becker. This recording is a clear example of several characteristics that have been previously mentioned. The use of portamenti usually occurs in upbeats, between 5th, 6th and 8th ascendant intervals and between 3rd and 4th descending intervals within slurs, and during similar harmonies. What’s more, portamento is much more prominent in melodic passages, such as in the middle part of this Minuet. About the use of vibrato, we can hear that Becker uses it carefully, not really in a continuous way nor really audibly. It is also more used through the middle melodic part, especially in long notes.
Hugo Becker playing his own composition Minuet Op. 3 No. 3 for cello and piano in 1908. From CD "The Recorded Cello Volume Two: The German Tradition" [London]: Pearl, 1992.
Listening to Julius Klengel’s recordings we will find also a lot of portamenti being used. In the Sarabande from Cello Suite no.6 in D major, BWV 1012 by J.S. Bach, Klengel uses portamento mostly between 2nd, 3rd and 5th descendant intervals and in 6th intervals upwards. They also usually take place within slurs. Through the Adagio lots of portamenti occurs also between 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th descendant intervals and between 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th ascendant intervals. However, the big difference here with Becker as well as with much written evidence, lies in the use of vibrato. Klengel applies it in a very continuous and fast way.
Similar observations to those previously cited on Becker's recording can be made in recordings by Joseph Hollman in which he uses portamenti to link phrases, often in more lyrical and slow passages, while using rubato between big shifts.
A great example of different ways of doing portamento can be heard in a recording of Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch performed by Judith Bokor (1924). This cellist uses a lot of portamenti in the same intervals mentioned above and we can also clearly hear a lot of discontinuous portamenti. What’s more we can hear how Bokor immediately follows a one-way portamento in the opposite direction, as well as very audible and expressive shifts, being this contrary to written sources. Similar characteristics are heard in Guilhermina Suggia’s and Arnold Földesy’s recordings of the same piece, where they use a lot of portamenti, but not so often as Bokor. However, we can also find a more relaxed way of doing portamento by Bokor in the Romance by Anton Rubinstein. Here we can hear that she uses this tool always in service of the musical context. Similar observations are made in Haydn Cello concerto in D major recorded by Guilhermina Suggia, where she uses lighter portamenti, which are also in the service of the musical context.
A very different performance of Kol Nidrei can be heard in Felix Salmond’s recording, only six years later (1928). In this one, we hear a sparing use of portamento, only in some 3th and 4th ascending intervals and 4th descendant intervals. Likewise, we hear much the same in Salmond’s recording of the 7 Variations on Mozart’s Magic Flute aria "Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen" by Ludwig van Beethoven (1926). From this year (1926 onwards), we start to see a slight change in performance practice, with cellists starting to use a bit less portamento, and more similar vibrato—really continuous and often faster—which make it very audible. This can be heard in recordings by Gregor Piatigorsky (1927), Hans Bottermund (1928), Beatrice Harrison (1928), Emmanuel Feuermann (1934) and Paul Grümmer (1936).
Hans Botermund recorded the second movement (Langsam) from Cello Concerto by R.Schumann for POLYDOR in 1928
Felix Salmond playing 7 Variations on Mozart’s Magic Flute aria "Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen" by L. van Beethoven. Recorded in 1926
Paul Grümmer recorded Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 3, in A major, Op. 69 by L.van Beethoven for POLYDOR in 1936
Guilhermina Suggia playing Cello concerto in D major by J. Haydn and John Barbirolli conducting. Recorded in 1928