[log in to unmask] writes:

>Personally, one edition or another is interesting to see how certain
>players approach these works, but I use very few of others' suggestions,
>and have my own "edition," filled with scribbled-out bowings and
>fingerings.  Frankly, I've given up on writing out my bowings because I
>tend to change them as soon as I write them down.  In fact a bowing that
>works for me today will seem foolish tomorrow so my solution is basically
>to have a general idea of the bowings and then respond according to the
>moment.

In a word of agreement...absolutely!

If I were to be making any point, it is that fingerings and bowings do
"add up to" a particular sound, and any cellist who enjoys, say, du Pre's
playing, might try out what she wrote down that day.  Personally, I found
her contribution to the literature quite nice...specifically because it
was EASY to play, and when I was learning the suites, got me to feeling
quite good about myself, because my phrasing was altogether improved.  No
nonsense, just ease and grace.  Where we like ourselves to end up by the
time we mark our scores up for the 35th time...

Where the notion of "altering a composer's work" might sound an
abomination...that is exactly what we, as players, do.  The suites are
played and played and played.  We have all heard them.  Ten thousand times.
And, while you might say, "Good, so much the better, now you KNOW how they
go...just play!" Actually, it can be daunting to a young player to have as
a favorite some famous musician's athletic style that is YEARS away from
attainable.

I had a teacher who would not assign any piece of music that I had already
heard.  He wanted me to find the soul of the piece - from whatever edition
he thought would give me the easiest entree.  While you might think this
is an awful thing to do to a kid, it brought me into very close touch with
me, myself and the composers.  Only after I had struggled through, would he
pull out a record and show me HOW BRILLIANTLY I HAD FELT THE MUSIC.  I tell
ya.  He was a genius.

Carrying on in So.Fla...

Ellen Hogan