JAVS Spring 2011

that opens the instrument and its tonal possibilities. Some instru ments that have never been played before in this manner open up in just a few minutes during these les sons. After finding this sound, we can always keep one of our ears on intonation. We work to hear the lower combination tone that is produced by the ringing of perfect ly in-tune double stops. The result ing sonority is shocking in its depth. The morning bells start our day with the example of our goal: a deep sound that emerges from and returns to silence. This same concept of a bell or an arch is found in phrasing. Thomas teaches us to “span the arch” of each phrase. Using Bach as an example, we first become aware of four- or eight-bar struc tures within each dance move ment. We must keep up the mid dle of the phrase and avoid our old habit of stressing its last note. The clarity of such musical archi tecture builds the frame of the piece. Next, eloquence and natu ral expression are added through rubato, shaping, and dynamics on a small and large scale. This requires clarity of intention and direction, achieved through exag geration. Thomas explains that as performers “we are exhibitionists on a stage. We cannot be shy; we must give what we can.” The expression also requires a dif ferentiation between fundamental tones and ornament and between contrasting voices and characters. We learn how to release without stopping and how to choose the number of “swings” to initiate per

scale or phrase. Thomas some times plays bass for us as we play the other voice, and then we switch roles. Placing the voices in stark relief this way highlights the musical structure and gives us a goal to realize. We propel certain phrases using gestures in dynamic or rhythmic shaping—for exam ple, a climactic moment followed by a recovery. A smile is found in each arch; there is a swing in the ebb and flow of sound and rhythm, and steps are found in the relative weights of significant beats and phrases. arch of the slur.” The Baroque bow, which Mr. Riebl jokingly refers to as his “teaching assis tant,” has an outward arch to it, mirrored by that of the motions of our arms, the bounce in our knees, the bridge, and the instru ment itself. We use modified Baroque bows in class that fill the modern, concave shape without creating a perfectly authentic out ward arch. This type of bow keeps modern strength, but adds Baroque flexibility and bounce. My first Bach lesson on the E-flat cello suite began by tuning down to A-flat, or to A=415, and exchanging my bow for one of Mr. Riebl’s Baroque bows that he lends. Like diving into a cold lake, the new sonority and possibilities are refreshing after one recovers from the initial shock. The light ness of the bow may “seduce” us to play lightly, but we must learn to listen for deep sonority by “follow ing the curve of sound.” Imitating The technique of creating a phrase comes from “observing the

Thomas Riebl

elements of his teaching on Bach to be applied to all later repertoire, including Modern works. Starting with sonority, we must “remember this music was often created for huge spaces.” Visiting the Berlin Cathedral, cathedrals in Paris, and smaller churches in towns gave me an impression of immense, dark space, punctuated by jewel-colored light from stained-glass windows and by ornate carvings. The flying buttresses and larger arches con nect sections of the building, just as the arcs of bows and phrases connect notes and musical sec tions. To fill such a space, Mr. Riebl helps us to develop a love of sonority by “digging and diving” into the sound. The result fills a hall without recourse to a pressed or forced approach. We add edge and overtones by practicing a ten-minute scale as a meditation on sound with a slow, condensed bow near the bridge

J OURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY 54