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Emanuel Moór - Composer Profile and Cello Sonata, No. 2 in G Major, Op. 55

           The following post is adapted from the notes of a lecture recital cancelled due to COVID-19. I am happy to now share with you this research regarding a neglected composer and his life's work.   Emanuel Moór Self Portrait Hungarian composer Emanuel Moór (1863-1931) was the son of Jewish cantor Raphael Moór. Found at an early age to have an aptitude for music, the young Emanuel studied piano, organ and composition. His notable teachers included Franz Liszt on piano, Robert Volkman for composition, as well as a few composition lessons with Johannes Brahms. As a boy he performed in both Europe and America to much acclaim. However, today he is remembered mostly as an inventor. Moór invented a new design for both violin and piano. His piano featured two keyboards, similar in concept to the multiple manuals of a pipe organ or harpsichord, yet still with one set of hammers and one set of strings. Steinway produced a single prototype which is ...
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Surviving Life as a Small-Handed, Short-Armed Cellist

              String players come in all shapes and sizes. Some violinists look like they were born to play the double bass, and other people like me seem so small that they should be banished to a partial size instrument into adulthood. If you are in the second category, I feel your pain. Although we must come up with solutions to the unique technical challenges that we face, playing a large instrument is not impossible even for petite individuals. As a side note, this is not to say that adults should never consider a 3/4 or 7/8 size instrument or a shorter bow in some cases. Some physiques may require this. Be sure to seek your teacher's advice on instrument setup (endpin length, angle of the instrument, etc.). Likewise students who are not yet fully grown should seek their teacher’s input before moving to a size that may be uncomfortably large. In this blog I simply hope to share several ways I have found to overcome the...
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Learning Extensions Forward and Backward

                   String pedagogy tends to lump all extensions into one large animal. As cellists know however, not all extensions are created equal but rather are divided into two completely different categories of forward and backward extensions. Let us explore the similarities and differences below. Extensions             To begin, we need to set two ground rules. #1. Extensions always occur between first and second fingers in the neck positions.                Once we understand this concept, extensions become more manageable. All the fingers remain half-steps apart from adjacent fingers with the exception of the first finger that will be a whole-step away from second finger. No need to worry about your short pinky not reaching forward far enough on its own. Rather allow the movement of the second finger to push the ot...
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