Assignment no. SHR4C006R-001

Student ID. ELG23083397

My Story + Semester 1

I have played the cello and double bass since the age of eight and ten after being inspired by my older sister who began playing flute in primary school. I then began learning percussion in university for fun and have continued all 3 instruments as I go into first year. My main areas of expertise lies within the lower string family and predominately reading bass and tenor clef.

Through my younger years I’ve always seen practicing as more of a chore, as much as I loved the premise of preforming, getting to that level of playing standard was challenging. At university I’ve been shown (as well as learning the hard way) the importance of practice and how the way I practice affects the rate at which I improve.

This semester after doing research surrounding cello solos, I found myself feeling uninspired. I come from a very classical background with little knowledge of other genre so for my technical assessment I decided to branch out and test myself by learning a Latin American dance called “The Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla.

Context about the Piece and Composer 

•The Libertango is a composition written and released in 1974 by the Composer and Bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla.

•It was also recorded in Milan.

•This piece was Piazzolla’s way of breaking away from ‘classical tango’ which is introspective and is very minimalistic.

•Libertango is an example of Tango nuevo; a form of music made popular by Piazzolla, where new instruments such as saxophone and guitar as well as new forms of harmonic structure were introduced and incorporated into traditional tango music.

•Piazzolla is a Latin American composer who was born in 1921 and died in 1992.

•He was in Triolo’s orchestra until the 1940s, then lead numerous ensembles around the world as well as performing his own compositions.

•He’s known as the ‘world’s foremost composer of Tango Music’.

Research and Analysis

I looked for YouTube videos to analyse other musicians’ interpretations of the piece.

Appendix A.

The first example is Crystal Hwang (2020) playing cello with the piano accompaniment.

She is playing the same arrangement as the one I’m currently learning by Joshua Parman (see Appendix A)

Without even looking at the sheet music, there are main aspects of her playing which clearly express the character and vibe the piece aims to create. For example,

•Bow articulation and placement- throughout the first phrase (0.01-0.33) her bow distribution is in the lower half of the bow which creates a very gritty and heavy sound. In contrast, she also uses long sustained bows during the middle section (1.24- 2.40) (with some exceptions) which increases the tangos intensity.

•She has very clear articulation and definition between staccato and legato. Since the tempo is 150bpm, the feel of the music is in 2 or a relatively quick 4 and she doesn’t use rubato which would further influence the steady tango rhythm.

I’ve learnt it’s important to study more than one example of the music to see variation as some musicians make artistic choices which aren’t always correct or what the composer specifically wanted.

Analysis and Research pt 2

Appendix B.

This is the original orchestrated version of the arrangement (Buenos Aires Hora Cero, 2010) I’m learning (see Appendix B). However, this recording contains a variety of instruments, including; a bandoneon (square-built button accordion), percussion, strings and flute.

Whilst there is no solo cello line in this arrangement, it is important to acknowledge and understand the musical style and artistic choices in the recording. For example,

•From the beginning, there is a clear emphasis on the down beats, and a less accented feel on the off beats.

•In this recording there’s a large dynamic range within the sections which changes the mood of the pieces entirely.

•The drum kit and percussion groove helps to accentuate the subdivisions which I would count in quavers when I play it.

•This recording too, has a steady robotic feel and is quite rigid in tempo

The first few practices

Appendix C.

As I begin to reflect on the first couple of practice sessions, there are key areas which need the most work.

Intonation: from the start, there are clear problems with my fingerings as I was sightreading and didn’t think about the note precisely. Therefore, my intonation was thrown off. After practicing the piece and spending time going over the notes, I would feel more comfortable with the fingerings.

Bowing: whilst most of the bowing is correct throughout, my bow placement isn’t fully in the upper half. Which is something I aim to work on.

I also found that the piano accompaniment playing on the offbeat really threw me off.

The ERA Cycle

Appendix D.

When learning the Libertango, I found the ERA system essential in my progress.

Experience; Recording audios or listening to my own playing.

Reflection; highlighting key areas to help me to focus on improvement.

Action; next playthrough work on the fundamental aspect or technique I’m struggling with, instead of monotonously playing through the piece without any real aims.

Appendix E.

With use of the music (see appendix E) I began to use the ERA system to improve my practice sessions. Here is an example from my practice diary…

Experience; Running through the piece with an accompanist before a recital

Reflection; when rehearsing I noticed my dynamics and articulation was severely limited. For example, the accents in bars 17 and 22 weren’t sounding properly.

Action; in the performance I should aim to accentuate the articulation by reinforcing dynamics and concentrating on bow speed, which will in turn create the right atmosphere and bring the performance together as a whole.

My Latest Practice and summary

Appendix F.

It’s clear from this video (Appendix F) that the quality of the Libertango has increased massively. I feel that I have managed to capture the correct essence of a tango, as well as being technically (mostly) accurate. There is always room for improvement! 

I believe that using the reflective practice methods such as the ERA cycle has helped me to pinpoint areas of weakness and create a sense of purpose within my practice sessions.

I will carry everything I have learned from reflective practice into other areas of my study going forward on my journey at Leeds Conservatoire.

Appendices List

Appendix A: Video recording by Crystal Hwang, 2020. “Libertango” composed by Piazzolla (recorded- YouTube)

Appendix B: Audio recording by Buenos Aires Hora Cera, 2010. “Libertango” composed by Piazzolla (recorded- Spotify)

Appendix C: Video Recording by Kirsty Elgin (October 2024)

Appendix D: Photograph from the University of Edinburgh of the “ERA cycle” Goals, objectives and reflective habits | Reflection Toolkit (2024)

Appendix E: Photograph by Kirsty Elgin (November 2024)

Appendix F: Video Recording by Kirsty Elgin (October 2024)