What is the French School of Violoncello?
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FOURNIER
GENDRON
TORTELIER
NAVARRA
Introduction
The French cello school is distinguished by its clarity, refinement and bowing technique. The most eminent representatives of this school in the 20th century were Pierre Fournier, Maurice Gendron, Paul Tortelier and André Navarra. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, it started at the Paris Conservatory and the Paris Opera.
Two names have impacted the cello technique worldwide with their method and exercises: Jean-Louis Duport (1749 - 1819) and Louis Feuillard (1872 -1941)...
L'école du violoncelle francais...
Martin Berteau
J-P Duport - J-L Duport - F. Cupis
H. Levasseur - J.B. Bréval
Norblin - A.J. Franchomme
P.A. Chevillard - J. Loeb - G. Hekkig - P. Bazelaire - L. Feuillard
A.Navarra - P. Tortelier - M. Gendron - P. Fournier - M. Marechal
And then, the tree becomes a forest....
I. Jean-Louis Duport Essai and Etudes book
Essai
Duport 7th, a tradition...
In France, the most common technique books used are Duport, Feuillard, Loeb.. If your teacher is from the Navarra heritage, you will spend a lot of time working on "La reprise d'archet", meaning the bow change from up to down bow, and for that Duport number 7 will be you"friend".