Celebrating Rudolf Matz

Part 1: Reintroducing Cellists and Teachers to the Foundational Materials of Master Cello Pedagogue Rudolf Matz (1901-1988).

Dr. Stephen Feldman--Professor of Cello at the University of Central Arkansas.

Duet #17 ("Short Prelude") from 21 Duets for Young Cellists [1978] (Andante cantabile).

Stephen Feldman, Cello 1.
Daniel Ebner, Cello 2.

Tempo: Quarter-note equals ~ 92.

(A note about tempos: Matz does not put metronome markings in his music. I think it is fair to say he leaves it up to the teacher and student to experiment and determine what is the most appropriate tempo for their level of playing. I have aimed for tempos that make the pieces most engaging to listen to, but other tempos can also work quite well.)

[Find these Duets and other works by Matz at www.dominismusic.com]

Rudolf Matz's 21 Duets were written and published quite late in relation to the other materials of Matz's First Years of Violoncello, though they are designed to be played earlier than most other works in the collection. Both cello parts remain in first position throughout. Unlike Matz's more complex 12 Duets, which rapidly move between 1st and 4th positions and have intricate rhythmic and melodic interplay between the two parts, these 21 Duets usually have the 1st part playing the main melodic material and the 2nd part playing a supporting role. Nonetheless each duet is quite distinctive, and the duets exercise quite a variety of aspects of musicianship throughout.
_______________________________________

Croatian born Rudolf Matz (1901-1988) began work on what would become his First Years of Violoncello in the early 1940’s, and he would continue to expand, revise, and make more complete this monumental undertaking for the next 45 years. His interest and experience as a teacher, performer, composer and author informed the content of these technical exercises, etudes, and concert pieces, as did his early life experience as a competitive sprinter and his later interest in and study of anatomy, physiology, and ergonomics. Furthermore, Matz’s work with the Vaclav Huml, a Prague-trained violinist and former student of Sevcik, and Antonio Janigro, a virtuoso cellist well-versed in the modernizations of cello technique by Casals by way of Janigro’s study with Diran Alexanian provided a model and added richness and depth to Matz’s endeavor. The 31 volumes of Matz’s First Years of Violoncello were published in Zagreb between 1946 and 1971, but these editions are no longer in print. Many of the works have been newly published by Dominis Music beginning in 1982—a publishing house established by Matz’s former student and friend, Slobodan Gospodnetic.

All of the pieces I will add to this channel in the first part of this Celebration of Rudolf Matz are published by Dominis Music and are widely available.