Trunk rotation in cello performance

a technical approach

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2026.61364

Keywords:

Musician health, Cello technique, Ergonomics, Performance practice

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between body posture and string-crossing technique in cello performance, with an emphasis on the ergonomic and expressive dimensions of musical gesture. Employing a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive design, it integrates a literature review with the authors own experiences. The review encompasses historical treatises, technical manuals, and scholarly articles addressing posture and its impact on sound quality and fluency, drawing on authors such as Maurice Eisenberg, Paul Tortelier, and Gerhard Mantel. The authors’ experiences as cellists inform the research perspective, providing a foundation for analyses of trunk and arm movements, postural impacts on bowing and left-hand technique, as well as for practical comparisons among different approaches found in the literature. The analysis identifies convergences and tensions between theory and practice, including ergonomic strategies to reduce muscular strain, variations in tone production, and interpretative implications. Although based on individual experience, the study offers valuable insights into the ergonomics of cello practice and performance for musicians and educators alike. As a result of the investigation, the authors present a proposal for a technical alternative aimed at minimizing health-related issues and enhancing efficiency and ease in playing the instrument.

Author Biographies

  • João Paulo Bastos Freitas, University of São Paulo, Brazil

    Doctoral candidate in Musicology at the Graduate Program of the School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP), under the supervision of Professor Dr. Mônica Isabel Lucas. He holds a Master’s degree in Cello Performance from the same program, where he studied under Professor Dr. Robert Suetholz, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Cello and a Licentiate degree in Music Education from the Music Department of FFCLRP-USP, under the guidance of Professor Dr. André Luís G. Micheletti. His professional experience spans both orchestral performance—having served as assistant principal cellist and section leader in various orchestras—and instrumental pedagogy, having taught cello in social outreach programs, worked as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate Instrument course, and provided private instruction. As a researcher, he focuses on performance studies and historical musicology. As a cellist, he has taken part in numerous festivals and masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Alceu Reis, Kayami Satomi, Fábio Presgrave, Mathias Oliveira Pinto, Felipe Avellar, Lilit Kurdiyan (Armenia), Helga Winold (Germany), Minna Chung (Canada), Jean-Guihen Queyras (France), and Antonio Meneses, among others.

  • Robert John Suetholz, University of São Paulo, Brazil

    He pursued undergraduate studies in Music – Cello Performance (under professors George Sopkin and Wolfgang Laufer) at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (from 1978–81 and 1984–85). He holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees respectively: a Bachelor of Music – Cello from Faculdade de Música Carlos Gomes (1996); a Master of Music – Cello (studying with Professor Hans Jorgen Jensen) from Northwestern University (1998); and a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of São Paulo (2011). He is the author of Técnicas de reeducação corporal e a prática do violoncelo (Body Reeducation Techniques and Cello Practice), originally published by Editora Prismas in 2015 and reissued by Editora Tipografia Musical in 2020. He also co-translated, together with Professor Dr. Luiz Amato (UNESP), Leopold Auer’s book The Violin Playing As I Teach It (O violino segundo meus princípios), published by Editora Prismas in 2017 and later by Editora Appris in 2019. For twenty-five years, he was the cellist of the São Paulo City String Quartet, leaving the ensemble at the end of 2016. He currently serves as Professor Doutor (Associate Professor, MS-3 level, full-time RDIDP appointment) at the University of São Paulo, where he has taught cello since 1989. His work is primarily centered on the field of the Arts, with a strong emphasis on cello performance and pedagogy.

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Published

2026-03-10

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Vol. 27 (2026): General Topics

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Articles in Portuguese/Spanish

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How to Cite

“Trunk Rotation in Cello Performance: A Technical Approach”. 2026. Per Musi 27 (March): 1.19. https://doi.org/10.35699/2317-6377.2026.61364.