ABSTRACT
Carl Ludwig, a pioneer in the experimental science of physiology, believed that “all the problems of physiology could be solved by the systematic application of physics and chemistry.” The German cellist Emil Krall spent his career as a private teacher and recitalist in London. His pedagogically valuable books, though long out of print, are available on the internet. In contrast to the little-known Krall, Hugo Becker was a famous performer, as well as a professor in Frankfurt and Berlin. Gerhard Mantel describes “pressure” and “counterpressure” on the stick, with thumb extended rather than flexed to facilitate rotation and movement. Mantel teaches forearm abduction when playing on the first finger, and a more adducted position for the fourth finger, that is, a shift between pronation and supination depending on which finger is on the string. For Becker, producing an optimal tone depends less on increased muscle power and more on the correct fulfillment of static and dynamic requirements.
