Playing continuo on the Violoncello da Spalla: the experience of violinist Juliane Oberegger
Don't put a new instrument in the cellar, get out into the world and exchange ideas!
The most faithful readers might remember that on last October’s last issue I wrote about the violinist Juliane Oberegger who rented our Wagner da spalla model for a special project with the Innsbrucker Hofmusik ensemble. That one was just a short report; I am delighted to offer you now an interview on her impressions about that month, her first experience with a Violoncello da Spalla.
A bit of Background, who you are, what is your phd about, and maybe a bit about the ensemble that was interested in trying out a da spalla in concert
I studied musicology in Graz and specialised in historical musicology and music aesthetics in my bachelor's degree. In my master's degree, I specialised further in historical musicology and wrote my master's thesis on Kilian Reinhardt's Rubriche Generali and church music at the Viennese court. At the same time, I studied historical violin instruments in Graz and Linz. I am currently employed in Graz on a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), which is investigating musical practice at the Graz court in detail for the first time, and am writing my dissertation in musicology as part of this project. At the same time, I am working as a freelance musician. The aim is to link musicology and musical practice even more closely and thus generate fertile ground for research that makes the findings accessible to a wider audience through the practical (musical) implementation of the findings. I took a big step in this direction in 2022 with the founding of the Summa Sonorum – Festival for early music, which uses innovative concert formats to communicate science and culture. The main aim is to open new doors and invite the audience in. The combination of my fascination for the curious and my scientific background make me a good person to talk to when you need something more ‘unusual’. Be it an instrument, a programme or a location.
For some time now, I have had the honour of playing with the Innsbrucker Hofmusik ensemble, which pays particular attention to historically informed musical practice and thus creates wonderful opportunities. The artistic director of the Hofmusik, Marian Polin, once asked me ‘What do you know about this violoncello da Spalla?’ And the rest is history! Initial research into the literature and primary sources, and later a deeper examination of the research around it, led to Daniela trying out the instruments and ultimately to the Hofmusik using the Violoncello da Spalla in a concert – for the fist time in its original function as a continuo and bass instrument. The recording of the concert is now available on YouTube and my scholarly analyses of it will be published in the second issue of Der forschende Musicus, which is a student run magazine all about historically informed performance practice. The expected publication date is mid-July 2025.
How did you prepare for the week of the project, and which were the major challenges at the beginning, and how did you solve them.
Thankfully, I got the instrument three weeks before the project started and was able to spend enough time with it. Once I had it with me, I just played it every day - at least a few minutes - to get into a routine and build up a bit of “fitness”. I decided to play the instrument with a shoulder strap and hang it around my neck, although it would have been possible without it, as it is roughly about the same size as the Tenorviola I play sometimes. Nevertheless, at the beginning I always had sore muscles when I played for longer periods. To avoid serious overexertion, I tried to play a little every day to find out which position felt most natural. The Situation, that there are not no clear sources on posture, but there was also no one who could tell me ‘Do it this way!’, was very interesting and sometimes also a bit scary. It was all an experiment, which on the one hand brought with it a great sense of freedom, but on the other hand there was always this ulterior motive of ‘Shit, nobody can actually help me if I stumble across a problem that I can't solve myself.’ Fortunately, I never encountered such an unsolvable problem. The biggest challenge was definitely the posture - finding one that also works ergonomically in the long term for the duration of multiple whole days of rehearsal. Since I'm used to playing a wide variety of clefs and transpositions on the violin and viola, reading was no problem. One thing that I didn't really think about until the very end, but which wasn't at all unimportant: I always did very funny contortions when I put the instrument on. Luckily, I was on the rood screen at the beginning of the concert and nobody saw these gymnastic exercises.
I got the instrument three weeks before the project started and was able to spend enough time with it. Once I had it with me, I just played it every day - at least a few minutes - to get into a routine and build up a bit of “fitness”.
Which repertoire did you read to prepare yourself, what did you find helpful and, generally, how did you approach your preparation despite being always on the road
At the beginning, I always played a few of my normal warm-up exercises, which I like to do on the violin, to work on intonation and sound, to test the limits of the instrument and also to have a benchmark, so to speak, and to measure my progress. I also played literature that was ‘supposedly’ written for violoncello da spalla, such as the 44 Lezioni by Antonio Caldara or the Sonata a Violino é Violoncello by Giuseppe Torelli. I generally have no problem practising when I'm travelling because I always ask for rooms in hotels where I won't disturb anyone, practise in the concert halls after rehearsals if possible or I have university practice rooms available anyway. Travelling with the Spalla - apart from the size and the extra suitcase - was exciting in that it also meant that other musicians could try out the instrument, resulting in a valuable exchange. To cut a long story short: don't put a new instrument in the cellar, get out into the world and exchange ideas!
Travelling with the Spalla - apart from the size and the extra suitcase - was exciting in that it also meant that other musicians could try out the instrument, resulting in a valuable exchange.
Playing position and technique and kind of bow: challenges and useful tips?
The choice of bow was somewhat limited by the bows available, but it was clear to me that I needed a bow that was as short as possible. I prefer black hair for instruments with thick bare gut strings. Experience has shown that a heavier wood would also have helped.
I briefly touched on the posture earlier - I also varied it a little depending on the set-up. The particular challenge of playing out of the window of the Herrscheroratorium in the Hofkirche in Innsbruck required a slightly different angle than playing from the rood screen, where I stood facing the conductor. Basically, I supported the instrument on my right shoulder and ‘pushed’ it forwards with my left hand to get it a little away from my body. This also made the playing feel similar to that of the violin, because when playing chin-off or especially in the low position, there is an interplay between the pressure and counter-pressure coming from the bow or the violin.
First impact about real use and later impressions
My first impression was a complete fascination with the instrument and the challenge of playing it in concert in just a few weeks. After I familiarised myself with the instrument and used it for the first time in rehearsal, everything suddenly made sense, because that's where an instrument like this belongs. Not playing solo literature, but playing continuo. Of course, everyone went into the first rehearsal expecting the sound of a cello or viola da gamba, but that's simply not the case. The body is much smaller, so there is less resonance surface. Afterwards I wondered whether a higher string tension would have helped. But after a while my ears got used to the sound and the instrument fitted in well, especially in the violin consort and in pieces with smaller instrumentation - e.g. only organ, voice, theorbo and da spalla.
My first impression was a complete fascination with the instrument and the challenge of playing it in concert in just a few weeks. After I familiarised myself with the instrument and used it for the first time in rehearsal, everything suddenly made sense, because that's where an instrument like this belongs. Not playing solo literature, but playing continuo.
Other anecdotes, something that happened that you didn´t expect, interest received from other people, anything you´d like to add
The case is labelled ‘…da Spalla!’ and a cellist asked me about it in a restaurant in Bremen. He said that he had heard of it but had no idea what the instrument was like. I then unpacked the instrument in the restaurant and showed it to him and his son. There were a few musicians in the restaurant and a group quickly formed to discuss the instrument. There were several encounters of this kind - so the da Spalla simultaneously divides minds and connects complete strangers 😉
Do you see a future in music performance for this instrument?
Absolutely! I think that for the purposes of continuo playing, especially for 17th century music, an earlier and larger type of instrument would be needed. I find the concept 5 strings suitable, I used all of them in the bass parts, although I liked to octave down additionally when it was possible and not play two long C's in the same register, for example. That was also a valuable experience for me: I had never worked as a continuo player before and got some ‘play it this way and that way, that's just how you do it in continuo’ feedback from my colleagues. One of them is playing octaves or connecting notes.
In any case, I will continue to work on this instrument and hopefully have the opportunity to play it again soon.
We’re most grateful to Juliane Oberegger for sharing with us her experience. We feel proud we had a part in such an enriching experience, thank you!
Further readings:
Updates from our workshop:
Alessandro is getting closer to finishing his normal sized cello, while Daniela is carving the inside of the two da spalla top plates!
Featured video of the week
Enjoy the full recording of the “De Beata Vergine” by Stefano Bernardi, 1624, performed by Innsbrucker Hofmusik Ensemble in the Hofkirche in Innsbruck. Note how the da spalla fits in different instrumentation ensembles. No Violone here: an organ, a theorbo and a tiny portable bass, so that the continuo group can move in different positions and join different soloists to offer a wide colorful palette.
