Taught by renowned cellist
Mafalda Santos
Join Mafalda Santos for a deep dive into The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, one of the most iconic lyrical works in the cello repertoire.
Introduction
Mafalda introduces the three technical pillars she will explore throughout the course: tone, vibrato, and creative fingering choices that support musical phrasing.
Tone and Sound Production
Mafalda breaks tone production down into three essential elements: contact point, bow speed, and arm weight. Through demonstrations and practical examples from the piece, Mafalda shows how adjusting these variables can dramatically change the color and resonance of the sound, giving you greater control over the lyrical character of this iconic melody.
Vibrato
Mafalda breaks vibrato down into its core elements, focusing on how speed, width, and timing influence the character of a phrase. Through demonstrations and examples from the piece, she shows how subtle adjustments in vibrato can enhance the natural flow of the melody and bring greater warmth and expressivity to the sound.
Choosing Fingerings
Mafalda approaches fingerings as a creative tool, showing how different options can influence tone color, shifts, and the continuity of the melodic line. Through demonstrations and examples from the piece, she shares strategies for choosing fingerings that support both technical ease and expressive phrasing.
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Unlock Course →Mafalda Santos is an award-winning cellist, researcher, and educator with over 20 international prizes. She has performed at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Berliner Philharmoniker and is a post-residential doctoral candidate at Yale University.
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