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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Estudios para violonchelo sobre músicas de Sudamérica: Estilo y técnica

by Iván Ricardo Tovar Quevedo and Rafael Julio Delgado Espinoza

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2022
Publisher
Ibermúsicas (Programa de Ayudas al Sector Musical, modalidad virtual), 2022. Free PDF under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0. Score engraving: Ángel Maher Esteban Pereira. Spanish text; a Portuguese-language page for the same book is also on the Ibermúsicas site.
More by Iván Ricardo Tovar QuevedoMore by Rafael Julio Delgado Espinoza

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About this piece

A book of twelve studies for cello built on the folk and popular rhythms of South America, created by cellist-teachers Iván Ricardo Tovar Quevedo (Colombia) and Rafael Julio Delgado Espinoza (Argentina–Peru), with contributions from Adrián Borgarelli (Uruguay) and Rodrigo "Peje" Durán (Chile). The authors pitch the studies at intermediate and advanced players. Each study takes a specific style: chacarera and zamba from Argentina, cueca and an aire mapuche from Chile, porro, torbellino and southern bambuco from Colombia, huayno and landó from Peru, candombe and milonga campera from Uruguay, and the joropo golpe gabán from Colombia and Venezuela. Every study comes with an explanatory text on the style, its rhythmic patterns and the percussive and bowing effects it uses. Most are for solo cello; some include chord symbols so they can be played with accompaniment, and one is a duet for two cellos. The book was selected by the Ibermúsicas programme and is published as a free download under a Creative Commons licence.

Technical overview

Studies in popular South American styles that ask for techniques rarely covered in standard étude books: percussive effects on the body and strings (chop, slap, ghost notes), strummed and arpeggiated pizzicato chords, and bass-line-plus-melody textures. Players read bass, tenor and treble clefs, work in upper positions, and handle double stops, natural harmonics, grace-note ornaments, ricochet, fast tempos and changing meters, with constant syncopation.

Technical focus

  • Chords
  • Double Stops
  • Extended Techniques
  • Grace Notes
  • Harmonics
  • Meter Changes
  • Pizzicato
  • Ricochet
  • Sul Tasto
  • Syncopation
  • Tenor Clef
  • Treble Clef

Level rubric

Late Intermediate

Left Hand

  • Master positions up to 7th.
  • Use 5th–7th positions for high notes; early thumb position basics.
  • Learn treble clef for 4th, 5th, 6th positions.
  • Practice complex shifting with guide‑finger techniques.
  • Manage upper extensions; play double stops (thirds, fourths, sixths) with consistency.
  • Use continuous, selectively applied vibrato.

Right Hand

  • Develop advanced bow strokes: deliberate ricochet & controlled up‑bow staccato.
  • Execute quick string crossings & precise chord articulations.
  • Achieve wide dynamic range while maintaining tone.
  • Seamless transitions between spiccato and legato.
  • Execute multiple stops/chord rolls rapidly.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Increased complexity: fast passages, intricate syncopation.
  • Detailed phrasing & structure; shape long phrases with rubato.
  • Combine expressive dynamics, vibrato & precise bowing techniques.
  • Further refine ensemble sensitivity & leadership.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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