Cello excerpt
Ravel, Boléro
Tempo di Bolero, moderato assai
The unmistakable repeating pizzicato cello/bass ostinato. Hypnotic precision required.
At a glance
- Instrument
- Cello
- Composer
- Maurice Ravel
- Work
- Boléro
- Movement
- Tempo di Bolero, moderato assai
- Era
- Modern (c. 1910–1950)
- Composed
- 1928
- Key
- C
- Metre
- 3/4
- Tempo
- Tempo di Bolero · ♩ ≈ 72
- Clef
- Bass clef
- Level
- Comfortable, community and youth orchestra
- Audition list
- Not a standard excerpt
How to practise it
The bow style, the trouble spots, and the stylistic decisions that come up most often on this excerpt.
Bowing
Pizz throughout. Identical attack every note for the full 17 minutes.
Style
Mechanical, hypnotic. Don't let your mind wander, and don't crescendo.
Tags
Work on the technique underneath
Arco's cello curriculum builds the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading this excerpt assumes, with recorded cello playback throughout.