Dotzauer Project — Episode 15

Announcing the Two-octaves Scales from Appendix 1 of the Violoncello School, [Op. 65]

This article is an expanded version of the Editorial Notes that can be found in the published edition, available as a printed book (coming soon) as well as digitally (PayPal/Stripe — Apple Pay/Credit card). This edition has been revised from the publication of the Scales & Exercises from Appendix 1 (ASE 0104, available digitally here, and as a printed book on demand) to offer the scales from that book and thirty-five practicing suggestions.

The first part of the Editorial Notes is substantially the same as in the previous edition as it covers the historical background, the sources, and an introduction on the sources. You can find it already published here. What follows is the part unique to this edition.

The Two-octave Scales from Appendix 1

The purpose of this shortened version of Appendix 1 is to provide students and teachers alike with a practical—and possibly less daunting—resource for two-octave scales practising on the cello. The original layout found in Dotzauer’s book offers the C major scale followed by thirteen exercises and by two duets in the same key. From there, each new scale is followed by two—or sometimes three—duets. This edition, by contrast, presents all twenty-four scales without interruption, followed by a distinct section titled ’Practising Ideas | to be applied to each scale’. The idea behind this new arrangement is to allow immediate access to the desired scale and to extract the rhythmical patterns ingeniously incorporated by Dotzauer in the second cello part.

The intended usage of this book is as follows:

1. The student should practise each scale in even notes, using the whole, two-thirds (bottom-middle or middle-top), or half bow. At first, they should practise one note per bow, gradually increasing the number of notes slurred together up to being able to perform the entire scale (ascent and descent) in a single bow.
2. Each scale should then be practised following every one of the thirty-five proposed patterns found afterwards. Every pattern—except for N° 19, see the footnote in the score—has been written in C major, regardless of the original key that inspired it. Transposition and mode shift should be done at sight by the student, even though rewriting each pattern in the destination key could prove a valuable pedagogical task for the student’s handwriting skills—use of notation software for this specific task should be discouraged by the teacher.

Notes on Performance and Practice

The next section describes each scale and pattern in greater detail. To know more about the duets that inspired the patterns, please refer to the edition covering the full Appendix I of Dotzauer’s Violoncello School (ASE Editions 0104)

Each scale is notated in two open-metre bars of fifteen notes each, concluding with the final tonic, and often proposes two sets of fingerings, separated by a straight line.

C major

Dotzauer proposes this scale with two alternative fingering sets: one with and one without open strings. Both sets are written above the staff, separated by a straight line. When string allocations differ between the two sets, the alternative fingering is placed above everything else. All notes have the same duration, leaving it to the teacher to assign (or to the student to decide) a specific rhythmical and slurring pattern for practising. When using this book, please follow the instructions given above.

A minor

All minor scales proposed by Dotzauer in this book are of the melodic kind, that is, with the 6th and 7th degrees raised by a chromatic half-step going up, and lowered again to their natural state when descending. Teachers may want to present the harmonic and natural variants to their students at their discretion.

The two-octave A minor scale introduces three novelties: the tenor clef, the second disposition of the left hand (extended position), and the intermediary positions (5th position). While, in the C major scale, one could execute it entirely in 1st position, with A minor this is no longer possible. It is therefore suggested that the student practises the alternative fingering of the C major scale—which introduces positions 2 to 4—before attempting the A minor scale.

The fingering proposed by Dotzauer for the descent has certain advantages for intonation, but it is not ideal for rapid execution. The universal, alternative fingering has been added in italics above the existing one.

G major

The G major scale is proposed with two fingering sets, one with and one without the employment of open strings. Notably, the descent bears no alternative fingerings, but Dotzauer assumed considerable prior knowledge. Whenever helpful, additional fingerings in italics and string indicators in square brackets have been added. Where this is absent, it should be assumed that the descent uses the same fingerings used for the ascent.

E minor

For the version using open strings, Dotzauer employs different fingerings for the ascent and for the descent, while for the version not using open strings, only three markings are added during the descent. The missing digits have been added, which are written in italic typeface when not original to Dotzauer.

D major

This scale presents no particular technical challenges and is arguably the most comfortable and rich in resonance on the cello. Two fingering sets are proposed, one with and one without open strings. The alternative fingering is added only during the ascent and should be assumed to remain unchanged during the descent.

B minor

This scale is interesting because Dotzauer suggests a different fingering for the descent compared to the ascent. Upon reaching the upper tonic in 6th position, the G-natural of the return is marked with a 4th finger, in 4th position. This provides a great advantage for intonation, but it is also recommended to practise this with the backward-extended 1st finger, as marked by the italicised digits.

A major

We continue our ascending sharps progression with A major. Once again, there are two sets of fingerings and no additional marking on the returning path. The last G-sharp is played with the 2nd finger in 5th position during the ascent and with the 4th finger in extended-4th position in the descent. Students may also attempt to maintain the same fingering in both directions as well.

F-sharp minor

This scale does not offer a 1st-position starting option, opting instead for the upper-3rd position from the outset. The only alternative fingerings are proposed when avoiding the open A string (during the ascent) and the open A- and D-strings (during the descent) is necessary. Once again, Dotzauer is very parsimonious in fingering suggestions in the descending path, which the added italic fingerings seek to address.

E major

As the sharps continue to increase, providing a variant with open strings becomes increasingly impractical, yet Dotzauer continues to provide one, suggesting a quite awkward fingering as its first choice. The second set of fingerings, using the so-called Universal Fingering (three notes per position), is significantly more practical and also avoids the strange position change on the second note of the descent. This alternative, though, is not written out in the descent, requiring students to apply the pattern independently.

C-sharp minor

Open strings are finally dispensed with in this scale, where at least the ascent has only one proposed set of fingerings. For the descent, Dotzauer proposes a switch from half to first position for the first three notes. This may be practised for pedagogical interest, but does not offer any particular advantage over the second option written above.

B major

For the first time, we only have a single set of proposed fingerings, going from 2nd to 6th position. Since Dotzauer does not cover enharmonic keys, this scale should also be practised as C-flat major.

G-sharp minor

This scale presents no particular technical challenges and, having only a single clear possible fingering, is quite straightforward. Students should also practise this scale as A-flat minor.

F-sharp major

This straightforward scale should also be practised as G-flat major.

D-sharp minor

In this scale, Dotzauer proposes the open string as his first choice for the C-double sharp, but gives the 4th-position alternative above. It is recommended to practise this scale as E-flat minor as well.

F major

With all sharp keys exhausted, the focus now shifts to flat keys, starting with F major. It is evident that the order chosen by Dotzauer follows a circle-of-fifths logic and not a difficulty progression. For this specific scale, two fingering sets are proposed, one with and one without open strings, exclusively during the ascent.

D minor

Three additional fingerings have been provided in the descending portion because the only digit added by Dotzauer (on the last A) provided insufficient guidance without preceding specifications. This exemplifies a common pedagogical challenge: experienced musicians may occasionally omit fingering details that seem self-evident to them but prove essential for students.

B-flat major

While Dotzauer proposes an alternative fingering for the ascent, he does not repeat it for the descent, which has been remedied in the score by means of italicised digits.

G minor

Once again, Dotzauer only places a single suggested fingering during the entire descent of this scale, necessitating editorial additions for clarity.

E-flat major

Two fingering sets are proposed for this scale, but only for the ascent. The missing helpful fingerings for the descent have been added in italic typeface.

C minor

The C minor melodic scale is offered with two sets of fingerings and should be practised alongside its major parallel to familiarise students with the different dispositions of the fingers while using the same positions.

A-flat major

As the first scale of the flat portion of the circle of fifths without open strings, A-flat major has only one proposed fingering, the universal one.

F minor

This scale marks the approach to the final stages of this journey, allowing (and encouraging) students to compare scales beginning on the same pitch but constructed in different modes. As has been noted, Dotzauer was quite sparing with fingerings in the descent, which has been addressed with editorial additions.

D-flat major

The last major scale of the collection should also be performed as C-sharp major and compared to D major, to nurture the student’s awareness of the universal fingering system.

B-flat minor

The collection concludes with B-flat minor. Once again, this scale should be practised with both proposed fingerings, alongside its parallel major, and as A-sharp minor.

Practising Ideas

Nos. 1–13

These are the only exercises original by Dotzauer in this book beyond the scales themselves. Exercise 1 proceeds by ascending two steps and descending one, producing a three-note scalar fragment beginning on each scale degree (e.g., C-D-E; D-E-F; E-F-G; etc.). This and the following are excellent exercises when paired with different slurring patterns. Exercise 2 presents the same challenge as the previous one while playing four consecutive notes on each degree (e.g., C-D-E-F; D-E-F-G; etc.). It is curious that Johannes Klingenberg, in his “Dotzauer: Cello Tutor” trilogy, decided to omit these exceptional exercises in favour of Duport’s ones—while failing to credit the French master. The next four exercises follow in their predecessors’ footsteps, progressively increasing the number of notes played on each degree: Ex. 3, with five notes; Ex. 4, six notes; Ex. 5, seven notes; and, finally, Ex. 6, with eight notes.

Exercise 7 proposes a linked scale: going up one octave, then, from the subsequent note, descending one octave, and continuing in this manner (e.g., from C to the next C, then from the upper D back to the previous D, then moving up again from E). Exercises 8 to 13 deal with scales in melodic intervals, from thirds (No. 8) to octaves (No. 13).

Several practising ideas may be derived from these last examples, from inverting each couple of notes to shuffling a predetermined set of notes. For example, taking the first four notes and playing them in a different order, such as 2-4-3-1, then moving on to the next four notes. All these variations should be performed at sight, without writing them, to develop the student’s permutation skills.

These thirteen exercises should constitute the backbone of a student’s daily practice. When applied to other scales, it is possible that the original fingering will prove not to be ideal with these exercises. In this case, should the student find it too challenging to find a good fingering at sight, they should write the exercise down and a proper fingering should be established with the teacher’s guidance. The practice of these exercises should continue even as the student progresses to three- and four-octaves scales.

Nos. 14–15, 27, 30–31

Exercise 14 is taken from the second cello part of duets Nos. 14 and 16. It suggests practising each scale in whole notes, ascending only at first, and then both ascending and descending. As an additional challenge, a fermata may be added on each leading note. Exercise 15 evolves from its predecessor where, assuming the same speed, its half notes require the bow to move twice as fast as before. For both these patterns, in fact, the entire bow should be used for each note. Exercise 27 then further builds upon No. 15, with half notes throughout except for leading notes in the ascent and a very long tonic at the end.

Exercise 30 combines patterns 14 and 15, with an ascent almost exclusively in whole notes, and a descent entirely in half notes. Exercise 31, finally, increases the difficulty by introducing syncopation.

Nos. 16, 32

Inspired by the accompaniment of Duet No. 18 in G major, Exercise 16, in simple triple time, uses a half-and-quarter-note rhythm throughout. This introduces the need to manage different speeds of the bow, the up-bow being twice as fast as the down-bow. At slower paces, the correct speed of the bow can be achieved by managing the weight alone while, when playing faster, a more tense region of the string will need to be used to produce a slower bow. In both cases, great care must be taken in lightening the up-bow stroke.

Exercise 32, then, evolves from this by enriching the transition between the ascent and the descent, and ending the scale with a short-long alternation.

No. 17

This pattern, taken from the accompaniment of Duet No. 21 in E minor, offers several challenges. Firstly, a two-octave ascent is followed by a one-octave descent. Secondly, bow divisions should be planned carefully while maintaining a constant bow speed. The first, long note should use the whole bow; the following two, half a bow each; the next four the upper third, with the last eighth notes being relegated to the extreme tip of the bow. Subsequently, one can decide to conclude the exercise in the upper half of the bow (constant bow speed) or to use 2/3 or the whole bow for the half notes, and 1/3 or 1/2 bow for the quarter notes.

Nos. 18, 33

Inspired by the accompaniment of Duet No. 23 in D major, Exercise 18 presents an apparently simple pattern that constitutes the perfect chance to practise dividing the bow in three equal parts (lower, middle, and upper third). When practising at higher speeds, the dotted quarters may be played in the lower half of the bow during the ascent, and in the upper half of the bow during the descent.

A direct evolution to this is Exercise 33 which ascends the two octaves in dotted half notes (with a doubled-length leading note). The first octave of the descent is akin to No. 16, with a half note alternating with a quarter note, while the second and final octave features syncopation over two bars and a five-beat long ending.

No. 19

Modelled after one of the scale-inspired exercises, Duet No. 24 in D major, this pattern offers a new practising idea: start on note 1, play notes 2-3, repeat note 1 and iterate likewise from the following note (e.g., D-E-F-D, E-F-G-E, etc.). It is paramount that this exercise be practised with four-note legato, first with the entire bow, and then with each half of the bow. This is the only pattern that was impossible to write in C major. See the footnote for further instructions.

No. 20

This pattern, following the accompaniment of Duet No. 29 in F# minor, in 2/4 time, covers the first octave in half notes, the second in quarter notes, and the whole descent in eighth notes. It is recommended to practise each half note with either 2/3 or the whole bow and the remaining part of the pattern in the middle third of the bow.

Nos. 21–22

These patterns present greater technical challenges. No. 21, in 6/8 time, is taken from the accompaniment of Duet No. 31 in E major, while No. 22, in Common Time, derives from No. 33 in C# minor. Both patterns focus on rhythmical coordination. For No. 21, it is advised to stay in the middle third of the bow; for No. 22, instead, it is recommended to allow the length of the notes to dictate the proper bow quantity, at the same time maintaining a constant bow speed.

No. 23

This technically demanding pattern is inspired by the main part of Duet No. 36 in B major. The first note of each bar is drawn from a scale spanning only one octave. Once this pattern has been mastered, students should try to expand it to the second octave, either at sight or by writing it down.

No. 24

Based on the accompaniment of Duet No. 37 in G# minor, this pattern begins as No. 14 did, ascending the entire two octaves in whole notes. The descent is more variegated, alternating half notes to quarter notes. Bars 16–19 should be played in the upper half of the bow; bar 20 should be used to get back to the frog, followed by bar 21 in the lower half, and the conclusion using the whole bow.

No. 25

Once again, this pattern requires ascending the entirety of the two-octave scale, this time, however, in quarter notes, therefore using 1/3 or 2/3 of bow length. The last tonic is twice as long as the preceding notes, while the descent covers one octave in quarter notes, then four notes in eighth notes, concluding with a half note and a whole note. The first four bars should be played in the lower 2/3 of the bow, and bars 5–7 in the upper two thirds.

No. 26

Taken from the extremely challenging Duet No. 45 in D minor, this pattern should be practised slowly, and extreme care should be taken in planning bow speeds and division. This time, using solely the duration of the notes as guidance will not suffice. As when accompanying the main part, I suggest a starting speed of q = 40.

No. 28

This exercise, based on Duet No. 48 in D minor, is the first one to introduce forced slurs in the practising, and is also the only pattern to begin with an upbeat bar. It is suggested to begin up-bow, but it is also possible to practise this otherwise. A deceivingly simple first octave in quarter notes is followed by eighth notes, dotted quarter notes, and longer concluding notes, making this one of the most interesting patterns in the collection.

No. 29

The only pattern in 3/8 time, this practising idea, based on Duet No. 50 in G minor, alternates a virtuoso section in the ascent—to be played in the middle third of the bow—and a lively, dance-like descent. The rhythm shown in the first four bars should also be used as a standalone pattern, and applied to all scales, even beyond two octaves.

No. 34

This exercise, based on Duet No. 60 in Db major, ascends in half notes over fourteen bars as Nos. 15, 20, and 27 did, taking then just six bars to descend, alternating dotted rhythms, sixteenth notes and even adding a fermata on the last bar to ensure a dramatic finale.

No. 35

This final exercise, taken from the accompaniment of Duet No. 62 in Bb minor, combines everything learned so far in a challenging amalgamation of regular bars, dotted patterns, and continuous change of speed and quantity of the bow.

Michele Galvagno

Saluzzo, Italy — April 29, 2026.

Bottom Line

That’s all, folks! Thank you for reading so far.

It was a long journey, but we managed to complete it. The next task will be on the 24 exercises and duets in thumb position, so stay tuned for that later in the Fall. I hope you enjoyed reading through this and that you will want to share this with your colleagues and peers. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, a like, and to subscribe to the blog to be certain not to miss any new release.

Contact me for any questions you may have, either here in the comments or via the contact form on the blog site.

Until next time, thank you!

1. Pierre Baillot, Jean-Henri Levasseur, Charles-Simon Catel, Charles Nicolas Baudiot, Méthode de Violoncelle, engraved by Le Roy, published and printed by the ‘imprimerie du Conservatoire’ in 1804. Later reprinted by Janet & Cotelle and by A. Kühnel. ↩
2. Jean-Louis Duport, Essai sur le doigté du violoncelle, et sur la conduite de l’archet, first published by Imbault around 1805-06, plate number 296. ↩
3. Ign[az] v. Seyfried in: Caecilia, vol. 3, Nr. 12, 1825, p. 249-262, dated ‘Wien, im März 1825’ ↩
4. Ibidem. ↩
5. Record of the work in Stichbuch 4 of the publisher B. Schott’s Söhne, Mainz, with the signature: Munich, Bavarian State Library — Ana 800.C.I.4: https://mdz-nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb00109531-9
   D-Mbs, Mus.Schott.Ha 1922-4, 30000882 ↩
6. Available digitally online here: https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb00122689?page=%2C1 ↩
7. Available digitally online here: https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb00122690?page=%2C1 ↩
8. RISM No. 1001063694. ↩
9. Available digitally online here: https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb00122691?page=%2C1 ↩
10. At a certain point (p 29) the plate number erroneously changes into 2114 and stays wrong until the very end. ↩
11. A digital copy is available here: https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/view/bsb11190934?page=122%2C123 ↩
12. Extended link for the printed edition: http://www.geschichtswissenschaften.com/. Accessed April 27, 2026. ↩
13. While this opus number was mentioned in a letter to the publisher Schott in 1824, it was never printed on the cover of any reprint. ↩
14. With the cello’s fingerboard being about a minor third shorter than it is today, most scales stopped after the third octave. ↩
15. The symbol for the thumb (a circle with a trait centred below it) makes its debut here, while Duport was using a simple circle for it (and lowercase letters for open strings!). ↩
16. Ignaz v. Seyfried, in: Caecilia, vol. 3, Nr. 12, 1825, p. 249-262. ↩
17. Collective review of op. 65 and 126 together with a work by Joseph Merk and Dotzauer’s „6 Rondinos“, without author, signed „d. Rd.“ = „die Redaktion“, in: Caecilia, vol. 17, Nr. 65, 1835, p. 51-56 ↩