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Steven Elisha uses his cello like a bow and arrow shooting notes into the audience for kids to catch and keep.... Mr. Cello Video and photography by Gary Olsen May 2003
Steven is a true virtuoso of the cello, one of the oldest stringed instruments in the world. In fact, Steven played Carnegie Hall with a cello that was hand crafted in 1690 and worth a million dollars! "I borrowed it," says Steven. "I could never afford it." He has played the cello for 35 years, but Steven brings a youthful enthusiasm to his playing that makes learning about music engaging, fun and highly accessible especially for children.
He tells funny stories while accompanying himself (or children) with music he makes up on the spot. He can make his cello sound spooky. He can make it sound like a flying insect, or he can make it laugh, and he can make it cry. "How do you make the sound?" asked several students in every venue he stopped to play. "The bow is made from the hair of a horse's tail," says Steven. "So, if you see a horse without a tail, he may have given his to a cello player. The strings are steel wrapped in silver. The strings are like your vocal chords in your throat... Put your fingers on your throat," instructs Steven to his audience, and they all oblige. "Now hum. Can you feel the vibrations in your finger tips? The cello works the same way as your voice," he explains. "As I drag the bow across the strings, they vibrate." And the sound comes from this large but gracefully shaped box, "and the sound comes out of these "f-holes" (he points to the holes on the front surface of the cello shaped like cursive letter fs). The particular cello he travels with these days was made for him about a year ago, but it sounds fabulous. You can hear it for yourself by clicking on the appropriate button. This could be one of the most lovely sounding videos we've every produced thanks to Steven and his friend, Mr. Cello.
The turtle downloads a complete movie, no streaming. This is best for telephone modems. After saving this file, you can play it with RealPlayer. The rabbit button is a streaming movie. If you have high-speed web access such as DSL, it will begin playing immediately. The rocket button is for high-speed networks (like our schools have), DSL, and cable modems. It's the largest size streaming movie file with full-stereo audio. Further instructions are below on how to play video and audio files that appear on our website. |
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teven
Elisha comes to Dubuque from New York via Topeka Kansas. Actually,
he could be from anywhere and everywhere music is played. His well-worn
but stout cello case is nicked and dinged like a car that's been
driven in the city. "It's the vehicle belonging to Mr. Cello,"
says Steven, who is quick to point out he's Steven and not Mr. Cello.
Mr. Cello is the one in the case. 
We are now providing a choice of RealPlayer applications for you to download
and install on your computer to enable you to view the video and audio
files. One is RealPlayer8 and the other is RealOne Player, which is an
excellent player with many new features. It's easy to install, so just
Of
the two types of free players available, RealPlayer 8 is the traditional
player that is free and will work beautifully to access Web based multimedia
files from our site. There is also a new player available, which is also
free, called RealONE. Either player will probably work for your operating
system. If your system is older (Windows 95, NT), however, you may want
to use the RealPlayer 8 software. If you are running a newer, faster system
like Windows 98, ME, XP, or 2000, go for the RealOne player.
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