Danse Hongroise, Op. 51

About this piece

Laura Netzel, a Finnish-born Swedish composer who published under the pseudonym 'N. Lago', wrote this Danse Hongroise for cello and piano and dedicated it 'A Monsieur Franz Neruda'. It was published in Christiania by Carl Warmuth (plate C.W. 2030; IMSLP dates it 1894, while Swedish Musical Heritage gives 'c. 1890–1900'). The piece is a single Allegro in A minor and 2/4, 162 bars long according to Swedish Musical Heritage, alternating dotted, accented dance figures with running semiquaver passages, pizzicato interjections and a 'sempre spiccato' section, and ending in fortissimo chords. Swedish Musical Heritage describes most of Netzel's music as 'late Romantic, chromatic style, with touches of contemporary French music.' Raphaela Gromes and Julian Riem recorded it on their album 'Femmes' (BR-Klassik/Sony Classical, 2023). A free corrected edition with score and cello part (Levande musikarv/Swedish Musical Heritage, no. 542, 2015) can be downloaded from Swedish Musical Heritage and IMSLP.

Technical overview

One movement (Allegro, A minor, 2/4), about 3 minutes. The cello uses bass, tenor and treble clefs (up to thumb position around E5–G5), sustained sempre spiccato semiquavers, quick pizzicato/arco changes, string crossings between G4 and E5, trills and grace notes, and closing chords.

Technical focus

• Spiccato
• Pizzicato
• Shifting
• Thumb Position
• String Crossings
• 2 Note Slurs
• Legato
• Dotted Rhythms
• Double Stops
• Dynamics
• Hairpin Dynamics