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Cello Repertoire Initiative

I'll Bid My Heart Be Still (Old Scottish Border Melody)

by Traditional · arranged by Rebecca Clarke

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
1944
Duration
3'40''
Publisher
Oxford University Press (in Rebecca Clarke, Shorter Pieces for Cello and Piano)
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About this piece

This is Rebecca Clarke's setting of an old Scottish border melody. She wrote it in 1944 for the pianist James Friskin, shortly before they married. The Rebecca Clarke Society lists it for viola or cello with piano. Oxford University Press published the viola version in 2002 and the cello version in 2003, the latter in the collection Shorter Pieces for Cello and Piano. The cello version is on ABRSM's Cello Grade 7 list (List B) in the syllabus from 2024.

Technical overview

A short, lyrical setting of a folk melody, about three and a half minutes long. ABRSM lists it for Cello Grade 7.

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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