Habanera

About this piece

A slow, sultry habanera in F minor (marked 'lascif', quarter = 63), published in 2013 as a transcription of Jougla's viola piece. The viola original was written for Magali Demesse, principal viola of the Marseille Opera orchestra; the cello version is dedicated to two young players, Julie and Jean Baptiste. Over a piano pedal on C with the habanera's dotted swing, the cello sings long phrases built on triplets, rising into the high register before a closing phrase in the major. Delatour grades it 5/8 ('moyen avancé') and notes that the challenge lies mainly in expression and feeling.

Technical overview

Long, legato tenor- and treble-clef melodies dominated by triplets against the piano's dotted habanera rhythm, climbing to a sustained high G5 in thumb position. The part also includes grace notes, trills and wide dynamic shading (fp, mp fading to pp).

Technical focus

• Thumb Position
• Shifting
• Legato
• Rhythm
• Hairpin Dynamics
• Vibrato
• Collaboration with Piano