Skip to content
Cello Repertoire Initiative

Divertimento for Violoncello and Percussion

by Vivian Fine

Instrumentation
Cello, Percussion
Composed
1951
Duration
5'
Publisher
Vivian Fine Estate
More by this composer

Purchase or download

About this piece

A one-movement duo of about five minutes for cello and a single percussionist playing timpani, snare drum, cymbal, tambourine and wood block. Fine wrote it in 1951 for a percussionist and his cellist wife, who never played it; the first performance took place in 1962 at Storm King Art Center, New York, with Sterling Hunkins and James Coover. In a loose ABA design, a freely chromatic, songlike cello line is set against the percussion's sharper rhythmic and colouristic writing, with duet passages between the two in the middle sections.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Professional

Left Hand

  • Complete command of the fingerboard.
  • Proficient thumb position across all strings.
  • Execute complex double stops and rapid trills precisely.
  • Fast scales and leaps with precise intonation and speed.
  • Apply expressive techniques (portamenti, micro‑adjusted intonation) tastefully.
  • Easily execute false harmonics.

Right Hand

  • Seamlessly blends martelé, spiccato, sautillé, legato & ricochet.
  • Meticulous bow distribution for sustained lines or rapid passages.
  • Clear pianissimo to controlled fortissimo.
  • Economical, efficient bow movement with smooth transitions.
  • Employ advanced effects (ponticello, bow effects) artistically.

Musicality

  • Focus on a deeply personal, communicative performance.
  • Make interpretive choices reflecting deep understanding of form, style & emotion.
  • Convey nuanced phrasing, wide dynamic range & a unique artistic voice.
  • Craft dramatic cadenzas/solos with rubato, tone & expressive timing.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

Music

Recently AddedThe newest additions

About

Our MissionResource CatalogContributeContact Us