Duo for Violoncelli
- Instrumentation
- Cello Ensemble
- Composed
- 1993
- Duration
- 5'
- Publisher
- Cecilian Music
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About this piece
A five-minute duo for two cellos from 1993, dedicated to Arlene Santana. Slow 'Misterioso' passages of sustained, non-vibrato double stops frame a lyrical 'Supplicando' section, in which the two cellos trade a soaring line and broken-chord accompaniment, and a restless 'Agitato' in constantly changing meters, where one part's measured tremolo and pizzicato harmonics drive the other's line. The two parts are equally demanding, so it suits a pair of advanced students or a teacher and student.
Technical overview
Both cellists move between bass, tenor and treble clefs, with cello I going up to F5 in thumb position, and play double stops and chords, natural and pizzicato harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, glissandi and measured tremolo. The atonal writing runs through frequent meter changes (3/8, 5/8, 7/8, 2/8) that call for close ensemble coordination.
Technical focus
- Double Stops
- Thumb Position
- Pizzicato
- Harmonics
- Meter Changes
- Tempo Changes
- Ensemble Skills
- Accidentals
- Hairpin Dynamics
- Articulation