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About this piece
Bihaq is a three-minute piece for cello and piano from the 2012 Album project, in which cellist Doris Hochscheid and pianist Frans van Ruth (Stichting Cellosonate Nederland) asked Dutch composers for music that amateur cello-piano duos could play; it is printed in volume 3 of the Album voor cello en piano and also sold separately by Donemus. In the interview printed with the score, Wullur explains that the cello carries the characteristic melody of the Indian raga Bihaq in the free manner of an alap, while the piano part uses the raga's pitches in a form modelled on Balinese gamelan. At a slow tempo (crotchet = 60) the cello sings long, tied notes in the low register of A major over steady piano figuration, so the piece rewards sustained tone and careful counting.
Technical overview
The cello part stays in first position on the C and G strings, with an extension for the low F-sharp, and moves in long tied notes and simple quarter and eighth rhythms. The main tasks are keeping a sustained tone through the ties, shaping hairpin dynamics and counting entries against the piano's continuous semiquavers.
Technical focus
- C String Notes
- G String Notes
- Sustain
- Legato
- Dynamics
- Hairpin Dynamics
- Rhythm
- Collaboration with Piano