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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Capriccio for Two Cellos

by Michael Schachter

Instrumentation
Cello Ensemble
Composed
2012
Duration
4'
Publisher
Composer (self-published)
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About this piece

Capriccio for Two Cellos (2012) is a four-minute duet written for a University of Michigan project led by cello professor Richard Aaron, in which student composers wrote pieces drawing on Brahms's Cello Sonata in E minor; the score is inscribed to Aaron's cello studio. All of its material comes from the Brahms sonata, which Schachter breaks up and recombines in the manner of a dream. Nathaniel Pierce and Eric Haugen gave the premiere in Ann Arbor in December 2012, and the composer posts a perusal score on his website.

Technical overview

Both cellists trade melody and accompaniment through frequent tempo and meter changes, with pizzicato, double stops, sul ponticello and natural harmonics. The first part also reads tenor and treble clef, moves into thumb position and plays fast sixteenth-note passages at crotchet = 144.

Technical focus

  • Ensemble Skills
  • Double Stops
  • Pizzicato
  • Harmonics
  • Thumb Position
  • Shifting
  • Meter Changes
  • Tempo Changes
  • Accidentals
  • Dynamics

Level rubric

Early Advanced

Left Hand

  • Fully integrated thumb position; scales/arpeggios on A & D strings.
  • Smooth shifts into/out of thumb position for sustained high notes.
  • Frequent advanced double stops with rapid, coordinated shifts.
  • Accurate ornamentation (trills, turns, grace notes), even in double stops.
  • Expressively adjust intonation for chord balance.
  • Handle fast runs and large leaps precisely.
  • Introduction to false harmonics.

Right Hand

  • Virtuoso bow strokes: controlled up/down‑bow staccato, deliberate ricochet & well‑shaped sautillé.
  • Wide tone palette via precise bow adjustments.
  • Explore advanced effects (col legno, sul ponticello) as needed.
  • Capable of both powerful fortissimo and delicate soft notes.
  • Rapid switching among strokes in cadenzas/virtuosic passages.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Apply rhythmic freedom & rubato to shape movements and cadenzas.
  • Personal interpretation with nuanced phrasing & subtle dynamics.
  • Mature tone and phrasing for solo and ensemble settings.
  • Demonstrate advanced ensemble leadership with visual cues.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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