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Change as a Constant

by Kari Kraakevik

Instrumentation
Cello Ensemble
Composed
2022
Duration
3'43''
Publisher
Cellists for Change (by request)
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About this piece

A short piece for cello quartet that Kari Kraakevik, a Colorado composer who has written about being autistic, wrote for Cellists for Change, a Boulder youth cello group whose players range from about 8 to 18. In the album note she explains that, as someone on the autism spectrum, she finds change destabilizing, so she wrote it in an unsettled time with a focus on simplicity: 'a breath, a heart beat, a singular voice.' Cellists for Change recorded it for Bandcamp. The score is not sold publicly; ask Cellists for Change (info@cellistsforchange.org) about performing it.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Intermediate

Left Hand

  • Fluent in positions 1–4 with confident shifts & reliable intonation.
  • Introduce 5th position via scales/études.
  • Learn tenor clef for higher passages.
  • Early exposure to thumb position basics.
  • Refine combined shifting & extensions.
  • Advance double stops (two‑note chords).
  • Refine vibrato for expressive shaping.

Right Hand

  • High control over multiple bow strokes.
  • Advanced spiccato for fast passages; reliable sautillé.
  • Apply martelé at frog and mid‑bow.
  • Execute rapid string crossings with minimal arm movement.
  • Adjust contact point to modulate tone.
  • Introduce complex bow patterns & chord rolling.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Faster tempos & varied meter challenges.
  • Tackle compound meters, intricate ornaments & syncopation.
  • Deepen expressive phrasing; analyze piece structure.
  • Clear dynamic contrasts; introduce slight rubato.
  • Enhance ensemble sensitivity.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.