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Cello Repertoire Initiative

The Cat Burglar

by Ailbhe McDonagh

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
2019
Duration
0'51''
Publisher
Boosey & Hawkes (in It's a Cello Thing, Book 2)
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About this piece

The Cat Burglar is a short piece for cello and piano (51 seconds) by the Irish cellist and composer Ailbhe McDonagh, written in 2019 and published in It's a Cello Thing, Book 2 (Boosey & Hawkes, 2021). The composer puts it at around Grade 3.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Early Intermediate

Left Hand

  • Regular shifting among 1st–4th positions.
  • Frequent shifts with target notes & prepared approaches.
  • Introduce ornamentation (grace notes, slow trills, turns).
  • Begin basic double stops (often with one open note).
  • Combine extensions with shifting.
  • Consistent vibrato on sustained notes with speed variations.

Right Hand

  • Bow arm gains finesse and speed.
  • Introduce controlled spiccato.
  • Sautillé appears in rapid passages.
  • Expand legato into longer, sustained lines.
  • Practice advanced articulations (martelé, refined string crossings).
  • Add complex strokes for double stops/chords.

Bow Strokes

  • Use context‑appropriate strokes: legato, spiccato, martelé.
  • Subtle bow changes during string crossings.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Increased challenges: sixteenths, dotted rhythms, syncopation, contrasting subdivisions.
  • Emphasize expression with crescendos/decrescendos & vibrato.
  • Balance technical precision with emotional delivery.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

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