Canção da mais alta torre
- Instrumentation
- Cello, Cello
- Composed
- 2020
- Publisher
- Musica Brasilis (free score and parts, licensed by the composer; CC BY-SA; ISMN 979-0-802308-29-9)
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About this piece
Rodrigo Marconi, a Rio de Janeiro composer, musicologist and teacher, wrote Canção da mais alta torre (Song of the Highest Tower) in 2020 'for my dear friends of the Duo Santoro'. He describes it as a homage to the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, and the recording on his channel is played by Paulo and Ricardo Santoro. Two calm outer sections frame an 'enérgico' middle in which the second cello drives a long ostinato of accented staccato eighth notes and double stops under the first cello's chromatic melody.
Technical overview
Chromatic, freely tonal writing with frequent metre changes among 4/4, 6/4 and 5/4. The first cello moves through bass, tenor and treble clef up to the E-flat two ledger lines above the tenor staff, with grace notes, glissandos in double stops, triplets, a fff trill and a three-note chord; the second cello stays mostly in bass clef but carries the fast accented ostinato, measured tremolo, double stops and glissandos. Both parts need secure intonation without a key centre and close ensemble.
Technical focus
- Accidentals
- Chords
- Double Stops
- Ensemble Skills
- Glissando
- Grace Notes
- Hairpin Dynamics
- Marcato
- Meter Changes
- Shifting
- Staccato
- Tenor Clef
- Thumb Position
- Treble Clef
- Tremolo
- Trills
- Triplets