Cello Grade 8

Saint-Saëns - Allegro appassionato

The first composition Saint-Saëns completed after marrying Marie Laurie Emilie Truffot on February 3, 1875, was the Allegro appassionato in B minor for cello and piano or orchestra, Op. 43. It was published soon after in 1875. Because of its lighthearted brevity and its appearance at roughly the same time as much larger works such as the Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 44; the Danse macabre, Op. 40; and the Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 40, the Allegro appassionato almost seems like an afterthought. However, it remains one of the composer's most popular works, and the piece's showcasing of the cello makes it a favourite among performers. Transparently scored and elegantly tuneful, the Allegro appassionato's lively rhythms create a mood similar to that of the Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 33. Undoubtedly, the piece's melodiousness and numerous repeats of minimal material are the reasons for its popular success.
Immediately after a few syncopated chords in the orchestra, the solo cello enters with a bouncy tune; the entire theme and then the second half are repeated, creating a melodic pattern heard in much of Saint-Saëns' music. The B section of the piece features a much more lyrical melody that opens with a large, aggressive leap in the cello. Section A returns but is abbreviated, giving way to the B material, this time in a new key. An extension of the B section tune leads back to a fiery repetition of section A that contains a reference to the aggressive leap of part B, while a spirited coda closes the piece with rapid triplets. Although only a few minutes in length, the Allegro appassionato makes an indelible impression.


Telemann - Sonata in D Major

Telemann was one of the most prolific major composers of all time, his all-encompassing oeuvre comprises more than 3,000 compositions, half of which have been lost, and most of which have not been performed since the 18th century. From 1708 to 1750, Telemann composed 1,043 sacred cantatas and 600 overture-suites, and types of concertos for combinations of instruments that no other composer of the time employed. Telemann's music was one of the driving forces behind the late Baroque and the early Classical styles. He became one of the creators and foremost exponents of the so-called German mixed style, an amalgam of German, French, Italian and Polish styles but remained contrapuntally and harmonically complex.

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Eccles - G Minor Sonata

The entire four movements of Henry Eccles’s Sonata in G Minor for Violoncello and Piano remain in the key of G minor, with many long, expressive phrases and some moments of fleet-fingered delight. Henry Eccles was a Violinist and composer of the Baroque era who was a musician to King William and Queen Mary and a member of the Royal Band of Queen Anne. The Duke d’Aumont brought him to Paris, where he entered the service of King Louis XIV. In 1720, Eccles published a book of sonatas for Violin and figured bass, from which renowned English composer Malcolm Lipkin has created this arrangement for Cello and Piano.

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