''Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' op. 28, is a composition for

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

in three movements by

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, ''Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and ''Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and string ...

, dedicated to cellist

Siegfried Palm Siegfried Palm (25 April 1927 – 6 June 2005) was a German cellist who is known worldwide for his interpretations of contemporary music. Many 20th-century composers like Kagel, Ligeti, Xenakis, Penderecki and Zimmermann wrote music for ...

in 1992. The composer, a cellist himself, wrote it to "exploit the characteristics" of his instrument. In 1996, a revised version won a composition prize and was performed at the Hochschule für Musik München. The work was published by the

Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag (abbreviated to Hofmeister) is a publisher of classical music, founded by Friedrich Hofmeister in Leipzig in 1807. Early listings included composers Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. Hofmei ...

in 1996 and recorded on a Portrait CD of chamber music in 2001.

History

Waterhouse composed the work after his ''

Cello Concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...

'' op. 27. Inspired by

, he explores the possibilities of the instrument on a more intimate scale. In 1992, the composer performed a first version as part of a master class by Palm at the Haus Marteau in

Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen. Overview The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin's ...

. In 1996, a revised version won third prize at a composers' competition of the Münchener Tonkünstlerverband (Munich Association of Sound Artists). It was performed by the composer in a ceremony at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater München The University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is t ...

on 29 September 1996. It was published the same year by the

, who gave the duration as 10 minutes.

Movements and music

# Monologue (Moderato assai e risoluto) # Chase (Maestoso-Vivace) # Recitative (Adagio e rubato e molto espressivo) The publisher summarized: "The pieces attempt to exploit the main characteristics of the instrument – its wide spectrum of expression, its extensive range and its variety of timbres. In the second movement

sul ponticello A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

plays a structural role and in the third the bell-like left-hand pizzicati." The composer points out: "Writing for and performing on one's own instrument reminds one of an actor on stage delivering a

soliloquy A soliloquy (, from Latin ''solo'' "to oneself" + ''loquor'' "I talk", plural ''soliloquies'') is a monologue addressed to oneself, thoughts spoken out loud without addressing another. Soliloquies are used as a device in drama to let a character ...

. One is alone with the instrument and with the musical material – entirely without the support of harmonic or textural backgrounds of piano or orchestra."

Hans Krieger Hans Krieger (13 March 1933 – 9 January 2023) was a German writer, essayist, journalist of influential weekly papers such as Die Zeit, broadcaster and poet. Life Born in Frankfurt, Krieger studied German and Romance studies in Frankfurt, Mun ...

mentions in his liner notes for the recording the pieces' "depth of expression", "rhapsodic gestures" and "a world of meditation".

Recording

The work was recorded on a Portrait CD by

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forer ...

in 2001, played by the composer, along with chamber music for recorder, clarinet and piano, including ''

Gestural Variations ''Gestural Variations'', Op. 43, is a trio composition by Graham Waterhouse in 1997 originally for oboe, bassoon and piano. Later versions are scored for clarinet, cello and piano (1999) and flute, cello and piano (2009). Movements The c ...

''. Hubert Culot wrote in his review: "one of the most substantial pieces in this selection is the Three Pieces for Solo Cello Op.28 completed in 1996 and dedicated to Siegfried Palm. A short, vivacious and often whimsical Scherzo of considerable virtuosity is framed by two weightier, mostly slow and rhapsodic movements of great expressive strength exploiting the full expressive range of the cello."

References

External links

Graham Waterhouse
website
Three pieces for solo cello

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

Three Pieces for Solo Cello
klassika.info {{italic title Chamber music by Graham Waterhouse Solo cello pieces Contemporary classical compositions 1996 compositions