9 - Other solo repertory

Summary

In addition to the sonata and concerto, the cellist's concert repertory comprises four further principal areas: music for unaccompanied cello; short genre pieces for cello with orchestra or keyboard; variations; and transcriptions and fantasias. Many nineteenth-century solo works for the cello were composed by cellists, who were strongly influenced, particularly in the first half of the century, by the violin repertory. Travelling virtuosos such as Duport, Romberg, Servais, Franchomme, Piatti, Goltermann, Grüzmacher, Davidoff, Popper, Fitzenhagen, Klengel and Becker wrote for their own use and also to meet the rapidly growing demands of flourishing middle-class audiences; their aim was both to satisfy the public's taste, to entertain and to demonstrate their own technical prowess. Writing for solo cello was only a peripheral interest for most of the ‘front-line’ nineteenth-century composers, probably because of the perceived problems of balance between the cello, with its tenor range, and the expanding orchestra or developing piano.

Music for unaccompanied cello

Among the first to compose for unaccompanied cello were the Italians Giovanni Degli Antoni, Domenico Gabrielli and Domenico Galli. Degli Antoni's Ricercate Op. 1 (Bologna, 1687) comprises twelve unaccompanied ricercari, pedagogical works for the instrument which might also be used as a bass for harpsichord improvisation – seven include figured bass with this option clearly in mind. Although perfectly playable on the conventional four-stringed cello, Kinney's recommended use of a six-stringed instrument tuned like the bass viol, with the alternate tuning for the lowest string depending on the key, C (or D)–G–c–e–a–d1, has its advocates.