Cello Suites (Britten)
Encyclopedia
The Cello Suites by Benjamin Britten
(opp.
72, 80, and 87) are a series of three compositions for solo cello
, dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich
. The suites were the first original solo instrumental music that Britten wrote for and dedicated to Rostropovich, but Britten had earlier composed a cadenza for Joseph Haydn
's Cello Concerto in C major
, for Rostropovich, in 1964. Rostropovich gave the first performances of each work, and recorded Suites Nos 1 and 2 commercially.
on 27 June 1965. The suite is in nine movements, played without pause:
The score was published in 1966.
, on 17 June 1968. The score was published in 1969. The movements are as follows:
of Bach
. Rostropovich first performed the suite at the Snape Maltings, 21 December 1974.
The Third Suite is in nine movements, performed without pause:
The work incorporates four Russia
n themes, including three arrangements of folksongs by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, reminiscent of Beethoven
's use of Russian themes in the Razumovsky
quartets. The final Russian tune, stated simply at the end of the set, is the Kontakion
, the Russian Orthodox Hymn for the Dead. Philip Brett
considers the Third Suite to be the most passionate of the three.
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
(opp.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
72, 80, and 87) are a series of three compositions for solo cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
. The suites were the first original solo instrumental music that Britten wrote for and dedicated to Rostropovich, but Britten had earlier composed a cadenza for Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's Cello Concerto in C major
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C (Haydn)
The Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb/1, by Joseph Haydn was composed around 1761-65 for longtime friend Joseph Franz Weigl, then the principal cellist of Prince Nicolaus's Esterházy Orchestra....
, for Rostropovich, in 1964. Rostropovich gave the first performances of each work, and recorded Suites Nos 1 and 2 commercially.
Cello Suite No 1, Opus 72
Britten wrote the First Suite at the end of 1964. The premiere was at the Aldeburgh FestivalAldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
on 27 June 1965. The suite is in nine movements, played without pause:
- Canto primo: Sostenuto e largamente
- Fuga: Andante moderato
- Lamento: Lento rubato
- Canto secondo: Sostenuto
- Serenata: Allegretto pizzicatoPizzicatoPizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
- Marcia: Alla marcia moderato
- Canto terzo: Sostenuto
- Bordone: Moderato quasi recitativo
- Moto perpetuo e Canto quarto: Presto
The score was published in 1966.
Cello Suite No 2, Opus 80
The Second Suite dates from the summer of 1967. Rostropovich gave the premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival, Snape MaltingsSnape Maltings
Snape Maltings is part of Snape, Suffolk, U.K., best known for its concert hall, which is one of the main sites of the annual Aldeburgh Festival....
, on 17 June 1968. The score was published in 1969. The movements are as follows:
- Declamato: Largo
- Fuga: Andante
- Scherzo: Allegro molto
- Andante lento
- Ciaccona: Allegro
Cello Suite No 3, Opus 87
Britten composed the Third Suite in 1971, inspired by Rostropovich's playing of the unaccompanied cello suitesCello Suites (Bach)
The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach are some of the most performed and recognizable solo compositions ever written for cello...
of Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. Rostropovich first performed the suite at the Snape Maltings, 21 December 1974.
The Third Suite is in nine movements, performed without pause:
- Introduzione: Lento
- Marcia: Allegro
- Canto: Con Moto
- Barcarolla: Lento
- Dialogo: Allegretto
- Fuga: Andante espressivo
- Recitativo: Fantastico
- Moto perpetuo: Presto
- Passacaglia: Lento solenne
The work incorporates four Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n themes, including three arrangements of folksongs by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, reminiscent of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's use of Russian themes in the Razumovsky
String Quartets Nos. 7 - 9, Opus 59 - Rasumovsky (Beethoven)
The three "Rasoumovsky" string quartets, opus 59, are the quartets Ludwig van Beethoven wrote in 1806, as a result of a commission by the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky:*String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1...
quartets. The final Russian tune, stated simply at the end of the set, is the Kontakion
Kontakion
Kontakion is a form of hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The word derives from the Greek word kontax , meaning pole, specifically the pole around which a scroll is wound. The term describes the way in which the words on a scroll unfurl as it is read...
, the Russian Orthodox Hymn for the Dead. Philip Brett
Philip Brett
Philip Brett was a British-born American musicologist, musician and conductor. He was particularly known for his scholarly studies on Benjamin Britten and William Byrd and for his contributions to the development of lesbian and gay musicology...
considers the Third Suite to be the most passionate of the three.
Sources
- Philip BrettPhilip BrettPhilip Brett was a British-born American musicologist, musician and conductor. He was particularly known for his scholarly studies on Benjamin Britten and William Byrd and for his contributions to the development of lesbian and gay musicology...
: "Benjamin Britten", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. - Aquino, F. Avellar de. "Song of Sorrow". in The Strad Magazine, London, v. 117, Vol. 1391, p. 52-57, 2006. (on Britten's Third Cello Suite)