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Cello Sonata in C Minor
COMPOSER'S NOTE
My Cello Sonata in C Minor is both sonata and suite. Each movement is distinct, but there is a cross-thematic unity that encompasses the work.
Movement I, Allegro moderato, is rendered in a minimalist musical language, comprised of repeating cycles of broken chords in the piano accompaniment. They reiterate a precise pattern of legato sixteenth notes from which the agitato cello melody emerges. A dialogue later develops between cello and piano, a playful call-and-response that heralds the closing of the movement.
Movement II, Adagio cantabile, is a mesmerizing interlude, characterized by an expressive, modal cello melody that swells into a tender exultation. The wistful mood alternates with rhythmically animated phrases, finally closing in a blissful reverie.
Movement III, Allegro energetico, begins with striking dissonant chords, jolting us from the preceding idyll. Fitful bursts of serial arpeggios juxtapose with melodic interludes. The cello starts a walking bass line that sets a more contemporary groove before handing it off to the piano and initiating a sultry new melody. Multiple musical arguments that incorporate themes from the first two movements lead back home to conclude the work.
DURATION
13 minutes
YEAR OF COMPOSITION
2020
LICENSING
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
INSTRUMENTATION
Cello & Piano
BUY
Digital & Print: J.W. Pepper