Suggested Works by Black Composers for Students
I’m pleased to introduce and provide this list of graded music for cello of African-American composers for student exposure, education and use in performance. Some of these pieces are “adopted and adapted” from the Negro spiritual tradition. Such adaptation should not pose unusual difficulties for the developing cellist; however, the larger editorial challenge lies in matters of fingering and bowing. A minimum technical level of Suzuki Book 4 proficiency should be sufficient for most players to execute the majority of these pieces. This music stands apart from the larger European pedagogical tradition and technical orientation, but should find a place of similarity and alliance with the Suzuki-influenced folk song repertoire that so many of us have heard in our early lessons and gradual indoctrination into the European-American art-music tradition. It [...]
Tyshawn Sorey’s “Cycles of My Being”
Inhale, Exhale. Hope. Whirlwind. Hate. Hope. Each Day I Rise, I Know. These words represent not only a powerful and provocative landscape, but also uniquely form the six movements of Cycles of My Being; a work by the creative genius and living composer/musician Tyshawn Sorey. I had the immense honor and privilege of being invited to perform the 2018 world premiere of Sorey’s work— scored for violin, cello, piano, tenor, and clarinet—on three separate occasions. The piece was a result of a co-commission from Opera Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Opera of Chicago; while the music was presented by Sorey, the libretto was provided by poet Terrance Hayes (also a MacArthur Genius Grant Winner like Sorey), with the renowned and arresting tenor Lawrence Brownlee at the forefront. What was perhaps [...]
George Walker’s Sonata for Cello and Piano Deserves a Place in the Standard Cello Repertoire
Reprinted from Strings magazine. © Stringletter Publishing. All rights reserved. By Seth Parker Woods | From the November-December 2020 issue of Strings magazine Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace,” Seth Parker Woods is a soloist, chamber musician, and educator based in Chicago. He serves on the faculty at the University of Chicago and is artist in residence with the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Title of Work Being Studied: Sonata for Cello and Piano Composer: George Walker Date Composed: 1957 Name of Edition Studied: Lauren Keiser Music Publishing, 2008, but original publishing was in 1972 I first came to know this important work of the cello repertoire, George Walker’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, in 2008, when I first met George Walker. I am [...]
The Origins of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major (Part 2 of 2)
My research into this topic was inspired by upcoming concerts this weekend with the Houston Symphony. The Saturday January 30th performance is viewable on livestream at 8pm Central time. I am heavily indebted to Thomas Tolley and Dr. George Kenneway, whose groundbreaking research I only survey in this article. Their papers should be read in their entirety for the rich level of background and detail they provide. Unlike most of Haydn’s symphonic commissions, the cello concerto would stay unpublished for two decades. The market for cello concerti was more limited than for piano and violin concerti and was focused on works playable by advanced amateur musicians. Although there was a general increase in the difficulty of published cello writing in the late 18th century, only the concerti of Boccherini rivaled [...]
The Origins of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major (Part 1 of 2)
My research into this topic was inspired by upcoming concerts this weekend with the Houston Symphony. The Saturday January 30th performance is viewable on livestream at 8pm Central time. I am heavily indebted to Thomas Tolley and Dr. George Kenneway, whose groundbreaking research I only survey in this article. Their papers should be read in their entirety for the rich level of background and detail they provide. Haydn’s 1783 D major cello concerto (Hob VIIb:2) suffered a checkered reception for much of its early history, with aspersions cast both upon its authenticity and its compositional quality. Even when it finally gained popularity among cellists in the late 19th century, it did so in performing editions that significantly altered both its style and substance. The reception of the concerto was further [...]