"What? This is cello music? 9 unaccompanied cello pieces with amazing peculiarities

When most people think of the cello, they probably think of moist Romantic melodies or the sacred sounds of Bach's "Suite for Unaccompanied Cello," right? But the world is a big place. In the world of the cello, there are many cellists who would like to ask, "Is that really possible? The world of the cello is full of quirky solo pieces that make you want to ask, "Is that really possible?

The theme of this year's concert is the "Concerto for Unaccompanied Cello" by Friedrich Goulder, a rare and unusual piece for unaccompanied cello that is full of unconventional and strange charms. Here are nine pieces that, once heard, are unforgettable and will surely get you hooked on the swamp of music!

Giovanni Sollima: "Lamentatio

'Do you play the cello or do you sing, that is the question.'
Sollima is a brilliant Italian cellist and composer. His masterpiece, "Lamentazio," has the bizarre instruction that the player **"Woah-oong! and roar** as the player draws the bow.

First-time listeners may be upset, thinking, "What, are we possessed by an evil spirit? but this is actually an expression inspired by medieval mourning songs. The cello and human voice are united in this chaotic yet beautiful performance. I recommend performing this piece at a concert, as the audience's reactions will be fun (?). I recommend it for a concert because of the audience's reaction.

2. marco stroppa: "Spirala

The sounds... attack...?"
Stropper is an electronic sound enthusiast known in the contemporary music world. Most cellists will despair when they open the score to this piece. There are a lot of mysterious symbols and graphics that are not notes.

Floods of sound, curse-like harmonics, bowed fingerboard scratching sounds, and a romantic melody that suddenly appears. You will enjoy this chaotic world as if you were lost in a surrealist painting.

Zoltán Kodály: "Sonata for Solo Cello Op. 8

Desperation at the Point of Tuning."
This famous piece, which incorporates Hungarian folk music, has a tedious instruction **"Strings must be in an irregular tuning (scordatura)**". In other words, you cannot play it in normal tuning.

However, the sound is unique. It has a magnificent sound as if the desolate Hungarian land spreads out before your eyes, and is one of the most difficult pieces among the classical cello pieces. After the performance, the cellist's expression is usually "I'm burnt out...".

John Zorn: "The Book of Heads

Was the instrument meant to be beaten?"
This collection of songs by the king of avant-garde, John Zorn, is already more like **"how to play "** than "how to play.

The bow hairs hit the strings with a pinprick and make a "kan" sound! sound by hitting the strings with the bow hairs.
Scraping the fingerboard
Bouncing the strings with the tip of the bow.
Striking the instrument with the bow tip.

Sometimes, he would hit the instrument hard. It is a parade of "Is this OK to do on a cello? It is fun to play it in a live performance of contemporary music, but if you show it to a music instrument maker, he might cry.

5. gaspar cassad: "Suite for Unaccompanied Cello

What is it? Has the flamenco started?"
This piece by Spanish cellist/composer Casado looks like Bach's "Suite for Unaccompanied Cello," but inside is a passionate flamenco groove. In particular, tango-ish rhythms and guitar-like arpeggios are introduced, giving the listener the illusion of "Oh, am I in Spain now? I was even under the illusion that I was in Spain.

If Bach's unaccompanied works are like a solemn monastery, Casado's suite is like a gypsy dancing in a Spanish bar. **"I was playing seriously, but before I knew it, I was stepping...? **, which has a dangerous allure.

6. luciano Berio: "Sequenza XIV

What instrument is this?"
Berio's "Sequenza" series is a group of works in which each instrument pursues its own metamorphic sound. The cello version also makes full use of percussion-like techniques, with a series of pizzicato (plucking) and body percussion.

In a sense, there are moments when the cello **"turns into drums "** that are sure to astonish the audience.

7. mark summer: "Julie-O

'I thought it was jazz, but it was bluegrass.'
Mark Sommer is a former member of the Turtle Island Quartet and a man who blows the boundaries between classical and jazz. Julie-O" is a groove-filled, one-cello bluegrass session with lots of pizzicato and body percussion.

Recommended for those who want to play cello in a groove like a fiddle. However, if you are a classical musician, there is a big possibility that you will be tossed around by the rhythm and become lazy.

8. degli Antonio: "Ricercare No. 7

Unaccompanied before Bach?"
This is a rare unaccompanied cello piece from the Baroque era. It looks simple, but it plunges into a hell of unintelligible rhythms and never-ending phrases, so that while playing, I was confused, "How many bars am I in now? I get confused.

9. Henry Cowell: "Cello Piece

The man who invented the piano also goes wild on the cello."
Cowell is the inventor of the "string piano," which strikes the piano strings directly. Of course, there is no normal way to play a cello, and the strings are full of chaotic instructions for rubbing, plucking, pinching, and pulling.

Conclusion

All of these songs are not straightforward. Why not add a little spice to your cello life?