Composers
Pieces/George Crumb/Sonata for Solo Cello

Sonata for Solo Cello1955

by George Crumb

cellocontemporarysonata~15 min
Crumb's early (1955) sonata for unaccompanied cello, composed during his graduate years at the University of Michigan. The work predates the experimental sonorities Crumb became known for: it is written in a post-Bartók idiom with clear formal architecture, aggressive rhythmic drive, and folk-inflected melodic material. The three movements are a Fantasia, a set of character pieces titled "Tema pastorale con variazioni", and a Toccata. The sonata has become a core 20th-century solo cello work and is often paired with Kodály's Op. 8 and the Bach Suites in recital programmes.

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Movements

I. Fantasia

free meter

II. Tema pastorale con variazioni

3/4

III. Toccata

4/4

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