Sonata for Solo Cello
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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Write the first performer's note, a practice note on a specific passage, or an interpretive school you'd defend in front of colleagues.
I. Fantasia
II. Tema pastorale con variazioni
III. Toccata
C. F. Peters
The original Peters edition. Remains the only published score; no critical edition has been prepared.