Cello Sonata (Barber)

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The Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Opus 6, by Samuel Barber is a sonata for cello and piano. It is in the key of C minor.[1]

History

The sonata was composed between June and December 1932 during a trip to Europe as Barber was finishing his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. The score is dedicated to Barber's composition teacher, Rosario Scalero, and was officially premiered on 5 March 1933 with the composer at the piano and his friend and colleague Orlando Cole as cellist, at a concert of the League of Composers in New York City.[2] Together with the Music for a Scene from Shelley, Op. 7, this sonata won both a Pulitzer travel stipend and the Prix de Rome of the American Academy in Rome in 1937.[3][4]

Analysis

The Cello Sonata, Opus 6, is a chamber piece. A romantic piece in a clear C minor, its a profound and passionate cello sonata reminiscent of the examples of Brahms and Pfitzner.

The sonata is in three movements:

  1. Allegro ma non troppo
  2. Adagio (in combination with a scherzo)[5]
  3. Allegro appassionato.

Media

References

  • Friedewald, Russell Edward. 1957. "A Formal and Stylistic Analysis of the Published Music of Samuel Barber". PhD diss. Ames: Iowa State University.
  1. ^ "Barber: Cello Sonata Op. 6 - sin80". www.sin80.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  2. ^ Heyman, Barbara B. (1992). Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York City and Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 110–1, 114. ISBN 9780195090581.
  3. ^ Friedewald 1957, p. 166.
  4. ^ Pleasants, Henry (May 25, 1935). "Samuel Barber Wins Two Musical Awards". Philadelphia Bulletin.
  5. ^ Friedewald 1957, p. 172.