Britten - Suite for cello solo op.72

Britten - Suite for cello solo op.72. You can download the PDF sheet music Britten - Suite for cello solo op.72 on this page.

The Suite No 1 was composed in November and December 1964 and was Britten's first major score after completing the church parable Curlew River; it received its premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival on 27 June 1965. In the manner of much of Britten's music in this period, a ritornello theme (here entitled Canto) is used to link the constituent sections, and to provide an outer frame. The remainder of the music falls into six distinct movements: an ingenious Fuga (Andante moderato),Lamento (Lento rubato), a pizzicato Serenata (Allegretto; the homage here is to Debussy, whose Cello Sonata Britten had recorded with Rostropovich in 1961), Marcia (Alia marcia moderato), Bordone (Moderato quasi recitativo) and a concluding Moto perpetuo (Presto) that merges with the final restatement of the ritornello. The First Suite appeared to be such an exhaustive compendium of both compositional and string-playing techniques that it was something of a surprise when the composer produced a companion piece in August 1967.

To download PDF, click the "Download PDF" button below the appropriate sheet music image.
To view the first page of Britten - Suite for cello solo op.72 click the music sheet image.

Instrument part: 17 pages. 857 K