Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85 Cover Image

Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, Study Score

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Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85 Cover Image
Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, Study Score

Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, Study Score

By Edward Elgar, ed. Nancy M. Bradburd

Item: 36-S007901
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Description
Considered the last notable work of Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), his Cello Concerto is a cornerstone of the solo violoncello repertoire. Composed in the aftermath of World War I, it premiered in October of 1919. The premier was reportedly quite the debacle, as Elgar (as director) and the performers of the London Symphony Orchestra had not been allotted proper rehearsal time from director Albert Coates, who overran his rehearsal time at Elgar's expense. Composed in the summer of 1919, the first theme supposedly came to Elgar during a dangerous procedure to remove an infected tonsil. Upon waking from sedation, he asked for a pencil and paper and began sketching out the melody. The Cello Concerto did not achieve popularity until the 1960's, where a recording by renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pré made it into a classical best-seller, driving a popularity that remains through today. Instrumentation: 2(2dPicc[opt]).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1[opt]: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Cello. Study score.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Study Score Series
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-89-563716-X
ISBN13: 979-8-89-563716-6
UPC: 660355040719
SKU: 36-S007901
Instrumentation: 2(2dPicc[opt]).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1[opt]: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Cello

More about this title

About the Composer: Edward Elgar

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) stands as one of England's most celebrated symphonic and concertante composers. His career spanned from the Victorian era through the interwar period, during which he produced some of the most enduring works in the orchestral canon, including the Enigma Variations and two symphonies. The Cello Concerto represents his final major work for soloist and orchestra, composed in 1919 after World War I had reshaped both the musical landscape and Elgar's own creative output.

Elgar's late style in this concerto strips away much of the grandeur associated with his earlier works, replacing it with introspection and economy of expression. The piece emerged from a period of personal difficulty and compositional uncertainty, yet it speaks with a direct emotional clarity that has only deepened its resonance across generations of performers and listeners.

Why we love this

This study score opens access to one of the cello repertoire's most essential works without requiring a full orchestral score setup. The concerto's late-Romantic language and emotionally direct discourse make it uniquely rewarding for orchestras seeking a vehicle that demands both refinement and genuine expressiveness from the soloist, while the orchestra carries material that feels genuinely partnered rather than accompanimental.

What to expect

The concerto speaks with an understated eloquence, moving between moments of introspective beauty and restless energy. There is a quality of farewell throughout, yet without sentimentality; instead, the music carries a hard-won clarity and a direct emotional honesty that can pierce through a concert hall with remarkable force.

Who it's for

Orchestras with an accomplished solo cellist seeking a major twentieth-century concerto that has already proven itself in the concert hall and study. This study score serves conductors, violoncellists, and orchestra members preparing performances or detailed score study of a cornerstone work.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the solo cello line within the orchestral texture by having string players voice entrances with awareness of the soloist's position in the hall; the concerto's chamber-like moments require transparency rather than power.
  • Mark the principal first violin entrances clearly during rehearsal, as they often dovetail with the soloist's passagework and benefit from slight rhythmic coordination with the solo cello.
  • Attend carefully to Elgar's original tempos and tempo relationships between movements; the work's structural integrity depends on allowing sufficient contrast between the Adagio and Scherzo without sacrificing the overall architecture.

How to use it

Position this concerto as a centerpiece work on a concert that honors early twentieth-century modernism, pairing it with shorter orchestral works from the same period to underscore how Elgar's late style moved away from his Victorian grandeur. The concerto also works powerfully as a featured solo work within a broader season of major cello repertoire or as part of programming that explores how World War I affected artistic output.

Skills your students will build

  • Following a virtuosic solo line while maintaining ensemble cohesion
  • Negotiating complex orchestral textures in late-Romantic writing
  • Coordinating rhythmically independent lines within the orchestra
  • Reading and interpreting a study score with pedagogical clarity
  • Understanding the relationship between soloist and orchestra in early twentieth-century concertante writing

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