Small Pieces for Cellist (Anton) Cover Image

Small Pieces for Cellist (Anton): Cello Solo Book

$22.95 USD
$22.95 USD
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Small Pieces for Cellist (Anton) Cover Image
Small Pieces for Cellist (Anton): Cello Solo Book

Small Pieces for Cellist (Anton): Cello Solo Book

By Christian Wolff

Item: 98-EP68766
$22.95
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Description

Each of these five movements for solo cello uses a different technique to extend the performer's control over various dimensions of the music. The composer writes:

"There are five pieces. In the first, second and fifth there are phrase sequences with free pauses between them. There are also notations for just dynamics (sounds free), and for just rhythms (free sounds). The third and fourth pieces are on grids of 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 bars, allowing continuities to be chosen in variously free ways."

The fifth piece, consisting of a series of passages that may be performed in any sequence, may also be played as a cello duo, with the second cellist playing a different sequence.

The Anton of the title is the dedicatee, cellist Anton Lukoszevieze, who gave the world premiere of this suite at St James' Church, Islington, London on September 21, 2018. This performing edition is a facsimile of the composer's autograph manuscript. At moderate tempi, the total duration of the work may be approximately 15 minutes.

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Additional Details
Publisher: Edition Peters
Page Count: 8
ISBN10: 0-300-76276-3
ISBN13: 979-0-300-76276-0
UPC: 9790300762760
SKU: 98-EP68766
Instrumentation: Cello

More about this title

About the Composer: Christian Wolff

Christian Wolff is a pioneering figure in experimental composition, known for developing notation systems that grant performers genuine agency in shaping the work. His approach challenges conventional ideas about authorial control; rather than dictating every detail, he creates structures within which musicians make meaningful choices about phrasing, timing, and sequence.

Why we love this

This suite asks cellists to think like composers. The grid-based pieces and freely sequenceable movements demand that performers make real interpretive decisions, turning practice into an act of creative problem-solving rather than passive execution. For advanced students ready to move beyond note-perfect compliance, this work teaches that mastery includes understanding how to inhabit compositional space with confidence.

What to expect

These pieces inhabit a space of contemplation and restraint. There are moments of silence as meaningful as sound, passages that breathe without rushing, and a quality of introspection that asks you to listen as carefully as you play.

Who it's for

This is for cellists with solid technique who are ready to engage with twentieth-century notation and compositional philosophy. Advanced high school students and college players will find the intellectual challenge as rewarding as the technical demands.

How to get the most out of it

  • Map out your chosen sequence for the fifth piece before rehearsing it. Writing down the order clarifies your interpretation and gives you a reliable reference during performance.
  • Treat the free pauses in pieces one, two, and five as structural breaths, not hesitations. These silences carry weight; shape them deliberately.
  • In the grid pieces, listen closely to how one cell's internal pacing affects the next. The grid gives you freedom within cells but asks you to consider continuity across them.
  • Record yourself performing different sequences of the fifth piece. Hearing multiple interpretations helps you discover which orders feel most coherent to your ear.

How to use it

Feature this on a contemporary music recital or chamber concert alongside other twentieth-century solo works. The modest duration and solo instrumentation make it ideal for a shorter program slot, while the intellectual engagement pairs well with other pieces exploring graphic notation or performer choice.

Skills your students will build

  • Interpreting graphic and open-form notation systems
  • Making deliberate compositional choices within given frameworks
  • Managing silence and phrasing in minimalist contexts
  • Sight-reading non-traditional score layouts
  • Coordinating multiple possible interpretations of the same material
  • Understanding contemporary approaches to performer agency

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