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MUSIC FOR UNACCOMPANIED CELLO

Contemporary Music for Solo Cello

This collection of contemporary unaccompanied cello music presents works written for performers seeking expressive, modern repertoire for concerts, competitions, and advanced study. These compositions explore the full range of the cello’s capabilities — from lyrical, voice‑like lines to bold rhythmic gestures, extended techniques, and deeply introspective textures. This page provides an overview of available works, including instrumentation details, program notes, and score information.

FANTASY

for solo cello

Duration:
5 minutes
 
Instrumentation:   
unaccompanied cello
 
Year Composed:  
1998
 
Written For:            
Mickey Katz
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Premiere Performance:
Boston, USA
10 May 2001
Mickey Katz

Music for Unaccompanied Cello

Audio

Program Notes

In Fantasy, the cello assumes the roles of both soloist and orchestra, exploring a rich palette of colors, roles, and textures.

Abstract

Fantasy is a compact, dramatic exploration of the cello’s full expressive range. The instrument shifts fluidly between the roles of soloist, accompanist, and full ensemble, creating the illusion of multiple voices emerging from a single performer. Through contrasting colors, textures, and gestures, the work unfolds as a continuous narrative driven entirely by the cello’s own imagination.

LISTEN

Score Preview

Score of Fantasy for unaccompanied cello

VIDEO

Video

Fantasy
for unaccompanied cello

Mickey Katz, cello
 

"Fantasy" for unaccompanied cello

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About Unaccompanied Cello Music

The unaccompanied cello repertoire offers a uniquely intimate and expressive sound world. The instrument’s wide dynamic range, rich resonance, and ability to shift between lyrical warmth and percussive articulation make it ideal for contemporary solo writing. Modern works often explore extended techniques, harmonics, microtones, and rhythmic complexity, while still embracing the cello’s natural singing quality. These compositions contribute to the expanding contemporary repertoire for solo cello, providing performers with technically engaging and artistically rewarding pieces suitable for both recital and professional performance settings.

Unaccompanied Cello Repertoire List

This list ranks your specified solo cello works by their historical impact, pedagogical importance, and frequency in the standard professional repertoire.

Essential Cornerstones of the Solo Cello Repertoire

These represent the most historically significant works for unaccompanied cello and are mandatory staples in global concert halls.

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  • Zoltán Kodály – Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 (1915): Widely regarded as the most important solo cello work of the 20th century for its groundbreaking technical demands.

  • Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 1, Op. 72 (1964); Suite No. 2, Op. 80 (1967); Suite No. 3, Op. 87 (1971): Essential pillars of the repertoire, written for and popularized by Mstislav Rostropovich.

  • György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo Cello (1948–1953): A masterwork once banned for its modernity, now a requirement in many major international competitions.

  • Paul Hindemith – Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 25 No. 3 (1923): A foundational early 20th-century work that helped redefine the instrument's solo capabilities.

  • Gaspar Cassadó – Suite for Solo Cello (1926): A highly popular and expressive suite heavily influenced by Spanish folk music and Bach.

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Modern Masters & Technical Landmarks for Solo Cello

These pieces for unaccompanied cello are highly influential for their 21st-century innovation and mastery of extended techniques.

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  • Luciano Berio – Sequenza XIV (2002): Noted for its extreme technical difficulty and exploration of percussive cello sounds.

  • Helmut Lachenmann – Pression (1969): A landmark of "instrumental musique concrète," focusing on the physical sounds of the cello.

  • Kaija Saariaho – Sept Papillons (2000) and Spins and Spells (1997): Key examples of spectralist influence and 21st-century cello writing.

  • George Crumb – Sonata for Solo Cello (1955): An influential early work by the American master, often performed in contemporary recitals.10. Krzysztof Penderecki – Capriccio per Siegfried Palm (1968) and Per Slava (1986): Major contributions to the avant-garde cello repertoire.
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Established Standard Repertoire for Unaccompanied Cello

These are frequently performed and recorded works that form the core body of solo cello literature from the 20th and 21st centuries.

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  • Elliott Carter – Figment (1994)

  • Alberto Ginastera – Puneña No. 2, Op. 45 (1976)

  • Eugène Ysaÿe – Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 28 (1924)

  • Mieczysław Weinberg – 24 Preludes, Op. 100 (1969) and Sonata No. 1 (1960)

  • Ernest Bloch – Suites No. 1 & 2 (1956) and No. 3 (1957)

  • Philip Glass – Songs and Poems and Orbit (early 21st century)

  • William Walton – Passacaglia for Solo Cello (1979)
     

Notable Contemporary & Specialized Works for Solo Cello

Significant compositions for unaccompanied cello that contribute to the diversity and evolving narrative of the modern instrument.
 

  • Osvaldo Golijov – Omaramor (1991)

  • Michael Gordon – Industry (1993)

  • Bright Sheng – Seven Tunes Heard in China (1995)

  • Andrea Casarrubios – SEVEN (2020)

  • Lera Auerbach – Sonata for Solo Violoncello, Op. 72 (2003)

  • Gérard Grisey – Stèle (1995)

  • Tania León – Four Pieces for Solo Cello (1981)

  • Arnold Bax – Rhapsodic Ballad (1939)

  • György Kurtág – In memoriam György Aczél and Pilinszky János (late 20th century)

  • Malcolm Arnold – Fantasy for Cello (1987)

  • Miklós Rózsa – Toccata capricciosa (mid-20th century)

  • Aulis Sallinen – Elegy for Sebastian Knight (1964)

  • Eleanor Alberga – Monograph for Violoncello (2020)

  • Leila Adu – For Edna (2016)

  • Kati Agócs – Versprechen (2004)

  • Franghiz Ali-Zadeh – Oyan! (2005)

  • Gity Razaz – Shadow Lines (21st century)

  • Rain Worthington – Resolves (21st century)

  • Bertold Hummel – Fantasia II, In Memoriam Pablo Casals (1993)

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