A great jazz ballard for introducing 2nd position, legato bowing and expressive playing, with an interesting key change in the middle.
A really good introduction to contemporary music. Musical and technical demands needed are a rigorous sense of pulse and rhythm, good sense of fingerboard and shifting, precision in execution and varying bowing techniques.
Beautiful piece that works really well on two cellos. Great for tenor clef work and rhythm (which looks much harder than it is). Also good for ensemble work, tonal control, period style and ornamentation. The sonata was originally written for two violins and keyboard.
As the title might suggest, this piece is full of opportunities to show off contrasting dynamics. It is more a double viola quartet than an octet in that the original brass piece had two groups of players facing each other and playing both with and against each other. The first part goes up to 5th position.
This mixed ability arrangement, in the form of a Concerto Grosso, needs good listening and ensemble. The voices imitate and answer each other and knowing where the important voice lies is crucial. It is excellent for developing playing in the upper half of the bow. The first part goes into 4th position and all the quartet parts have running passages. The main four parts, each with solo moments, are grades 6-8 while there are two (optional) easier parts around grades 2-4.
