Cello Sonata (Barber)

The Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 6, by Samuel Barber is a sonata for cello and piano. It is in the key of C minor.[1]

History

The sonata was composed between June and December 1932 during a trip to Europe as Barber was finishing his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. The score is dedicated to Barber's composition teacher, Rosario Scalero, and was officially premiered on 5 March 1933 with the composer at the piano and his friend and colleague Orlando Cole as cellist, at a concert of the League of Composers in New York City.[2] Together with the Music for a Scene from Shelley, Op. 7, this sonata won both a Pulitzer travel stipend and the Rome Prize of the American Academy in Rome in 1937.[3][4]

Analysis

The Cello Sonata, Opus 6, is a chamber piece. A romantic piece in a clear C minor, it is a profound and passionate cello sonata reminiscent of the examples of Brahms and Hans Pfitzner.^[citation needed]

The sonata is in three movements:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Adagio (in combination with a scherzo)[5]
3. Allegro appassionato.

References

1. "Barber: Cello Sonata Op. 6". sin80.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
2. Heyman, Barbara B. (1992). Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York City and Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 110–1, 114. ISBN 9780195090581.
3. Friedewald 1957, p. 166.
4. Pleasants, Henry (May 25, 1935). "Samuel Barber Wins Two Musical Awards". Philadelphia Bulletin.
5. Friedewald 1957, p. 172.

Sources

• Friedewald, Russell Edward (1957). A Formal and Stylistic Analysis of the Published Music of Samuel Barber (PhD diss). Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University.