Your selection will take several moments to download. It will begin playing automatically.

Selection: Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos

NOTE: If no downloading activity is apparent, then your browser probably does not support embedded media. (We strongly recommend downloading a current browser)
To download your selection manually, click here.

Songs from the Cello

A personal note by Hamilton Cheifetz:

The tone of the cello has often been said to resemble the human voice. In fact, the range of the cello encompasses all human voices, from bass to soprano. As a cellist who has been inspired by the lieder interpretations of Fritz Wunderlich, Elly Ameling, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, I became strongly attracted to the poetic songs of Schubert and Schumann. Following a tradition established by other cellists who have borrowed freely from the vocal repertoire, I began to transcribe some of my favorite lieder. My attempts to recreate these treasures were rewarded by the discovery that the songs are revealed in a different light when clothed in the sound of the cello.

My transcriptions are pure and unadorned; I have simply "sung" through the cello. On this recording, all but two of my song arrangements were set in the range of the male voice. However, the Schumann songs, "Schneeglöckchen" and "Der Sandmann" were set in the higher soprano range to preserve the lightness of their texture.

Couperin's charming "Pièces en Concert" became familiar to me through the 1961 recording of Pablo Casals at the White House. Among Schuberts's songs, "Die Taubenpost" is a work of special poignancy in that it was the last music written by him before his death at the age of 31.

Three of the four songs by Schumann are from his Op. 79, "Liederalbum für die Jugend" (Lieder Album for the Young). Ravel's sensuous "Habanera" was composed as a vocalise before being transcribed for cello by Paul Bazelaire. The famous "Aria" by Villa-Lobos from "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5" for soprano and eight celli was arranged by the composer for voice and guitar, and it was a logical step to transcribe the piece for cello and guitar.

Debussy's Sonata, one of the gems of the cello repertoire and one of his last pieces, creates a fantastic world of colors and emotional expression containing astringent lyricism, tenderness, irony, and a strong declamatory character. The ferocity of the Sonata's conclusion led quite naturally to the soothing sadness of Falla's lovely lullaby, "Nana," also originally for the voice.

Songs from the Cello