Cello Sonata (Barber)

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

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 (Heyman 1992, 110–11, 114). Together with the Music for a Scene from Shelley, Op. 7, this sonata won both a Pulitzer travel stipend and the Prix de Rome of the American Academy in Rome in 1935 (Friedewald 1957, 166; Pleasants 1935).

Analysis

The sonata is in three movements:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Adagio
3. Allegro appassionato.

The second movement combines an adagio with a scherzo (Friedewald 1957, 172).

Media

	Cello Sonata opus 6, 1st movement Performed by John Michel and others Cello Sonata opus 6, 2nd movement Performed by John Michel and others Cello Sonata opus 6, 3d movement Performed by John Michel and others
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References

• Friedewald, Russell Edward. 1957. "A Formal and Stylistic Analysis of the Published Music of Samuel Barber". PhD diss. Ames: Iowa State University.
• Heyman, Barbara B. 1992. Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Pleasants, Henry. 1935. "Samuel Barber Wins Two Musical Awards". Philadelphia Bulletin (May 25).