Mikroczellos (2021)
Instrumentation: cello solo
Duration: 13 minutes
Duration: 13 minutes
Program Note:
Mikroczellos is a collection of six short pieces for cello that make no use of the instrument’s bow. They are instead performed using a kaleidoscopic variety of pizzicato and new performance techniques. I chose to work with these playing methods because I love the way they sound! There is a variety of ways to pluck, strum, or strike the strings of a cello, and each offers its own unique sonic flavor. However, these techniques have largely been overlooked in the past century. Understandably, most advancements in cello playing have been
concerned with using the bow. Mikroczellos deliberately removes the bow from music making to bring new sounds to the forefront, creating a modern set of concert etudes that challenge cellists to rediscover the possibilities of their instrument.
Though I composed everything in the work, it would not have come to fruition without the input of Eleanor Lee—amazing cellist and friend. Through video calls and in-person meetings, scattered across seven months, I sought Eleanor’s guidance for how to best write for the cello. We tested out contrasting musical ideas, experimented with playing techniques, and determined together where improvements were necessary. A few times I wrote something impossible, but Eleanor always knew how to fix it! For her incredible musicianship (and patience with me) I dedicate this work to her.
Mikroczellos was composed in 2021 from February to September and first performed on October 19, 2021 by Eleanor Lee at the Acacia Reservation in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Mikroczellos is a collection of six short pieces for cello that make no use of the instrument’s bow. They are instead performed using a kaleidoscopic variety of pizzicato and new performance techniques. I chose to work with these playing methods because I love the way they sound! There is a variety of ways to pluck, strum, or strike the strings of a cello, and each offers its own unique sonic flavor. However, these techniques have largely been overlooked in the past century. Understandably, most advancements in cello playing have been
concerned with using the bow. Mikroczellos deliberately removes the bow from music making to bring new sounds to the forefront, creating a modern set of concert etudes that challenge cellists to rediscover the possibilities of their instrument.
Though I composed everything in the work, it would not have come to fruition without the input of Eleanor Lee—amazing cellist and friend. Through video calls and in-person meetings, scattered across seven months, I sought Eleanor’s guidance for how to best write for the cello. We tested out contrasting musical ideas, experimented with playing techniques, and determined together where improvements were necessary. A few times I wrote something impossible, but Eleanor always knew how to fix it! For her incredible musicianship (and patience with me) I dedicate this work to her.
Mikroczellos was composed in 2021 from February to September and first performed on October 19, 2021 by Eleanor Lee at the Acacia Reservation in Lyndhurst, Ohio.