Description

‘CELLO CHRISTMAS CONCERTO GROSSO’ (‘Fatto per la notte di Natale’) – by Arcangelo CORELLI

arranged for an Ensemble of 8 Solo Cellos, or Cello Orchestra with four cello soloists by David Johnstone

 FIRST PART

PDF 1 – GENERAL   SCORE – First Part

PDF 2 – INDIVIDUAL CELLO PARTS 1 to 4 – First Part

PDF 3 – INDIVIDUAL CELLO PARTS 5 to 8 – First Part

Notes:

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) wrote 12 Concerti Grossi (big concertos or concerti), a form of Baroque music wherein the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and full orchestra (ripieno or tutti). The drama of a concerto grosso (big concerto) lies in the contrast between solo voices and the full ensemble. This is in contrast to the concerto, where a solo instrument has this ‘conversation’ with the rest of the ensemble.

They were written in the last two decades of Corelli’s life and first performed at his weekly concerts in Rome. Each concerto grosso is scored for a solo concertino (of two violins and cello), string orchestra and continuo. Although the form existed before him, Corelli is widely regarded as the “Father of the Concerto Grosso” for the heights he took it to.

This concerto manuscript bears the inscription “Fatto per la notte di Natale” (“Made for the night of Christmas” in Italian). It was commissioned by his patron Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, and was first performed at Christmas, 1690, bearing the inscription” Made for the night of Christmas.” The concerto is made up of six short movements which alternate in tempo between fast and slow. The final movement is a serene Pastorale which suggests the nativity scene and so is the basis for the ‘Christmas’ nickname.

The CELLO version of David Johnstone is not for purists! The treatment of voices has been altered somewhat, and it is transposed in more comfortable cello registers. The first three voices correspond to the original concertante group (two violins and cello). The fourth voice is rather a ‘free agent’, sometimes helping out harmonically and sometimes even resembling the imagined right-hand harpsichord figures. If more than eight cellists are present, these four voices should be performed by solo players – parts 5 to 8 can be doubled freely (ideal would be 16 cellos – 4 plus 12!). There is certain difficulty in most parts, but are certainly playable by advanced students or professionals.

This re-working for cellos is dedicated to cellist and musical organizer JOANNE JEFFERIS, who has supported my work for a long time!

Enjoy the music!

ENGLISH

Welcome to Johnstone-Music! A big Anglo-Spanish web for MUSICIANS and especially CELLISTS – original music scores for orchestral instruments and keyboard. Plus articles, audios, videos, resources, catalogues, news etc. Official web of the professional cellist David Johnstone, principal cello Navarre Symphony Orchestra (Spain), chamber musician and soloist in many premieres. Hundreds of cello arrangements in the web for a symbolic charge per download or for free.

The following have taken his work onboard, sometimes with special collaborations as composer-arranger-performer: the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela, Orchestre Nouvelle Generation de Montreal, the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon), Orchestra da Camera del Locarnese (Suiza), The Zagreb Soloists, the Saint Petersburg Musical Theatre “Zazerkalye” Chamber Orchestra, the Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum (Poland), Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra (New Zealand), Camerata Cambrensis (Basque country), Ensemble Metamorphosis of Belgrade (Serbia), with Ara Malikian (Non Profit Music Chamber Orchestra – Madrid), and a long etc.. Currently, many courses, conservatoires and music schools, university String departments etc. use his repertoire; there are dozens of his arrangements on ‘You Tube’ …

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