Cello excerpt · Audition repertoire
Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
Allegro non troppo
Bursting cello entrance after a single orchestral chord. Pure athleticism.
At a glance
- Instrument
- Cello
- Composer
- Camille Saint-Saëns
- Work
- Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
- Movement
- Allegro non troppo
- Era
- Romantic (c. 1820–1880)
- Composed
- 1872
- Key
- C
- Metre
- 4/4
- Tempo
- Allegro non troppo · ♩ ≈ 132
- Clef
- Tenor clef
- Level
- Audition, professional standard
- Audition list
- Yes, standard excerpt
How to practise it
The bow style, the trouble spots, and the stylistic decisions that come up most often on this excerpt.
Bowing
Detaché, every note rings. Don't let the descending scale blur.
Fingering
Plan the scale fingering in advance. Octave shifts must be silent.
Tags
Work on the technique underneath
Arco's cello curriculum builds the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading this excerpt assumes, with recorded cello playback throughout.