First Suite for Solo Violoncello
Title
First Suite for Solo Violoncello
Description
Black composer Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes fell in love with cello suites in 1995.
As written on his website, "As I came home (to the dorms) from marching band practice at the University of Michigan, I heard not only a glorious euphonium sound, but I heard this beautiful melody in C coming from the dorm's practice rooms. I had to find out who and what it was. As I knocked on the door, I introduced myself and then met Matthew Summers, a fellow music major (now currently in the President's Own Marine Band. A week or two later, we went to the library so I could get my own copy of the music. Coincidently I had just met Leo Eguchi and Minitria Slade who were violoncello performance majors. They had a sound that was just quite mesmerizing. I would ask them questions repeatedly so I could learn how to write for this instrument. I had no idea about bowings, double-stops, bow techniques. I was a kid in a candy store. Years later, the tuba/euph studio at UM had to learn various movements from the cello suites. I went to the library to grab some recordings. Somehow someway, the video of Mstislav Rostropovich performing the Suites was already playing in the library. He quickly became my favorite cellist. Maybe it was the quality of his CDs. His tone just captured me. The musicality of his cello suites got me hooked on his first note. Forever a fan! Right around the time I was about to graduate, I ran into our cello professor, Anthony Elliott. He kindly asked me to write him a piece. I was floored. No professor had ever asked me that. Honestly, I was nervous. I hadn't really written solo music before, mostly orchestra music. Unbeknownst to me, Prof. Elliott was putting together a concert and CD of African-American compositions. I just used Bach as my mode and listened over and over to Rostropovich. I didn't write six movements as he did, but decided to use the dance forms."
The "First Suite for Solo Violoncello" has a minuet, courante and gigue.
As written on his website, "As I came home (to the dorms) from marching band practice at the University of Michigan, I heard not only a glorious euphonium sound, but I heard this beautiful melody in C coming from the dorm's practice rooms. I had to find out who and what it was. As I knocked on the door, I introduced myself and then met Matthew Summers, a fellow music major (now currently in the President's Own Marine Band. A week or two later, we went to the library so I could get my own copy of the music. Coincidently I had just met Leo Eguchi and Minitria Slade who were violoncello performance majors. They had a sound that was just quite mesmerizing. I would ask them questions repeatedly so I could learn how to write for this instrument. I had no idea about bowings, double-stops, bow techniques. I was a kid in a candy store. Years later, the tuba/euph studio at UM had to learn various movements from the cello suites. I went to the library to grab some recordings. Somehow someway, the video of Mstislav Rostropovich performing the Suites was already playing in the library. He quickly became my favorite cellist. Maybe it was the quality of his CDs. His tone just captured me. The musicality of his cello suites got me hooked on his first note. Forever a fan! Right around the time I was about to graduate, I ran into our cello professor, Anthony Elliott. He kindly asked me to write him a piece. I was floored. No professor had ever asked me that. Honestly, I was nervous. I hadn't really written solo music before, mostly orchestra music. Unbeknownst to me, Prof. Elliott was putting together a concert and CD of African-American compositions. I just used Bach as my mode and listened over and over to Rostropovich. I didn't write six movements as he did, but decided to use the dance forms."
The "First Suite for Solo Violoncello" has a minuet, courante and gigue.
Duration: 6 minutes
Creator
Hughes, Chad "Sir Wick" (b. 1977)
Source
Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes (personal website), https://sirwickmusic.com/about
Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes, First Suite for Solo Violoncello (score), https://sirwickmusic.com/product/551739
Sir Wick Music, "First Suite for Solo Violoncello (Sir Wick); Anthony Elliott, cello" (YouTube), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tqa1e4b_yA&ab_channel=SirWickMusic
Date
[early 2000s]
Format
0-10 minutes
Coverage
2000-
Instrumentation
cello / violoncelle
Ensemble Type
solo
Citation
Hughes, Chad "Sir Wick" (b. 1977), “First Suite for Solo Violoncello,” Music EnLivened, accessed October 16, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/music-enlivened/items/show/152.
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