Sebastian Lee, Anna Catharina Nimczik

Gavotte op. 112

Sebastian Lee (1805-1887) was a successful cellist and teacher in Paris and Hamburg, among other places. His school works, etudes and duets are still used in teaching today. In addition, numerous concert pieces for cello and piano were also written by Lee.

The Gavotte op. 112 is an effective and multifaceted stylized dance that presents advanced students with demanding tasks. The challenges are oriented to the instrument and its technical possibilities: for example, the fast sixteenth-note figurations lie well 'in the hand', but at the same time create a virtuoso effect.

A prerequisite for working through the composition is the adept handling of pitches up to the sixth position, experience with thumb position and harmonics, skills in playing double stops and ornaments, and good fluency in the left hand. Musically, the gavotte offers the opportunity to portray a variety of characters: There are light 'airy' motives, broad energetic chords, but also fast virtuosic passages to be created. The piano part is simply set and largely confined to a supporting accompaniment function.

This edition is part of the Schott Student Edition teaching series, which offers varied repertoire for lessons, concerts and examinations at different levels of difficulty (from easy to difficult). For this, among other popular standard works of music history are published in a modern and clear print. For many pieces the piano accompaniment is available for download.