Sonata for Solo Cello (Kodály)

The Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály wrote his Sonata for Solo Cello in B minor, Op.

It contains influences of Debussy and Bartók, as well as the inflections and nuances of Hungarian folk music.

[5] Indeed, less than 40 years later, in 1956, the sonata was a set piece for the Casals Competition in Mexico City.

[7] János Starker first played the sonata for Kodály at the age of 15, in 1939, then again in 1967 shortly before the composer's death.

Kodály told Starker: "If you correct the ritard in the third movement, it will be the Bible performance.

Scordatura used in the Sonata for Solo Cello. The upper two strings remain the same as in normal tuning, while the lower strings are tuned down one semitone. The piece wavers between B minor and B major , and Kodály used the tuning to extend the instrument's tonal, dynamic and expressive range. [ 2 ]