Critical Notes Series: C.P.E. Bach Cello Concerto in A major

C.P.E. Bach's A major Cello Concerto has enjoyed longstanding popularity. Bach himself has a version of this work for solo cello, solo flute, or solo keyboard. In the last 100 years, it has been rearranged for cello and orchestra by Ferdinand Pollain, transposing much of the concerto up an octave, as well as Gaspar Cassadó in F major, with an addition of a solo flute in the slow movement. 

Currently, there are 2 "critical editions" editions of this concerto: Eulenburg/Schott and cpebach.org. Both of these claim to be based on the manuscript that is located at the Brussels Conservatory, however, the cpebach.org edition is almost exclusively based on the 1960s Eulenburg. Both editions have inadequate page turns. They call the slow movement "Largo con sordini, mesto," which is not what the manuscript says. The MS reads, "Largo mesto," and "con sordini" is only for some instruments, not all. 

This editor decided to use the manuscript found in the Alströmer Collection. The only real difference is found in the solo cello arpeggios on the last page, with a couple of different accompaniment notes. This editor's goal was to create a faithful edition with adequate page turns in all parts, as well as cue notes, which both Eulenburg/Schott and cpebach.org lack. This editor corrected the mistake in the Largo movement tempo marking to follow Alströmer's "Largo maesto."

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