Popper - Tarantella, Op. 33 (Urtext Edition)

David Popper composed three Tarantellas (Opp. 33, 57, and 64, No. 2). His first Tarantella in G major, Op. 33 remains a staple of the cello repertoire and is often studied by students in their teenage years. Despite its popularity among advancing players, the work is deceptively difficult for its pedagogical placement, demanding fluency in rapid shifts, string crossings, and advanced bowing technique.

The Tarantella was published under the German spelling Tarantelle by D. Rahter in 1880 (plate 2101). The work was orchestrated by Paul Gilson (not by Popper himself) and published in 1902. Other notable early arrangements issued by Rahter include versions for piano four hands (arr. Kleinmichel, 1892), piano two hands (arr. Biehl, 1884), and violin and piano (arr. Jenő Hubay, 1907).

The Tarantella was dedicated to Jan Seifert (1833–after 1914), known in Russia as Ivan Ivanovich Zeyfert (Иван Иванович Зейферт), a cellist, teacher, and professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, as well as director of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society. Born into a Czech family, Seifert played in the orchestra of the Imperial Theatres from 1853 and joined the faculty of the Conservatory at its founding in 1862, during Tchaikovsky’s student years. He also taught amateur musicians, including Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich.

Structurally, the Tarantella combines elements of rondo and ternary (ABA) forms. The opening piano “tutti” presents the head motive of the first melody heard in the solo cello; however, this melody never reappears after its initial statement. Instead, the repeated-note motive introduced after that theme becomes the work’s central rhythmic and thematic anchor. The C-major section (heard as either the B section of a ternary form or the C section of a rondo) provides contrast and lyrical relief before the return to G major. The reprise also functions as a coda, driven by the continuing presence of the repeated-note figure in the accompaniment.

Popper’s former student Stephen Deák recounts an anecdote about another of Popper’s pupils, Földessy, performing this work: “After hearing Földessy’s concert, Popper remarked, ‘Yes, he is developing constantly. Recently, he was able to play my Tarantella in only two and a half minutes!’”

This edition of the Tarantella is based on the first edition published by D. Rahter. All editorial changes and deviations from the original text are indicated in the score. The separate cello part and the cello line from the piano score have been collated to present a more comprehensive and unified realization of the solo cello part.