Servais - Duo sur une Mélodie de Dalayrac for 2 Cellos and Piano (Urtext Edition)

In 1876, a decade after Servais’s death, the publisher Schott released four of his posthumous works. Three of these were composed for cello and orchestra (or piano), and one for two cellos and piano. The Duo sur une Mélodie de Dalayrac appeared under the catalog number Œuvre posthume No. 2. The fantasia is based on the aria “Comment goûter quelque repos” sung by the character Céphise in Nicolas Dalayrac’s opera Renaud d’Ast. Servais wrote this work to perform with his younger son, Joseph, during their travels in 1866, the year of François’s death.

The Duo presents an engaging and conversational texture between the two cellos, which are written as equal partners. The piano plays a transparent, supportive role, allowing the two solo instruments to “duel” over the melodic material. The style and interaction are reminiscent of Bottesini’s duets and fantasias for double bass.

The work opens with a substantial introduction on an original theme. Cello II then presents the Dalayrac melody over a plucked accompaniment in cello I, a remarkable texture that stands out in Servais’s oeuvre for its extended pizzicato writing. In Variation I, cello II develops the theme while cello I and the piano provide minimal support. Variation II features a virtuosic, nearly perpetual motion line for cello I. In Variation III, the theme returns in harmonics played by cello I, while cello II accompanies with triplet figures and the piano is tacet. The finale draws upon the head motive of the theme and subtly recalls the introduction of Souvenir d’Anvers. The piano becomes more active in the closing pages, contributing flowing scale passages as the piece builds toward its conclusion.

Tonally, the Duo centers on E major. The theme and variations unfold in E minor, while the finale begins in C major, transitions through E minor, and triumphantly concludes in E major.