Lee - 40 Melodic and Progressive Etudes, Op. 31 (Urtext Edition)

Sebastian Lee’s 40 Melodic and Progressive Etudes, Op. 31, have long been part of the standard cello study repertoire. We are happy to present the first urtext edition of these “old standard” etudes, restoring Lee’s original musical text and giving a new generation of students and teachers access to the pieces as the composer approved them.

This edition is based on the first edition, published in Paris by A. Aulagnier in 1843 under plate numbers A.A. 832 and 833. Every edition currently available on the market is based on Hugo Becker’s edition, first published by Schott in the late nineteenth century after Lee’s death. Becker took many liberties with the score, most notably cutting 116 measures from about ten etudes and recomposing other passages. This edition preserves Lee’s original musical text and markings. A few fingerings have been added for clarification, and any other deviations from the original text, such as obvious misprints, are noted in the footnotes. We are grateful to the Bibliothèque nationale de France for making these composer-approved publications available.

All 40 etudes are conveniently included in one volume. These studies are suitable for intermediate through early advanced cellists and are useful for lessons, technical development, musical study, and preparation for the standard cello repertoire.

ASTA level: 2.5–4