3 Pieces for cello and piano; Nadia Boulanger

Descended from a long line of musicians, Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) was the personification of music in the eyes of her contemporaries; but her work as a composer was for a long time overshadowed by her gifts as a virtuoso at the piano and organ, her skill as a pioneering conductor and choir director and, above all, her incredible charisma as a teacher. Her "Three Pieces" for cello and piano of 1914 are among her most oft-performed works. Early titles for each piece give a sense of their character: No. 1 'Improvisation' is an ethereal, impressionist, delicate piece; No. 2 'Petit Canon' is a more ardent and romantic piece with the cello and piano set in close canon to one another; and No. 3 'Danse' is a virtuosic, energetic dance with a Spanish zing, largely in 5/8 and 5/4 time. Advanced level, Grade 5.