W.H. Squire (1871-1963) was a British cellist who composed short pieces for his own use. These pieces date from between 1890 and 1904; some were composed in sets and published, while others were intended for events that might mix light music with more extended cello compositions. All are firmly in Romantic styles, from Schubert to Dvorák, and they are all tastefully British; virtuoso effects are restricted to a few overtone passages, and even double-stopping is in short supply. Instead the idiom is melodic, and the young ...
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W.H. Squire (1871-1963) was a British cellist who composed short pieces for his own use. These pieces date from between 1890 and 1904; some were composed in sets and published, while others were intended for events that might mix light music with more extended cello compositions. All are firmly in Romantic styles, from Schubert to Dvorák, and they are all tastefully British; virtuoso effects are restricted to a few overtone passages, and even double-stopping is in short supply. Instead the idiom is melodic, and the young cellist Oliver Gledhill offers smooth execution and a genuinely songful quality. The only piece that's at all frequently played is the Serenade, Op. 15, and that only in Britain. You can sample it for a reasonable representation of Squire's style, or any other track really, for the stylistic range is not great. Five of the works here have never been recorded before. The collection has a fetching quality that would make it suitable for an outdoor party, a setting in which some of the...
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