Clarke: Rhapsody for Cello & Piano Sheet music – May 1, 2020

Rebecca Clarkes masterly Rhapsody, written in 1923 and lasting 24 minutes, has been circulating in faint, unofficial photocopies of her manuscript for several years. Here it is presented for the first time in modern setting, edited by John York and with the permission of the composers estate. Preparing Rebecca Clarkes Rhapsody for performance from photocopies of the tiny manuscript took time, patience and care but proved not too problematic because, despite her many amendments, deletions, reworkings and obvious second thoughts, Clarkes actual text was generally clear and very accurate. Once we became acquainted with the rich harmonic idiom, which goes even further than anything shed exploited in the earlier viola sonata and piano trio, it was easier to decipher the slightly untidy accidentals and make decisions where something was ambiguous. Even the most dissonant chords, complex rhythms and multiple divisions within beats were correctly written out by Clarke in the manuscript. [John York] Read more