Squire, William Henry: Petits Morceaux, Op. 16

To all new cellists….
I am delighted to welcome these five little pieces by W. H. Squire back into print. As cellists know, there has been a lack of repertoire for the early stages; music with a catchy tune, good fun to play at a concert but without too much moving about. Here are five pieces that fit that bill. None of them shifts out of first position, yet this does not mean they present no challenges! Backward and forward extensions, chromatic signs, major and minor scale passages, fast string crossing and vibrato are all taken for granted. These are all skills that new cellists should be familiar with before venturing into the stratospheres of thumb position and tenor clef!

W. H. Squire composed these pieces for his pupils and I am sure they will be enjoyed just as much by pupils everywhere today.

Wendy Max Hon ARAM April 1998