Composition

Notes

Cello Mashup was written for the 50th annual assembly of Rick Mooney’s National Cello Institute.

Rick was a major figure in cello pedagogy, teaching countless students (and teachers!) in person, and through his voluminous repertoire of teaching methods and cello ensembles. After 50 years, his National Cello Institute continues to light up the lives of more than 150 participants each year.

I had the immense pleasure of working with Rick as student, teacher, and colleague. In my early cello teaching days, I took a teacher training course with Rick, and learned valuable lessons that I carried into my years of teaching music theory and composition. In his early days of arranging cello ensembles Rick came to me with questions about harmony and voice leading. One of his earliest projects was a beautiful arrangement of “Pie Jesu” from Fauré’s Requiem.
After all its fun and games, Cello Mashup closes with “Pie Jesu,” as a heartfelt thanks to Rick for all he gave us.

With a hundred cellists assembled for NCI’s 2025 cello orchestra, it is irresistible to tip a hat to the following cello favorites:
Bach: Suite I – Prelude
Bach: Suite II – Prelude
Bach: Suite III – Prelude (in minor)
Bach: Suite IV – Prelude
Bach: Suite V – Fugue
Bach: Suite VI – Prelude
Beethoven – Sonata F major
Brahms F major Cello Sonata
Bruch: Kol Nidre
Dvorak: Cello Concerto mvts. II and III
Fauré: – Pie Jesu
Folk Song/Mooney: Bile Them Cabbage
Folk song: Moon Over Ruined Castle
Haydn: C major Concerto
Mooney: Robot Blues
Rachmaninoff: Sonata
Saint-Saëns: The Swan
Squire: Dance Rustique
Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 cellos