POPPERÃ's

Scottish Fantasy

For Cello and Piano

(JEFFREY SOLOW)

Preface

Bohemian cellist David Popper (1843-1913) was unquestionably the greatest cellist of the end of the nineteenth century.Ã At the age of twenty, after completing his studies at the Prague Conservatory, he embarked upon his solo concert career and toured throughout Europe to universal acclaim.Ã Popper also achieved success in chamber musicÃ--including many performances with BrahmsÃ--and as solo cellist of the Royal Opera Orchestra in Vienna.

As a composer except for a string quartet, an orchestral march and a few concertos, fantasia on various national themes, sixty-five etudes, many transcriptions and innumerable short character piecesÃ--most of them highly virtuosicÃ--for cello with piano or orchestra. These were featured on so many concert programs during PopperÃ's lifetime that George Bernard Shaw christened him Ã"the inevitable Popper.Ã"

The Scottish Fantasy dates from 1900 and is dedicated to Franklin Peterson, an organist and music teacher whom Popp befriended during one of his concert tours to Edinburgh. Although written only a few years after his famous Hungarian Rhapsody Popper pushes the à FantasyÃ's chromaticism much fartherÃ--perhaps he was amusing himself by seeing what he could get away with!

In its original version the fantasy had sections where PopperÃ's inspiration seemed to falter so to maintain the musicÃ's flow I have made some judicious cuts and a few other changes.