Arthur Foote: Cello Concerto in G minor, Op. 33

Arthur Foote (1853-1937)
Cello Concerto in G minor. Op. 33
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante con moto 10:23
III. Allegro comodo 17:23
Douglas Moore, cello
Rochester (MN) Symphony Orchestra
Jere Lantz, conductor
Arthur William Foote (5 March 1853 in Salem, Massachusetts -- 8 April 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American classical composer, and a member of the "Boston Six." The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker.
The modern tendency is to view Foote's music as "Romantic" and "European" in light of the later generation of American composers such as Aaron Copland, Roy Harris and William Schuman, all of whom helped to develop a recognizably American sound in classical music. A Harvard graduate and the first noted American classical composer to be trained entirely in the U.S., in some sense he is to music what American poets were to literature before Walt Whitman.
Foote was an early advocate of Brahms and Wagner and promoted performances of their music. Foote was an active music teacher and wrote a number of pedagogical works, including Modern Harmony in Its Theory and Practice (1905), written with Walter R. Spalding. It was republished as Harmony (1969). He also wrote Some Practical Things in Piano-Playing (1909) and Modulation and Related Harmonic Questions (1919). He contributed many articles to music journals, including "Then and Now, Thirty Years of Musical Advance in America" in Etude (1913) and "A Bostonian Remembers" in Musical Quarterly (1937).
The Cello Concerto dates from 1894. It is in three movements, of which the first two are connected by a recitative-like transitional passage. The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is in an extended ternary, rather than sonata form. The second, Andante con moto, features a tender-hearted second theme over tremolo strings, while the finale, Allegro comodo, brings the concerto to a spirited conclusion.

[@douglasmoore3191]

Nice to have my performance recognized and on KZbin. It is with Rochester MN orchestra, from 1983. Thanks to whomever put it up. All the cello and piano music is available on an A-R Recent Researches edition, and my recording is on an old Musical Heritage Society LP and cassette, long out of print of course. I have CD dubs I should post on KZbin!

[@RichardStClair-vh9og]

Mr. Moore, what a wonderful, warm and powerful performance! Well done, sir!

[@DurpenHeimer]

where would one find the sheet music for this concerto?? I would like to learn it

[@steveegallo3384]

@@RichardStClair-vh9og -- Yes, and he had the perfect vehicle, this colossal work....My God, Who Knew?

[@pipestud3corncobpuffer785]

Douglas Moore. What feeling and depth in your playing. The cello has such soul to it. Full of a longing that quite be fulfilled. I rank this concerto alongside the concertos of Volkmann, Rubinstein and Saint Seans.

[@MREmusique]

thank-you for this beautiful performance of a stunning work. around 10 years ago I had the immense pleasure of performing his piano quartet, and have been in love with his music ever since.

[@douglasmoore3191]

Thanks to you all for your comments. Jere Lantz and Rochester MN it is. Unfortunately I am no longer performing; arthritis, rotator cuff, etc. There is a new CD by Kirsten Johnson of the complete piano music by Foote. Andres Diaz has recorded the Foote Cello Sonata Op 78 from my edition. I still hope to put my recordings of the complete Foote cello music on KZbin, as well as pieces by Arthur Farwell and C W Cadman, all on Musical Heritage Society LPs from the 1980s.

[@nostalgicmodernist1399]

Please do! This is really interesting music. And thanks so much for performing it in the first place!

[@harryandruschak2843]

Yet another significant composer never to be heard on Los Angeles's two classical music radio stations, much less a live performance. And with cello playing like that, you might be tempted to ask why. Well, thank God for KZbin.

[@rossbrown6649]

Just heard this played last week in Las Cruces NM, by Zuill Bailey for piano & cello, after a Harvard Music concert the week before where he was told some years ago that he couldn't come back unless he played Foote. Was a revelation for all there, a lovely piece. My brief search for a recording only found this, not even the MHS disk. Now I can have an orchestral version. Thanks for putting this online.

[@johnruggeri843]

Douglas Moore thank you for your gorgeous performance. This is a beautiful work. John

[@andrewpetersen5272]

Talk about a work that needs professional recording...this is it. What great composition. Thanks for the upload!

[@josealexandre6632]

No words are needed for such a piece. Remarkable in totum. Going to see I´m able to find and buy the piano pieces. The should be a revelation (to me).

[@jameswginn]

This is a real find--thanks so much for this wonderful piece.

[@Bob999L]

Delightful. I'm beginning to develop a Foote fetish. Also, trying to find a bit more information on the Web, I learned that Douglas Moore has performed the concerto with several ochestras, and one of them is located in Rochester, Minnesota. I assume that's the orchestra in the recording, not one in Rochester. NY.

[@scruffysean3640]

Some of us have had one for years. Oh wait... {blush}

[@steveegallo3384]

@@scruffysean3640 -- So long as it's not in your Mouth, Excellency....Greetings from México!

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

I can't stand to listen to KMZT AM. The DJs don't seem to listen to what they play, or recognize the music. The first straw was when I heard Chopin's 2nd Piano Concerto announced as the Schumann concerto. The last straw was when I heard another well known work announced as something else. I was so livid that I can't even recall what the two works are now.

[@douglasmoore3191]

Sure, Doug it is. My MHS LP contains the 3 movement sonata and 6 other pieces, his entire cello/piano output. The Romanza is the slow movement of the concerto. The concerto was never published but he did publish the slow movement, transposed to Eb and slightly altered, in 1908. I played it a lot as an encore. I don't have any video but would simply copy the LP's cover, have a title page and upload each piece. Any suggestions on doing that? Thanks.

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

I believe it says Jere Lantz. You can pose the question directly to Doug Moore right here, as he has made some comments below. BTW, Doug, are you still actively performing? If so, have some additional cello concertos posted here on YT that might be of some interest to you.

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

Be that as it may, it could be possible for a live performance to occur in this burg, although I think the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra would be a likelier prospect than the Phil.

[@douglasmoore3191]

Sorry - the published Romanza is in D Major. I'm a MAC person so have to go with that. I don't have the cover copied yet but easy to scan.

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

Thank Douglas, not me. But our work is never done!

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

Sounds like the slow movement of the concerto was already in E-flat, Doug. In any event, do you have Windows MovieMaker? That's the program I'm using. I would assume you already have the LP cover copied into your system.

[@ezequielcamacho5956]

Hermoso concierto, lástima que la calidad sea mala, y ese cello suene un poco chilloncito... no encontré nada más sobre este concierto en KZbin ...

[@jksteven1]

Is this Foote's major work? Or did he write a symphony or another concerto? Also, is Douglas More the cellist any relation to Douglas Moore, American composer?

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

+Jk Stevenson I believe it is his major work. The only other large-scale orchestral work I can think of off the top of my head is a Suite in E for string orchestra.

[@andrewpetersen5272]

His piano quintet is another masterpiece!

[@peterbuckley265]

ORCHESTRAL WORKS, SERENADE FOR STRINGS IN E MAJ OP 25, CELLO CONCERTO IN G MIN OP 33 AND MANY CHAMBER WORKS , SUITE FOR STRINS IN E MAJ OP 63 = SEE DETAILS ON WIKOPEDIA.

[@MREmusique]

@@andrewpetersen5272 as is the criminally under-performed piano quartet.

[@andrewpetersen5272]

@@MREmusique Feel the same about Converse'swork.

[@johannrufinatscha4210]

By all means, Douglas! May I call you Doug? If you have any photos or need any help in creating a video presentation, feel free to contact me.

[@horsthornung2424]

I still prefer "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles