and Two for “C”. If you’re an older adult beginner (as I am) you may know that original tune. I love playing duets with other cellists. We can really hone in on the music, or we can just have a good time playing together. You may have your own favorite stash of favorite duets, and if so, please share them with me! Certainly many cello duets can be found for free on numerous sites, but I wanted to mention some that have become my go-to favorites. Most of these can be sight read, and are in mostly first or second position.
Number One on my list is Rudolf Matz 12 Duets for Two Violoncellos. Everything else is Number Two. That’s how great these duets are. Other favorites include: Kummer 6 Duets for Two Cellos, and Offenbach Six Duos for Celli. These are nice as the parts are very similar so C-1 = C-2. A really fun book is Flying Fiddle Duets for Two Cellos by Myanna Harvey. I’ve only played in Book One but she does have a second book out now. At first glance you may be intimidated, but I assure you they are fun to play and sound great. First and fourth position only. Lots of places to purchase these, but I know you can find them at Cellos2Go.com, Sharmusic.com, or Amazon.
If you don’t have a duet partner, you need to find one. Try a high school orchestra player, or local college. You can and should play duets with your teacher. It’s inspirational! I sometimes use my recorder (or the recorder on my small keyboard) to record one part so I can play duets with myself. After all, necessity is the mother of invention, so get creative!