Bob Woods:

>I often enjoy solo cello works early in the morning.  As a novice listener,
>this means that I have spent much time with Bach's Cello Suites.  I am
>wondering if the list can recommend other solo cello works that I should
>consider for my collection.

Well, you're in luck.  Thanks to Bach, a number of composers have
written solo cello works in emulation.  The most amazing, in my opinion,
is Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello.  Many cellists have recorded this
(many cellists, according to a cellist I talked to, also cheat; it's
very difficult).  Just don't confuse it with the Sonata for Cello and
Piano, a good work, but not as wonderful.

I'd also recommend Bloch's 3 Suites for solo cello, composed toward the
end of his life.  Bloch intended solo music for all the solo strings but
got only as far as ones for cello and for violin (I think his very last
works).

Hindemith also has some solo cello music, but, as big a Hindemith fan as I
am, I don't care for it.

In a lighter vein, you might try Gordon Jacob's Divertimento for solo cello
or Walton's Passacaglia

Steve Schwartz.