Early Music Music for Labor Day

I play flute and cello with an early music group. It is not a strict period instruments group, just a group that enjoys playing Baroque music. We have a harpichord and recorders, but no viola da gambas. The cello works fine for me, as I am pretty flexible about instrumentation, and not interested in learning the gamba.

We have varying membership, and several of us play multiple instruments, so we have a variety of music suitable for harpsichord, violins, flutes, recorders, viola, and cellos. I personally like music for two treble instruments, a cello, and harpsichord, which seems to work well most of the time, even with some doubling on treble parts and/or cello parts.

We have selected some pieces for a performance on Labor Day weekend, when we expect to have two flutists, a violinist, a harpsichord player, and me on cello. The cello parts are not particularly difficult, though some will require some work. I want to concentrate on intonation, articulation, and playing well as an ensemble.

Pieces en Trio (1692), by Marin Marais, for two treble recorders, cello and harpsichord (Dolmetsch Recorder Series).

Trio Sonata for two flutes and basso continuo, by G. P. Telemann, 2 flutes, cello, harpsichord (Fentone Music). This comes with a playalong CD.

Trio Sonata for two flutes and basso continuo, by J. M. Hotteterre, 2 flutes, cello, harpsichord (Fenton Music). This comes with a playalong CD.

Sonata No. 9 in F Major (Golden Sonata), by Henry Purcell, for 2 violins, cello, harpsichord. (International Music). When I first started the cello, I bought a stack of beginning/intermediate cello music from a seller on eBay. This was in that stack, and I am glad to finally have a group interested in playing it.

Sonata No. 1 in F Major, by Benedetto Marcello, for 2 flutes, violin, cello, and, perhaps, harpsichord. (This was my favorite piece for the flute when I was in high school. I have arranged it for 2 flutes, violin, and cello.)

Sonata in E-Flat Major (1031), by J. S. Bach, transcribed for 2 flutes, cello, and harpsichord. This is Bach's flute sonata no. 2, arranged for 2 flutes. (Leaf Publications)

Sonata Op. 34 No. 2, by Joseph Bodin de Bosimortier, arranged for Flute, 2 oboes, and piano. (Falls House Press). We haven't played this yet either, but it was appealing to me because it has 3 treble parts. I can play the left-hand piano part on cello.

Quartette No. 4 in G Major, by G. P. Telemann, for 2 flutes, 2 cellos, and harpsichord. (Barenreiter) This one appealed to me because of the two cello parts; however the second cello part is very simple. Our other cellist is not able to make the performance, but since the second cello does not add much, we could still play this. There are six quartets (quintets really) in this series, so maybe some of the others are better for 2 cellos.

Partia 2, by G. P. Telemann, for flute, cello, and harpsichord. There are six partias, each with numerous arias. I picked a pleasant one in G major, though we have not yet played through them all.

This is way too much music for our event, so we will probably drop half of it, or play it elsewhere. But, for now, we are enjoying working on it, and trying hard not to add any more to the mix.