The cello has given birth to some of the greatest musical works in history, as well as many of the best musicians of the past and present. Absolutely every cellist we admire was once a beginner and had to traverse the difficult path of learning to play the instrument.
Whether they’re world-famous or playing in their living room with friends or at a family gathering, they’ve learned these songs that one could argue are as important as the most iconic pieces. After all, they are the first rock you lean on to climb any mountain.
Minuets – J.S. Bach (Suzuki Cello 1)
Let’s start with the easiest pieces, those for true beginners, yet still among the best. When it comes to finding the best, I always turn to Johann Sebastian Bach. His music is so rich that I consider it especially suitable for nourishing oneself as a musician.
It’s not only good for your technical development if you’re taking your first steps with the cello but also excellent for your musicality. Simple, yet with all the depth Bach always offers.
It’s important to mention that these songs I’m citing are works by Bach adapted for the cello and especially for beginners, which is why I cite the source as the first book of the Suzuki Method.
This book is one of the most widely disseminated worldwide for teaching all string instruments.
The Happy Farmer – R. Schumann
This famous work by Robert Schumann was originally written for the piano and is a classic of the repertoire, although it’s commonly played on all types of instruments.
Its endearing melody is as cheerful as the title suggests, and besides being relatively simple, it’s very fun to play.
You probably won’t recognize the song just by hearing its name, but you’ll surely recognize it when you hear it, as it has been widely used in numerous audiovisual productions.
Minuets – J.S. Bach (Suzuki Cello 2)
If you enjoyed the previous Bach pieces and want to continue progressing, you can also play the Bach Minuets from the next volume of the Suzuki Method, gradually increasing the difficulty while maintaining the Bach style we love so much.
These pieces are as graceful as the ones we saw first, with the added element that they’ll be very useful for practicing shifting from first to second position.
Hunters’ Chorus – C.M. von Weber
This nice excerpt from Weber’s works is an excellent option to play when you are at a beginner’s stage and are looking to play something that demands a little bit more agility.
I find this piece to be excellent for learning to pivot between fourth, eighth, and sixteenth notes.
Another good quality of this piece is that it will introduce you smoothly into articulations such as accents and staccato.
Musette from English Suite No. 3 – J.S. Bach
This piece is perfect for continuing to learn the second position on the cello, with several shifts between the first and second position, only this time you’ll be doing it in G major.
It’s important at the beginning to practice positions in different keys to develop good finger placement, and this well-known melody is perfect for that.
Theme from Witches’ Dance – N. Paganini
An essential aspect to start incorporating is the different bow strokes.
Even if you already know how to play quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes, the distribution of these rhythmic figures can result in very different bow strokes.
This piece by the famous violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini will introduce you to the dotted eighth and sixteenth note pattern and the classic bow stroke used for this rhythmic figure, so commonly utilized in string instruments.
The Two Grenadiers – R. Schumann
This work by Schumann is not only very beautiful but also has the characteristic of being longer than the previous ones.
When you’re starting out, there’s a big leap to make when you want to move from playing very short pieces to pieces that have a more considerable length, as that’s training in itself.
Additionally, it’s a perfect piece for developing playing with different dynamics and expressions, as it has very clear intensity changes.
The Song of the Birds – Pablo Casals
After covering several songs for those at the most basic levels, we can afford to move on to works that are true cello classics and that we could even say are some of the best pieces written for the cello, despite their low level of difficulty.
Although these works are a canon of the cello repertoire, they can be tackled by those who already have some playing experience but still consider themselves at an entry level.
El cant dels ocells (The Song of the Birds) is a classic piece by the world-famous cellist Pablo Casals. Its melody has exceptional musicality, and it’s possible to play it using just a few positions.
This melody, played solo by a cello, sounds simply beautiful, even without accompaniment.
The Swan – Camille Saint-Saëns
This piece is another classic composed specifically for the cello, which is not only relatively easy but also one of the most famous cello pieces of all time.
I particularly recommend this piece for its musical development, which, as an instrumentalist, will demand a considerable level of interpretation and musicality.
Le cygne (The Swan) will take us to a much higher level of expressiveness than the previous works without having to overcome too many technical obstacles beyond position changes and good handling of long notes with the bow.
A good vibrato will be absolutely necessary in this song.
Élégie – Gabriel Fauré
Since we’ve been developing good vibrato and expressive playing with The Swan, what better way to continue than with Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie?
This melody is much sadder and darker and will require even better handling of vibrato, dynamics, and long bow strokes to smoothly connect the phrases.
This piece has some brief virtuosic passages, but they are much easier than they seem at first glance, and you’ll always be able to play the main melody of this classic.
The Song of the Black Swan – H. Villa-Lobos
Not as well-known as the previous ones, but definitely as beautiful and musical as them. The level of difficulty is similar, as are the technical obstacles to overcome to play it.
This Brazilian classic has a different sound, with a much more modern touch than the other pieces I’ve covered here, while still being a classic.
It’s always advisable to play works of very diverse styles when you’re starting out and not limit yourself too much to the same composers as always.
Final thoughts
These are just some suggestions based on my personal experience and the works that are the standard of the genre and instrument.
However, never forget that the best piece when you’re starting out is the one you most want to play, and many times it’s nothing more than any popular melody you like.
After all, the cello is the instrument most similar to the human voice and is perfect for playing the melodies sung by your favorite singers.
Whether it’s an essential piece of the classical repertoire or a song from the popular music repertoire, please feel free to mention it in the comments section.
