Kreisler: Liebesfreud (transcribed for cello)

“Love’s Joy” is the english translation of this charming little viennese miniature which Kreisler wrote in 1905, along with its sister pieces Schön Rosmarin and Liebesleid, all published together in a collection called “Three Old Viennese Dances”. Here is a link to an audio recording of Kreisler himself playing this piece:

Kreisler playing “Liebesfreud”

No notes have been changed for the cello performance versions, but many double-stops have been removed and, just like with the other Kreisler miniatures from this collection, the notation of the dotted rhythms (in this case they are double-dotted) has sometimes been changed for greater clarity. Instead of solid slurs and staccato dots, we have preferred to use dashed slurs, with rests before the short notes instead of dots on them.

The Easier Version stays always below the mid-string harmonic, the higher passages having been transposed down an octave. The original key is preserved in all versions which means that we can use the standard piano accompaniment part, available on imslp.org. For best results, print on A4 paper with no margins. Here then are the cello parts for the different versions:

Edited Performance Version     Clean Performance Version   Literal Transcription     Easier Version

And here is a play-along audio of the piano accompaniment, one of many available on YouTube. If downloaded, the tempo can be changed with many different apps such as Amazing Slowdowner.