Scordatura refers to the technique of deliberately altering the normal tuning of a stringed instrument, as Kodály did in his Sonata for Solo Cello. All the works you hear today use the same scordatura tuning: A, D, F#, B.
Did Kodály invent scordatura?
No. Many composers before Kodály employed altered tunings, even Bach in his fifth cello suite. Heinrich Biber’s sixteen “Rosary Sonatas” for violin each call for a different scordatura tuning. Many other famous composers used scordatura, including Vivaldi, Mozart, Schumann, Strauss, and Bartók.
Did you plan to commission more music for scordatura cello?
Yes! Collaborating with the composers in the Scordatura project, it has become clear to me that we have just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible with this beautiful medium. My dream is to create a large volume of repertoire over time, and I have a list as long as my bow of composers I’d love to work with to make this dream a reality.