Kraft: Three Grand Duos Concertantes for Violin and Cello Op. 3, No. 1 in D Minor, No. 2 in F major and No. 3 in C Major, complete set
No. 1 in D Minor, No. 2 in F major and No. 3 in C Major, complete set. Set of three, facsimile of ca. 1811 edition (parts only) and modern performing edition, score and parts.




Antoine (Anton): Kraft (1749-1820) was a cellist in Haydn’s Esterhazy orchestra from 1778-90 and Beethoven wrote his Triple Concerto for Kraft. The 3 Grand Duos of Opus 3 were probably first published in 1792.
The first movement of No. 1 in D Minor is in sonata form with slow introduction, and the three-part second movement is a Cantabile Adagio, a Recitative for the violin, and a Rondo closing.
The first movement of No. 2 in F Major is in sonata form, while the slow second movement leads directly to the Rondo third movement and has a pseudo-cadenza for the cello. There are some challenging passages in treble clef for the cello throughout this duo.
The first movement of No. 3 in C Major is in sonata form with no slow introduction. The slow second movement is in the key of E major and the Rondo third movement features “sul G” for the violin, “ponticello” in the cello, etc. There are some challenging passages in treble clef for the cello throughout this duo.
I found a YouTube video of the first movement but not from my edition. Note that they are playing from the facsimile, not my edition.
Rare 18th and 19th Century Chamber Music including the Cello
In the late 1970s I acquired two bound volumes of duos for violin and cello. As a cellist, I was attracted to them since they were “duos concertante”, with the cello part equal to the violin part. There were 58 duos, with all the violin parts bound in one volume, and all the cello parts in the other.
I am offering many (but not all) of these duos in both facsimiles of the original (no scores were printed) and new performing editions by myself with scores and parts done on Finale. These editions will attempt to correct errors, resolve inconsistencies in dynamics, articulations, bowings, etc. However I will not supply such markings where there is no reason to do so, leaving that to the whim of the performers.