Born in 1871, William Henry Squire was one of Britain’s leading cellists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, making some 200 recordings with the Gramophone Company and Columbia Records. He was trained in the Royal College of Music studying cello with Edward Howell and composition with Hubert Parry. He also took cello lessons from Alfredo Piatti. Squire later replaced Howell as professor at RCM after his teacher’s death, and he also taught at the Guildhall School of Music. Squire was principal cellist at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Queen’s Hall Orchestra. He was known for his performances of the Saint-Saëns and Elgar cello concertos. French composer Gabriel Fauré dedicated his Sicilienne, Op. 78 to him.

Squire is known for his large output of miniature pieces written or arranged for the cello and piano, although he did also write several orchestral works including a cello concerto and wrote quite a number of songs in collaboration with renowned lyricists of his day. Popular among his cello compositions are student-level pieces that appear in the string syllabi of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Suzuki Method, such as his Romance, Minuet, Gondoliera, Danse rustique, Tarantella, Tzig-Tzig, Humoresque and Bourrée. Bourrée, Op. 24 was completed in 1901. Squire gave the premiere performance of the work together with his Sérénade in a vocal recital at the Bechstein Hall in 1902. It is dedicated to Joseph Hollmann and published by Augener. 

Bourrée, Op. 24 is characterized by its lightheartedness, charming melodies, and interplay between technical display and lyricism. The current transcription allows the cellist to enjoy the solo part along with a cello quartet accompaniment – a great chamber music experience. Bowing and fingering suggestions can be found in the individual parts. In the case where the four accompanying parts are played by more than one cellist per part, the use of mute may be recommended to avoid overpowering the soloist.

-Ka-Wai Yu