The Canticle of the Sun (Gubaidulina)  The Canticle of the Sun is a composition by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina based on the "Canticle of the Sun" and dedicated to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich for his seventieth birthday. Though the piece features a soloist and an ensemble, Gubaidulina does not consider it a cello concerto. Sofia Gubaidulina gives the following outline of the formal sections: Though she notes that the cellist's 'abandonment' of their instrument actually divides the piece in two. An overtone row played on the C string is used, after which the cellist tunes the string down to the lowest note possible on the instrument, bows near the bridge, on the bridge with a snare drum stick, behind the bridge, and then on the tailpiece. The cellist then puts down the instrument, playing on a bass drum, and then on a flexatone with a bass bow before returning to the cello. The piece has been recorded and released on: