Bach's Cello Suite No. 5 was originally written in scordatura, a practice of tuning the instrument's strings differently, with the top A string tuned down to G.
Cultural Impact
Bach's Cello Suites are considered the first truly virtuosic works for the instrument and remain a supreme test of a cellist's technical and musical ability nearly three centuries after their composition.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Cello Suite No. 6 is written for a five-string instrument, possibly a violoncello piccolo, which is a smaller cello designed for elaborate solo work.
Composition History
Bach composed his six Suites for unaccompanied cello around 1720 while he was Kapellmeister at Cöthen, where he focused on secular music.
Performer Biography
Maria Kliegel, the cellist on this recording, plays the legendary 'Ex-Gendron' cello, made by Stradivarius in 1693, which was previously owned by Maurice Gendron.
Composer Biography
J.S. Bach was imprisoned by Duke Wilhelm Ernst for trying to leave Weimar before taking a position as Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen.
Composition History
The original manuscript of Bach's Cello Suites is lost, with the earliest copies made by Johann Peter Kellner and Bach's second wife, Anna Magdalena.
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