The Fifth Suite features an unusual 'scordatura' tuning, where the highest string is tuned down from A to G, which also suggests it might have been originally conceived for the lute.
Composer's Artistic Vision
It is plausible that Bach conceived the suites primarily as a didactic compendium, serving as performative drills for arpeggios, runs, leaps, and double stops.
Cultural Impact
Bach's six unaccompanied cello suites are among his most iconic works, appearing in numerous arrangements, films, and dance choreographies from classical ballet to Japanese kabuki.
Composition History
It is uncertain for whom the suites were written, possibly for Bach's colleague Christian Ferdinand Abel, a famous cello and viol player in Cöthen.
Instruments
The final suite was composed for an instrument with five strings, possibly a 'violoncello piccolo' or a 'viola pomposa'/'viola da spalla', rather than the customary four-string cello.
Composition History
There is no autograph manuscript for the cello suites; instead, four manuscript copies exist, including one by Bach's wife Anna Magdalena and another by his student Johann Peter Kellner.
Composition History
Most experts believe Bach composed the cello suites during his time in Cöthen (1717-23), where he was free from liturgical obligations and composed much of his instrumental music.
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