The Fifth and Sixth Cello Suites are particularly monumental, with the Fifth requiring scordatura (retuning a string) and the Sixth calling for a five-string instrument.
Compositional Technique
In his lute transcription of the Fifth Cello Suite (BWV 995), Bach took liberties with the original, transposing the key, expanding chords, redefining rhythms, and adding new ornaments.
Compositional Technique
The Cello Suites are structured in three groups of two, with the first four movements (Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande) common to all, followed by varying paired dances (Minuets, Bourrées, or Gavottes).
Composer's Artistic Vision
The performer, Eliot Fisk, considers Bach's Cello Suites to be a 'shorthand of God,' marveling at Bach's ability to suggest an infinite musical universe with minimal notes.
Composition History
Bach himself transcribed the Fifth Cello Suite (BWV 1011) for lute, creating a new version (BWV 995) for a lutenist named Schouster.
Composition History
None of Bach's original manuscripts for the six Cello Suites have survived to the present day.
Composer Biography
Bach likely composed the six Cello Suites, BWV 1007-1012, between 1717 and 1723 while working for a music-loving Calvinist prince in Köthen.
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Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006 (Arranged for Guitar)
