By Beeri
IMA Web Member
Bach composed the six unaccompanied suites for cello between 1720 and 1725, a period that straddles his Köthen and Leipzig years. Out of Köthen, where Bach lived from 1717 and 1723, come his greatest instrumental works: the trio sonatas, concertos including the Brandenburg Concerti, solo string works, keyboard works including Book I of the Well Tempered Klavier, and more. Unfortunately, the prince of Kothen later married a woman who did who did not share her husband’s propensity for good music. She sent Bach on his way and by doing so, the witch robbed the world of untold musical treasures. Bach then found a job in Leipzig, where he had to write and perform almost weekly vocal church Cantatas. In addition, he had to train unruly choirboys and bother with church bureaucracy. These burdens probably dampened his artistic output. Still, he found time to complete his cycle of six cello suites. (Like others of his sets of six, representing the six days of the working week.)
Every suite consists of a prelude and 5 dances. The prelude usually features virtuosic scales and arpeggios around the home key. The dances are a mixture of international styles. For example: the German Allemande, the French Courante and Gavotte, the Spanish Sarabande, and the English Gigue. Each dance form has its characteristic rhythms, tempos, weak beats, melodic styles, characters, and organization. The suites can be said to have been modeled after Renaissance traveling folk musicians. In the prelude, the instrumentalists would warm up, show off their technique, and gather a crowd. Then, they would play the popular dances that they have learned in their travels. Although Bach’s suites were not meant for dance, that is the basis on which they are constructed.
