Parts, Versions, Transpositions

In , Leopold Godowsky composed piano transcriptions of Suites Nos. The cello suites have been transcribed for numerous solo instruments, including the violin, viola, double bass, viola da gamba, mandolin, piano, marimba, classical guitar, recorder, flute, electric bass, horn , saxophone, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, ukulele, and charango.

Download this score

They have been transcribed and arranged for orchestra as well. Scholars believe that Bach intended the works to be considered as a systematically conceived cycle, rather than an arbitrary series of pieces. Compared to Bach's other suite collections, the cello suites are the most consistent in order of their movements. In addition, to achieve a symmetrical design and go beyond the traditional layout, Bach inserted intermezzo or galanterie movements in the form of pairs between the sarabande and the gigue. Only five movements in the entire set of suites are completely non-chordal, meaning that they consist only of a single melodic line.

These are the second minuet of Suite No. The second gavotte of Suite No. The prelude, mainly consisting of arpeggiated chords , is probably the best known movement from the entire set of suites and is regularly heard on television and in films.

Score on Line - Digital Sheet Music Library - partitions de musique classique

The Prelude consists of two parts, the first of which has a strong recurring theme that is immediately introduced in the beginning. The second part is a scale -based cadenza movement that leads to the final, powerful chords. The subsequent allemande contains short cadenzas that stray away from this otherwise very strict dance form.

The first minuet contains demanding chord shiftings and string crossings.

The Prelude of this suite consists of an A—B—A—C form, with A being a scale-based movement that eventually dissolves into an energetic arpeggio part; and B, a section of demanding chords. It then returns to the scale theme, and ends with a powerful and surprising chord movement.

Customers Who Bought Bach Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major (Prelude) Also Bought:

The allemande is the only movement in the suites that has an up-beat consisting of three semiquavers instead of just one, which is the standard form. This notation, common in pre- Classical music, is sometimes known as a partial key signature. The key is also difficult on cello due to the lack of resonant open strings.

The very peaceful sarabande is quite obscure about the stressed second beat, which is the basic characteristic of the 3 4 dance, since, in this particular sarabande, almost every first beat contains a chord, whereas the second beat most often does not. Some chords must be simplified when playing with standard tuning, but some melodic lines become easier as well.

Cello Suite No.1 in G major, BWV 1007 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)

The Prelude is written in an A—B form, and is a French overture. It begins with a slow, emotional movement that explores the deep range of the cello. After that comes a fast and very demanding single-line fugue that leads to the powerful end. This suite is most famous for its intimate sarabande, which is the second of only four movements in all six suites that doesn't contain any chords.


  • Et si cétait elle ? - Un dangereux partenaire (Black Rose) (French Edition);
  • Bitter Lemons of Cyprus.
  • Repression.
  • John Calvins Commentaries On The Psalms 93 - 119.
  • Love, Lust and Landscaping.
  • Navigation menu;
  • How I Learned to Smoke: An American Girl in Iran.

Mstislav Rostropovich describes it as the essence of Bach's genius; Paul Tortelier views it as an extension of silence. Yo-Yo Ma played this movement on September 11, at the site of the World Trade Center , while the first of the names of the dead were read in remembrance on the first anniversary of the attack. The fifth suite is also exceptional as its courante and gigue are in the French style, rather than the Italian form of the other five suites. An autograph manuscript of Bach's lute version of this suite exists as BWV It is widely believed that Suite No.

However, some say there is no substantial evidence to support this claim: Other possible instruments for the suite include a cello da spalla , a version of the violoncello piccolo played on the shoulder like a viola , as well as a viola with a fifth string tuned to E, called a viola pomposa. As the range required in this piece is very large, the suite was probably intended for a larger instrument, although it is conceivable that Bach—who was fond of the viola—may have performed the work himself on an arm-held violoncello piccolo.

However, it is equally likely that beyond hinting the number of strings, Bach did not intend any specific instrument at all as the construction of instruments in the early 18th century was highly variable. Cellists playing this suite on a modern four-string cello encounter difficulties as they are forced to use very high positions to reach many of the notes.

Performers specialising in early music and using authentic instruments generally use the five-string cello for this suite. The approach of Watson Forbes , in his transcription of this suite for viola, was to transpose the entire suite to G major, avoiding "a tone colour which is not very suitable for this type of music" and making most of the original chords playable on a four-stringed instrument. This suite is written in much more free form than the others, containing more cadenza-like movements and virtuosic passages.

It is also the only one of the suites that is partly notated in the alto and soprano clefs modern editions use tenor and treble clefs , which are not needed for the others since they never go above the note G 4 G above middle C. Mstislav Rostropovich called Suite No. Professor Martin Jarvis of Charles Darwin University School of Music, in Darwin, Australia, speculated in that Anna Magdalena may have been the composer of several musical pieces attributed to her husband.

Musicologists, critics, and performers, however, pointing to the thinness of evidence of this proposition, and the extant evidence that supports Johann Sebastian Bach's authorship, remain skeptical of the claim. The claims have been roundly dismissed by German musicologist and Bach expert Christoph Wolff , who in said,. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bach Cello Suite no. 1 - Prelude - Piano

Cello Suites BWV to Title page of Anna Magdalena Bach 's manuscript: For Benjamin Britten's three suites, see Cello suites Britten. Gigue performed by P. Bach and a Cello — Bach and the Cello". Bach and a Cello — Introduction". Johann Sebastian Bach Retrieved November 23, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.


  1. About 'Prelude from Cello Suite no.1'.
  2. Sleeping with the Lights On (and Other Remembrances of New Jersey) (Short Stories by Kerry Gleason).
  3. Die Abenteuer von Sherlock Holmes (German Edition).
  4. Retrieved July 5, Your download has started. I have made this beautiful piece of music for piano, using both hands with by using counterpoint techniques. Feel free to edit or play or anything you want. This is just something I did for fun. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies.

    OK, I agree No, give me more info. Go Pro Upload Log In. Choose where you want to share: Link to this page Embed on your site. The score can be downloaded in the format of your preference: Try again Nadia Hor worked hard on this score. Want to give something back?