Bach’s cello suites are a collection of classical music pieces written for solo performance on stringed instruments such as the violin, viola, and cello by Johann Sebastian Bach. A prelude, an allemande, a courante, a sarabande, a galanteries, and a gigue are among the six suites, each composed in a different key and consisting of six movements: a prelude, an allemande, a courante, a sarabande, a galanteries, and a gigue. Until the 1925 release of a recorded version by Pau Casals, a cellist who had discovered a copy of the score in a consignment shop in Spain, Bach’s cello suites were largely forgotten in comparison to his sonatas and other works. Bach’s cello suites were not signed, and he did not create annotated performance versions, unlike his other works. There are a variety of themes in the suites, and many well-known musicians have recorded solo performances of one or all of them.
There are no known autographed copies of the suites, so their history is up for debate. Composers traditionally sign their works, and this was standard practice when the suites were written in the early 1800s. Some scholars believe that Bach’s cello suites were among his first works, while others believe that the works were written later in his career due to the complexity of structure. The composer’s wife autographed a set of Bach suites known as the “Anna Magdalena” version. Scholars are unsure whether the Anna Magdalena set was autographed while Bach was alive or after he died. According to one theory, Anna Magdalena wrote Bach’s cello suites but did not claim credit for them.
However, there is agreement among scholars on a few points in Bach’s cello suites. Each suite is cyclical and ordered, with six movements within six structured suites, which sets it apart from Bach’s other works, particularly the violin sonatas. Suite Number One in G Major’s prelude, courante, and gigue movements are frequently heard in films, television shows, and commercials. On the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed the fourth movement from Suite Number 5 in C Minor at Ground Zero, while the names of the victims were read aloud. The suite’s sarabande is notable for its solemn, slow, and introspective composition.
Cello suites by Bach are frequently performed in their entirety, in solo, duet, quartet, and full orchestral arrangements. The suites have been arranged for a variety of instruments, including guitar, bass and double bass, piano, mandolin, and harp. Variations of each suite have also been composed, incorporating a variety of contemporary musical elements into the original works.