bach, Das cello unD DIe kreMlkIrche Von suZDal - DI MONACO ...

ach probably wrote his 6 Suites for
cello Solo in 1720 in köthen
while serving as court capellmeister at the court of music lover Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen.
Bach’s handwritten manuscript of the suites is lost. The most reliable source of his closest environment
is a copy by Bach’s wife Anna Magdalena Bach. This copy shows that Bach has written out the part very
precisely, including the slurs that are important for the articulation. Unfortunately, Anna Magdalena’s copy
doesn’t always show their exact placement, so that each player has to make their own judgement.
A look at the 6 Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo can be helpful, since they exist in both Bach’s own
handwriting and as a copy by Anna Magdalena, thus allowing for a direct comparison. Generally speaking,
this copy is very meticulous. However, even here, the articulation slurs are sometimes placed inarticulately.
But in some places, their shape and sweep have been copied so precisely that, after this comparison, other
copies by Anna Magdalena as well as her copy of the cello suites obviously can’t, in general, be dismissed
as inaccurate.
The cello suites are titled “6 Suites a Violoncello Solo senza Basso composes par Sr.J.S. Bach. Maitre de
Chapelle.” Anna Magdalena Bach’s copies of both instrumentals solo works had originally been bundled
together with one title page. This title page refers to the violin sonatas as “Pars 1”, the cello sonatas as
“Pars 2”.
Bach himself entitled his autograph of the 6 Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, the fair copy of which was
written in 1720 in Köthen, “Libro Primo”. This title indicates that there is a second book. Both sources together
clearly suggest that Bach might have composed both instrumental solo works, i.e. the violin sonatas
and the cello suites, to form one work.
Before Bach, there were several instrumental works for solo violin, but only a few for violoncello. Around
1600, when Renaissance gave way to Baroque, instrumental music disengaged from vocal music. Simultaneously,
the practice of thorough bass (basso continuo) established itself: The accompanying instrument
plays along with the lowest part and builds up on it chordally, while highlighting the music’s harmonic flow