Six Suites—Six Echoes New Perspectives of Familiar Ground
Anne do Paço
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello BWV 1007–1012 are among the greatest works ever written for a single cello. They represent the full range of technical possibilities of that string instrument at the time of writing— we should not forget that during the Baroque era the cello was rarely expected to do more than lend music a foundation. Within the popular form of the dance suite, Bach opened up a whole new range of artistic freedom in playing the cello. In their challenges to the player’s technique, interpretation, and stamina and their demand for extreme mental concentration, the Six Suites to this day have been regarded as a kind of essence of cello playing, leaving the performer entirely to his own devices, as every note is entirely exposed. No longer courtly dance music, but using the dance movements as a source of formal structure and rhythmical impulse, the Suites combine the highest artistic standards with the simplest elements: the search for the origins of a motif, a musical line or rhythm. At the same time, there is a sense of polyphony underneath the linear surface, revealing the depth of Bach’s compositional abilities. From the highly virtuosic to heartfelt intimacy, these pieces show the systematic approach to music so typical of Bach, his quest for musical expression beyond genres and styles, which also constitutes a return to the origins of music-making, to music per se—to art. All of this may have contributed to the fact that the Suites were never publicly performed during Bach’s lifetime, nor until the first half of the 20th century, much less acquired a permanent place in the concert repertoire, although the first printed edition, published by Janet et Cotelle in France in 1824, was followed by numerous others. Highly esteemed by cognoscenti as a compendium of cello playing, their complexity at the same time gave them the reputation of being 17
