Five Suites
Share
Details
- Instruments
- Genres
- Composers
- Publishers
- Formats
- Item Types
- Musical Forms
- Usages
Description
SKU: XM.M4068
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Edited by Arthur Weisberg. Playing score. LudwigMasters Digital #M4068. Published by LudwigMasters Digital (XM.M4068).Bach's Six Suites for Violoncello are among the greatest music ever written for a solo instrument. The present edition contains the first five of these Suites. After careful consideration, the Sixth Suite was not included. This was done for several reasons. First and foremost is the fact that the Sixth Suite was not written for the cello, but rather for the viola pomposa. This instrument had five strings, whereas the 'cello has four, and this allowed Bach to use many more multiple stops: triple and quadruple chords. Range is another problem, since this Suite goes well beyond the normal range of the bassoon, with a number of high F sharps and Gs. I did not want to transpose to a lower key because I believe the key a composer chooses is an important part of the compositional process. Finally, the Prelude of the Sixth Suite is quite different from the other five Preludes, in that it is the only one that is in a quite fast tempo. In addition, it does not have a single rest. The other Preludes are also very continuous, but with slow tempos and the many longer note values and resting places in them, they do allow for breaths. An early edition of the Suites arranged for viola by William Primrose also left out the Sixth Suite. The original manuscripts of the Suites are lost, and the music exists only in copies. This means that the only things we can be sure of are the notes and the rhythms, although there are a very few accidentals and notes that are still in question. What must be decided upon are the articulations, the dynamics, and the tempi. If we look at the many editions for 'cello, we see great differences in all of these. None can claim to be definitive, including the present edition. Instead, one should use the indications given as a guide, while realizing that they can be changed.
Digital Downloads are downloadable sheet music files that can be viewed directly on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Once you download your digital sheet music, you can view and print it at home, school, or anywhere you want to make music, and you don’t have to be connected to the internet. Just purchase, download and play!
PLEASE NOTE: Your Digital Download will have a watermark at the bottom of each page that will include your name, purchase date and number of copies purchased. You are only authorized to print the number of copies that you have purchased. You may not digitally distribute or print more copies than purchased for use (i.e., you may not print or digitally distribute individual copies to friends or students).