Suite no. 1 for Solo Cello in G major, BWV1007

About this work

The prelude of Bach’s First Suite in G major unfolds arpeggios whose harmony changes without breaking their flow. On the cello, the lower notes provide points of support while the upper notes continue the line. Each group needs a flexible gesture: stressing every note equally would hide the direction of the phrase.From the prelude to the dancesThe suite contains a prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, two minuets and a gigue. Their metres and openings differ. Before joining them together, locate the pickup notes and the repeats in each dance; the sarabande needs space for its chords without slowing every passage.In the faster movements, prepare string crossings with the arm so the hand does not have to correct every attack. Bass notes help restore a clear pulse. The second minuet brings a different colour before the first returns: keep that contrast while preserving the dance’s movement.
Score and listeningThe PDF contains the complete piece for solo cello on 6 pages. The MIDI joins the seven sections; use the score for repeats, the return of the first dance and ornaments.This engraving by Andreas Scherer, distributed by the Mutopia Project, has been placed in the public domain by its author. It was typeset with LilyPond. See the Mutopia entry for credits and find more scores at LesPartitions.info.To play the suite on viola, download the archive containing the cello and viola editions.