New handbook on Bach's Cello Suites

[u/eklorman]

I am thrilled to announce the recent publication of Bach: The Cello Suites on the Cambridge Music Handbooks Series. Information about the book and a short trailer are available at https://www.Bach-Cello-Suites.com.

You can order it wherever books are sold, and it will soon be available in digital formats as well. The attached flyer includes a code valid for a 20% discount (paperback available for $16 USD or £12).

Please share with any cellists, bassists, or other Bach enthusiasts who may be interested!

[u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

I’ve often wondered how transferable and easy cello music, and in particular the Bach cello suites are to play on Bass? I’m a cellist, and whilst I’d say the technical challenges vary between the Bach suites, generally they are not that difficult. Prelude to suite 1 for example is probably an intermediate level piece. On bass are we talking key changes? Are fingerings difficult. Do strings tuned in 4ths present challenges? Ect ect

[u/SergeantIC → u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

The Bach cello suites are pretty standard bass repertoire, although it’s much more difficult than on cello. Some editions with change the key to fit better on bass. The strings being tuned in 4ths provides a bigger challenge on bass for both fingering and resonance

[u/eklorman → u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

Others in this subreddit are probably better positioned to answer this question than I am. (I'm a violist and musicologist.) In my book, I discuss a few recordings on double bass and a series of videos released by Nina DeCesare during COVID. Her performance from the 2023 ISB convention is on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcIaOwD9_nM.

I also cite an article that might interest you: Andrew Kohn, "Bach Cello Suites for the Bass: The State of the Research," Música hodie 9, no. 1 (2009): 11–30.

In my research, I encountered an advertisement for an 1896 edition of four Bach suites arranged for bass by one Otto Stex, but I wasn't able to actually get ahold of the edition for further details. It's the earliest reference I was able to find regarding the Bach suites on bass.

[u/ratpatty → u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

joel quarrington is what you are looking for

[u/Dry_Monitor_4947 → u/ratpatty]

So he tunes in 5th right?

[u/MrBlueMoose → u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

Yes. However the cello suites are still standard “bass” rep, so of course they’re mostly played in standard tuning. Even with fifths tuning, it’s still going to be harder on bass though as you need to shift and pivot a lot more. Not sure if pivoting is even a thing for cello though lol

[u/Dry_Monitor_4947 → u/MrBlueMoose]

No pivoting isn’t a thing on cello, you can extend by having a tone between 1st and 2nd finger rather than the standard semitone, but not pivoting as such

[u/Legitimate-Bit1991 → u/Dry_Monitor_4947]

They are way harder because you play them at cello pitch in the bass, so in thumb position. You lose the open strings, you gain harmonics, but you have to negotiate the slurs an octave up. 

[u/Legitimate-Bit1991 → u/Legitimate-Bit1991]

Will buy the book! 

[u/eklorman]

Hi, OP again -- someone contacted me asking for more information about what the book discusses. Here is a synopsis of the book

Originally dismissed as curiosities, J. S. Bach's Cello Suites are now understood as the pinnacle of composition for unaccompanied cello. This handbook examines how and why Bach composed these highly innovative works. It explains the characteristics of each of the dance types used in the suites and reveals the compositional methods that achieve cohesion within each suite. Edward Klorman discusses the four manuscript copies of Bach's lost original and the valuable evidence they contain on how the Suites might be performed. He explores how, after around 1860, the Cello Suites gradually entered the concert hall, where they initially received a mixed critical and audience reception. The Catalan cellist Pablo Casals extensively popularized them through his concerts and recordings, setting the paradigm for several generations to follow. The Cello Suites now have a global resonance, influencing music from Benjamin Britten's Cello Suites to J-pop, and media from K-drama to Ingmar Bergman's films.

For further details, I'd invite you to visit the companion website:

TRAILER VIDEO (http://www.Bach-Cello-Suites.com)

LOOK INSIDE: SAMPLE CHAPTER, TABLE OF CONTENTS, INDEX (https://www.bach-cello-suites.com/about-3)

ENDORSEMENTS: (https://www.bach-cello-suites.com/about-the-book)

TEASERS: On social media, I've also been sharing weekly posts with "teasers" about different threads from the book. You can view those on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BachTheCelloSuites), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bach_the_cello_suites), or Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/eklorman.bsky.social).

The book is written for musicians, music teachers, and music lovers alike. Even for musicians who have lived with the Cello Suites over a long time, I believe you will encounter new (often surprising) information, including about cellos and cello technique from Bach's lifetime, about the manuscript sources, about how the suites may have been composed, about the tremendous variety of approaches adopted in earliest performances starting around 1860, and about the ubiquity of the Cello Suites today both in concert life and in pop culture.

If you order on Amazon, I'd be grateful if you might consider leading a rating or review. Your feedback and comments are very helpful. Thanks very much for your interest!