J.S. Bach – Six Suites for Solo Cello, with Critical Commentary (Barenreiter)

When we think of the cello, we automatically think of Bach’s immortal cello suites. They are the very core of cello literature, their timeless beauty accompanying cellists from their student years throughout the height of their professional careers.

Considering the works’ significance, the great number of editions in existence is not surprising. However, the composer’s autograph has not been preserved and is considered lost. This circumstance creates an exceptional challenge many editors faced over the years. The four autograph sources still in existence and the first print from 1824 show numerous small deviations, especially in terms of articulation markings and phrasing.

In this two-volume edition of Bach’s cello suites, Andrew Talle now presents an entirely new view of the relationships between existing sources. The first volume contains the edited musical text, which comes as close to the composer’s original intention as the surviving source material allows: “This edition does not constitute a perfect reconstruction of the lost autograph; that is something no editor could claim to accomplish. Instead, I have attempted to supply musicians and researchers with a reliable version of the surviving musical text of the six cello suites, and to convey a sense of the many possibilities Bach encouraged his musicians to explore.”The second volume presents, for the first time, synoptically arranged facsimiles of the handwritten sources as well as the first print (with Suite No. V also including Bach’s own arrangement for lute), allowing readers to compare any specific section in all sources at one glance. This allows for a straightforward and immediate consideration of all sources, making editorial decisions transparent and self-evident.

Andrew Talle’s edition is supplemented by a comprehensive discussion of the instrument for which the suites were created, as well as information regarding musical interpretation during Bach’s time.