Cello in the Time of Bach, Vol. IV

Cello in the Time of Bach, Vol. IV brings me to the crown jewel in J. S. Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello: Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012. It was challenging to choose works to present alongside Suite No. 6 because in some sense, nothing can truly compare with this magnificent work - almost anything would be anticlimactic after Suite No. 6. That said, an enduring legacy of Bach’s Suites is his showing the world that the cello could indeed be a worthy solo instrument and is deserving of serious compositions. In this vein, I present, following Bach’s Suite No. 6, compositions by two composers born in the latter part of Bach’s life. The first is Luigi Boccherini, a cello virtuoso and composer who highlighted the cello’s abilities, and the second is Franz Joseph Haydn, who transitioned from the late Baroque era into the Classical era and understood the potential of the cello’s voice.

As with prior Vols., all recording was done during the pandemic at home. For a more seamless experience at a desktop computer, please consider opening this in two browser windows, one for the playlist, and another for the program notes below to ease scrolling. Everything should work on a mobile device but there will be a certain amount of scrolling. If a pop-up regarding SoundCloud appears, I would advise choosing “Listen in Browser.” I hope you enjoy Vol. IV !

About the Music

Of J. S. Bach’s Cello Suites, the great cellist and world citizen Pablo Casals observed that “they are the very essence of Bach, and Bach is the very essence of music.”  David Rutherford of host of Colorado Public Radio and educator/performer opined that “it could be said that if the cello were to write music for itself, it would be the Bach Cello Suites...no other work for solo cello is as broadly expressive, as widely varied, or as native to the instrument itself as Bach’s Suites.” 

Each of the Suites is a marvelous microcosm with its own ecosystem and character. At the risk of oversimplification, Suite No. 1 in its purity and simplicity brings to mind the flowing balance of nature. Suite No. 2 has a searching, introspective quality. Suite No. 3 is joyful, celebratory and virtuosic. Suite No. 4 is ceremonial and earthy. Suite No. 5 is dark, tragic and tinged with regret but at the same time there is sense of resilience, acceptance and perhaps even hope.

Transitioning from Suite No. 5 in C Minor to Suite No. 6 in D Major, it is almost as if the sky has opened up and light comes pouring through. Suite No. 6 has a lightness of being, with tremendous radiant energy. There is a sense of openness and generosity - even perhaps a message of Love.

Interestingly, the instrument Bach had in mind for Suite No. 6 was not a cello, but rather a 5 stringed instrument. Although it is not known for certain, perhaps he intended performers to use a violoncello piccolo, viola pomposa or cello da spalla. The latter is smaller than a standing cello, played on the shoulder like a violin. The added 5th string would have been an E string, at a pitch a fifth higher than the usual top A string. This setup would enable the performer to take advantage of the instrument’s natural resonance afforded by the E, A and D strings. Without the E string, modern cellists playing on a traditional 4 stringed instrument struggle to play in very high registers, typically using thumb position as an anchor, and the frequent chords in Bach’s writing become technically very problematic. 

The format of Suite No. 6 is the similar to that in the other Suites, beginning with a Prelude, followed by the requisite dance movements - Allemande, Courante, then a pair of Gavottes (these are interchanged with Minuets in Suites 1 & 2  or Bourrées in Suites 3 & 4) and finally the conclude with the Gigue. But each movement in Suite No. 6 is even more expansive and inventive than in the preceding Suites.

At the very outset, the extensive Prelude makes obvious the virtuosic nature of this Suite with a veritable perpetuum mobile of triplets taking advantage of the rich sonorities of the open A and D strings with its complex cross-string bowings, seemingly celebrating life’s energy.

The Allemande, the longest of all of the movements, is spacious and transcendental in its quiet introspection. Interestingly, Bach takes the trouble of writing out all of the ornamentation, which is unusual. As such it offers fascinating insights on his intentions that might apply to other of his works in which he is not so explicit.

The Courante leaps with energy and has an elegant transparent texture.

Although the Sarabande is short - only 32 measures long - it has a tremendous depth of emotion.  Arthur Nestrovsky, composer, literary and music critic, observes that where Casals said that “the Cello Suites are the very essence of Bach and Bach is the very essence of music”, he would add that the “Sarabande [from Suite No. 6] is the very essence of the Cello Suites.”  It abounds with double, triple and even quadruple stops throughout, which creates an incredibly rich tonal palette. It is at once flowing and peaceful, simple and generous. Its structure is asymmetric with the first half the usual 8 bars long but the second half is unusually long at 24 bars. In this second half, Bach capitalizes on the enchanting descending pattern, which he employs multiple times to heavenly effect. The final 2 bars encapsulate the deep meaning of the Sarabande, resolving relative chaos and struggle into calm and order. 

The Gavottes are joyous, celebratory and uninhibited, with an almost primitive or peasant flavor.

Suite No. 6 ends with an elaborate and virtuosic Gigue, with earthy folk elements, dissonances and percussive note repetitions.

Extraordinary cellist and composer Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) was born in Lucca, Italy although he spent much his creative years in Spain. His father, a professional bass player, gave young Luigi his first cello lessons at age 5. By age nine he was studying with Abbe Vanucci, the Maestro di Capella of the cathedral at San Martino and within a few years surpassed his teacher in technique. After going to Rome for further formal training, he went to Vienna at the age of 14 having already achieved widespread popularity. His playing was described as both virtuosic and elegant. Although he did not establish a particular school of cello playing, Boccherini was very influential in the development of instrumental music in Italy, France and Spain. He was highly regarded by contemporaries including Haydn, Cambini, Nardini and Duport.

In 1969 French musicologist Yves Gérard catalogued Boccherini’s works, listing 580 compositions, about half of which were chamber works, mostly for strings. Interestingly, of the 185 Quintets for strings, 125 include two cellos, underscoring his championing of the cello as a more important voice than other composers who typically relegated it to more of an accompaniment role. Beyond chamber music, his other compositions show quite a range including concertos, symphonies, masses, motets, cantatas, oratorios and an opera. His most famous work is probably the genteel and graceful Minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 (G. 275) which has become embedded into public consciousness as a quintessential 18th century minuet, frequently used in movie soundtracks.

Boccherini was a contemporary of Haydn (more below) and although both were similarly prolific, Boccherini’s music tended to be overshadowed by Haydn’s. Even though Haydn is often thought to be the father of the String Quartet (among other forms) it might be said that Boccherini improved upon Haydn’s model by bringing the cello to greater prominence. Boccherini’s works are remarkably pleasant and relatively undemanding of the listener. His style is characterized by the typical Rococo charm, lightness and optimism. As recounted by the great cellist Anner Bylsma, Jean Baptiste Cartier, a violinist and composer, contemporary of Boccherini, said “If the Lord God wanted to communicate with mankind, he would use a symphony by Haydn. But if he wanted to listen to music for himself, no doubt he would choose music of the great Boccherini.”

It is not known exactly when Boccherini composed Sei Fughe (Six Fugues) but the catalog number given by Yves Gérard, G. 73, suggests it may be an earlier work. They are scored for 2 cellos, and I am presenting Nos. 1-3.  I am performing both parts. 

When Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was born in Rohrau, Austria, J. S. Bach was 47 years old. It is not known whether these two great composers came to know one another, but Haydn certainly knew of and respected J. S. Bach’s second surviving son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. During his young formative years, Haydn studied CPE Bach’s writings and described them as the best, most thorough textbooks ever published. Once Haydn’s own works began to appear in print, CPE Bach proudly counted Haydn as one of his pupils. He later paid Haydn the high compliment that he alone understood [Bach’s] writings completely and knew how to make use of them. Notably, CPE Bach’s musical style moved away from his father’s teachings, for example bringing more drama and originality to his keyboard works, and he helped establish early Sonatas and Symphonies in 3 movements.

Haydn’s influence on the course of western music is difficult to exaggerate. He is credited as the “Father of the Symphony”, “Father of the String Quartet” and played a central role in the development of the sonata form.  He was a friend and mentor to Mozart and a tutor of Beethoven. Haydn was a prolific composer, writing over 100 symphonies, nearly 70 string quartets, as well as operas, masses, concertos and piano sonatas.

In 1761, Haydn took a position with the Esterhazy family, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Austria and remained in their employ for the remainder of his life. As such, he became relatively isolated from other composers and musical trends, forcing him, as he put it, “... to become original.” As the chief musician for the Esterhazy family, he was responsible for all aspects of court musical life, including composing orchestral works for, and leading the court orchestra, writing and playing chamber music for and with his patrons. Many of the Esterhazy family were connoisseurs of music, including the Prince Nikolaus I, who was an accomplished baryton player. The baryton (viola di bordone) was a bowed stringed instrument in the viol family resembling a viola da gamba, which was used throughout Europe until the end of the 18th century. The baryton is similar to the modern cello in size and range. Unlike the cello, the baryton also had between 9 and 24 sympathetic wire strings which could be plucked, or at least vibrate sympathetically with the 6 bowed gut strings. Haydn wrote 175 works for the baryton including 25 duets for 2 barytons. Presented here is the Duet in D Major, Hob. X:11, for 2 Barytons transcribed for 2 cellos. It displays the lighthearted, elegant and often witty style we associate with many of Haydn’s works, particularly in the Minuet, as well as the lively Finale. I’ve borrowed the brilliant idea from duo-cellists Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Jens Peter Maintz to integrate a cadenza into the Finale. In this case, I penned a mini-cadenza of my own based on themes from Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major.  As with Boccherini’s Fughe, I am performing both parts.