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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Bach, Johann Sebastian |
|---|---|
| Work: | Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 (arr. J. McFadden for guitar) |
| Year Composed: | 1720 |
| Duration: | 00:27:00 |
| Work Category: | Instrumental |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
Suite No. 6 was written for a cello with five strings (the extra one being above the top string). For the modern cellist the suite therefore poses acute difficulties. That this work was composed for the higher registers of a five string cello paradoxically makes it an appropriate medium for guitar, in fact taking in the range of the fingerboard in an idiomatic way.
The Prélude, an extended movement with a deep sense of inner structure, begins with the alternation of unisons on two strings. Dramatic use is made of pedal notes and contrasts between adjacent strings. The constant quaver triplets create a momentum which finds its climax in rapid semiquavers and sudden energetic chords.
The Allemande is characterized by rich ornamentation and intricate melodic progressions over a slow pulse (aspects which accord well with the lute-like voices of the guitar). In contrast the Courante is vigorous and exuberant with a catchy rhythm. The Sarabande with many intervals of the sixth and a variety of bowed chords in the original, provides a perfect vehicle for the guitar's harmonic expressiveness.
Gavottes I and II are lyrical dances of unforgettable charm. Gavotte II is quieter and in the style of the Musette, the drone imitating the music of the hurdy-gurdy or bagpipe. The Gigue begins with a short quasi-military fanfare or perhaps echoes of the hunt, the rhythmic quavers of the opening quickly evolving into brilliant semiquavers reminiscent of the Prélude.
Writer: Graham Wade
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