Music History Assignment 2

J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major (BWV 1007), although believed to have been written
between 1717 and 1723, was only rediscovered by the Cellist Pablo Casals in 1890 along
with Bach’s five other Cello Suites. The manuscript was not Bach’s own but rather his second
wife’s, Anna Magdalena Bach, and being the only surviving primary source of these works
raises many questions to its authenticity—one of many theories being that Anna Magdalena
wrote these works herself. Notably, Eric Siblin reflects that Bach may have never intended
these works for the Cello at all describing it as a ‘lowly instrument’ in Bach’s time. 1
Embellishment was a vital part of performing for the Baroque player,2 especially in Western
dance music where an improvisatory feel was an important element.3 However, many
believe Bach’s ornamentation was limited purely to what was on the page, leaving little to
the performer in terms of personalised embellishment.4 Although this idea is easily realised
in much of his heavily ornamented works, it is difficult to imagine this in the Sarabande of
his Cello Suite no 1., which is lightly ornamented and any sense of improvisational feel would
be lost through the repeated passages. As ‘Ornamented repeats’ were a characteristic of the
French Sarabande (although not included in Anna Magdalena’s manuscript) would it be
appropriate for the performer to add their own embellishments to the repeated passages in
this piece?3 Neumann encourages performers to apply their own subtle ornamentation in
places where it would not ‘harm the intricate fabric of the music’ suggesting ‘rests between
phrases’, ‘holds’ or ‘cadences’.5 The addition of these would enhance the virtuosic character
of the music, but should be thoughtful and nuanced in its application to preserve a “calm”
and “serious” ambience.6
Vibrato was an ornament used throughout the Baroque period, often as a means of
portraying tenderness found in the human singing voice. Bach is known to have incorporated
vibrato in his works on multiple occasions (denoted by a wavy line above a note), however,
this technique is not prescribed in his Cello Suites. Nevertheless, it would not be
uncharacteristic of a Baroque player to apply vibrato regardless, especially on sustained
notes.7 I conclude that vibrato would be the most appropriate ornament to add to the piece
as it would be unlikely to disrupt the overall structure. While vibrato could be applied to
multiple notes within a phrase, the addition of any further ornaments would have to be
fitful.

1
Eric Siblin, The Cello Suites: J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece (Crows Nest,
N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2011), 3, 245–47. E-book
2
John Irving, “Performance in the Eighteenth Century,” In the Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Music,
ed. Simon P. Keefe, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 448-449.E-book
3
Little, Meredith, and Natalie Jenne, Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
2001), 94-95. E-book
4
Mary Cyr, Performing Baroque Music (Aldershot: Scholar Press, 1993), 138-140.
5
Frederick Neumann, Ornamentation in Baroque and Post-Baroque Music, with Special Emphasis on J.S. Bach
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1978), 544-548. E-book
6
Meredith Little, and Natalie Jenne, Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
2001), 92. E-book
7
Frederick Neumann, Ornamentation in Baroque and Post-Baroque Music, with Special Emphasis on J.S. Bach
(Princeton, NJ.: Princeton University Press, 1978), 511-522. E-book
Bibliography
Cyr, Mary. Performing Baroque Music. Aldershot: Scholar Press, 1993

Irving, John. “Performance in the Eighteenth Century.” In the Cambridge History of Eighteenth-Century Music.
ed. Simon P. Keefe, 435-453. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. E-book

Little, Meredith and Natalie Jenne. Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach. Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
2001. E-book

Neumann, Frederick. Ornamentation in Baroque and Post-Baroque Music, with Special Emphasis on J.S. Bach.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1978. E-book

Siblin, Eric. The Cello Suites: J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece. Crows Nest,
N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2011. E-book