I may have written about this before, considering I have written about so many things on this blog, it’s often hard to recall if I have or not. So, onward and upward! The cello, by far, is my favorite musical instrument. It has such an expressive and emotional sound, that in the right hands can be spiritual in its presentation. I really mean that. It can take you out of your listening environment and transport you to other realms. Now I know that sounds dramatic and just a little bit eccentric, but if you love music the way I do, it (music, and especially the cello) can really do that to you.

There are a lot of pieces of music written for the cello including concertos, sonatas, trios, and solo pieces. My favorite cello music has to be The Cello Suites, by Bach. They are six suites for solo cello and are some of the most fascinating pieces of music. They were written in a way to bring out the personality, emotion and expression of the instrument in every way. Two of the suites were written in minor keys, #2 in B Minor and #5 in C Minor and that makes them my favorites. I’m drawn to minor keys because of the mournful and often times sad sound they portray. However, I’m also drawn to things that are quirky and different. That habit of mine draws me to the sixth cello suite. This piece of music was written for a 5 stringed instrument and since the cello has only four strings, it was probably written for the Cello Da Spalla. It is also in my opinion, the most virtuosic of the suites. The Cello Da Spalla is a smallish instrument compared to the cello and played against the chest, just below the chin. It has 5 strings as I said, and is tuned the same as the cello but with a high A string, a fifth above the high E on the cello. It is specially suited to playing Baroque music which is what Bach wrote. It’s quirky and cool and I love it. It’s also rare, with not many players out there and that uniqueness is attractive to me.

Now if you want to experience some really ethereal cello music I recommend listening to the cello suites by J. S. Bach. There is also a book written about the cello suites that I recommend. Called, The Cello Suites by, Eric Siblin, it tells the story about how Pablo Casals a budding cello player of 13, found the manuscripts of the suites in a Barcelona music shop. His father bought them for him to practice with, and Pablo was the first of many players to record all the suites. If it hadn’t been for Pablo Casals the world may never have known about the suites.

That episode in young Pablo’s life makes him one of my favorite cello players along with Yo Yo Ma. Ma is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time and technically he is way out ahead of the pack but sometimes, his technical ability outshines his emotional playing. In his recordings of the suites, that issue shows up a little. That being said, he’s still one of the greats.

When I like something I have a tendency to immerse myself in it and so I have listened to many recordings of the Cello Suites. It’s amazing how different they can sound by different players, instruments and styles. So if you love the cello like I do, I recommend The Cello Suites by Bach and also the the book by Eric Siblin. Happy cello listening.