Strumming the Strings to Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major Prelude
The Best Moments
Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude
I'm Johann Sebastian Bach, and here you'll hear the best moments of my Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Prelude. You'll hear one cello turn a simple rolling pattern of broken chords into a quiet, glowing wave, and that is worth a few minutes of your day. My fellow composers and I also help you recognize our pieces the moment they begin, so if you'd like to find out whether you can, come and try the Trainer .
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One Cello, Zero Backup Band
I open the Prelude with a single cello and nobody else, so if you were hoping for an orchestra to hide behind, I'm afraid you're out of luck. The piece is built mostly from broken chords, which means the notes of a chord are played one after another in a gentle rolling wave, a bit like a chord that has been politely asked to take turns.
The Staircase Goes Somewhere
In the middle I keep that rolling pattern going, but I nudge the harmony so it wanders from one mood to the next, and you may notice that you never quite know where the stairs will lead. It's still only one cello, yet it sounds as if several players are quietly at work, which is a good trick for an instrument that has to manage on its own.
Please Don't Clap Yet
By the time I reach the end, I let the music build up and settle on a long, satisfied G, the sort of ending that tells you the story is finished and the tea is ready. People have gone on to hear this Prelude on television and in films, which I find rather charming for a piece that began as the first of six movements in a cello suite.
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I hope you enjoyed learning about the best moments of the Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Prelude as much as I enjoyed telling you about them. Looking back, what stays with me is how much can come from so little: one cello, one rolling pattern, and a calm that never needs to raise its voice. I wrote the Prelude as the first of six movements in Suite No. 1, and it opens a door onto a set of suites that I think rewards patient listening. There is still plenty more to explore in the Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Prelude, from the way the other movements answer it to the curious story of how the music reached us. For instance, my own handwritten copy of the suites is gone, and we know them mainly through a copy made by my wife Anna Magdalena. Nobody can say for certain exactly which kind of cello I had in mind, and I find I like leaving a little mystery in the room. If you'd like to keep going, please click on the links provided and wander further into the Cello Suite No 1 in G Major Prelude. I'd be glad to have you along, and I think you'll hear something new each time you come back.