Although the first five of Bach's suites for unaccompanied cello lie quite naturally on the bass (when tuned in fifths, that is!), the sixth suite in D major (BWV 1012) is a slightly different story because it was originally written for an instrument with five strings, not four. The exact identity of this instrument remains a mystery - some think it was written for a viola de spalla, others for a violoncello piccolo. Whatever the truth of the matter, p ... ⌘ Read more
Although the first five of Bach's suites for unaccompanied cello lie quite naturally on the bass (when tuned in fifths, that is!), the sixth suite in D major (BWV 1012) is a slightly different story because it was originally written for an instrument with five strings, not four. The exact identity of this instrument remains a mystery - some think it was written for a viola de spalla, others for a violoncello piccolo. Whatever the truth of the matter, p ... ⌘ Read more