1.8 (above average)
Thursday 5 April 2012
Tune of the Day: Prelude by J.S. Bach
from Cello Suite No. 6, transcribed for solo flute
The Prelude to Johann Sebastian Bach's sixth Suite for unaccompanied cello, written in a steady triple meter, is the only place in the whole set where the composer employed dynamic markings. With just a few forte and piano, he simulates the effect of a Vivaldi-like echo sonata with phrases calling, responding, and gradually growing and developing into a fast-moving and playful cadenza and an untroubled recapitulation.
The famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich called this suite “a symphony for solo cello”, and characterized its D major tonality as evoking joy and triumph.