Trying to find unaccompanied cello suites that aren’t by J. S. Bach? Look no further.

Cello Suites Beyond Bach

Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello have long been at the heart of the cello repertoire, setting a high bar for solo works and inspiring generations of composers. Many have responded by creating their own unaccompanied suites, exploring new ideas for the instrument.

In this sixth installment of my digital postcard series, I’m highlighting another three of these unaccompanied works. Each one brings something valuable to your playing, teaching, or listening experience.

If you’d like to explore even more solo cello music, you can revisit previous postcard series featuring Asian composers, Black composers, women composers, and Hispanic and Latino/Latina composers, or browse all of my postcards.

Postcard #1 –  Folk Suite for Solo Cello by Liz Davis Maxfield

• Title: Folk Suite for Solo Cello
• Composer: Liz Davis Maxfield
• Year Composed: 2011
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Movements: 6
• Duration: 11:05
• Number of Pages: 6
• Number of Measures: 34, 32, 32, 31, 32, 48
• Tempo: not indicated
• Difficulty Level:
  • left hand – late beginner
  • bow – requires knowledge of Irish fiddle techniques
• Highest Position Reached:
  • I. Air – 4th
  • II. Hornpipe – 4th
  • III. Slip Jig – 1st
  • IV. Waltz – 4th
  • V. Reels I and II – 1st
  • VI. Double Jig – 5th
• Technique: bass clef, 6/8, 9/8, cut time, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4 time signatures; double and triple stops; triplets, grace notes, and Irish folk music ornamentation and bowing idioms
• Publisher: composer
• Where to Purchase: lizdavismaxfield.com
• Cost of Score*: $10 digital download

Recording

Program Notes

“I wrote this folk cello suite in response to Bach’s iconic first suite for solo cello.  I was pursuing a master’s degree in Irish traditional music performance at the time, and this is the product of a series of composition lessons with Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, founder of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.

Bach structured his suite around common dance tune forms from his era, so I decided to structure my folk suite around common tradition Irish dance forms.  His prelude, allemande, courante sarabande, minuet I, minuet II, and gigue became an air, hornpipe, slip jig, waltz, reel I, real II and double jig (It seems worth mentioning that while the air is not a dance tune form, neither is the prelude, and since the air is such an integral part of the tradition I felt its inclusion was necessary). Within these tune forms, I also hinted at Bach’s motivic phrasing and, in some cases, or Solo progressions.

Like Bach, suites, this suite can serve as both an étude and a performance piece simultaneously.  In the practice room, this piece will help cellists with Irish ornamentation, bowing, phrasing, and technical cello playing.  On stage, it will help cellists and audiences explore a new balance between the Irish melodic tradition and the complexity of the Baroque tradition.” — Liz Davis Maxfield

Cellist’s Guide

Prior to learning this piece, I highly encourage you to listen to the composer’s recording of the Suite. This style of playing will feel foreign, unless you are intimately family with Irish folk music.

If you wish to delve further into Irish folk cello playing, Liz has written The Irish Cello Book-Traditional Tunes & Techniques, which can be purchased here for $25.* In this book she presents over 100 tunes and the techniques you will need to play them. She even offers a complimentary online lesson with purchase!

Postcard #2 – Suite for Solo Cello by John Harbison

• Title: Suite for Solo Cello
• Composer: John Harbison
• Year Composed: 1994
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Movements: 4
• Duration: 9:07
• Number of Pages: 6
• Number of Measures: 19, 46, 28, 56
• Tempo: not indicated
• Difficulty Level: advanced
• Highest Position Reached:
  • I. Preludio: thumb
  • II. Fuga Burletta: thumb
  • III. Sarabanda: 5th
  • IV. Giga: thumb
• Technique:
  • I. Preludio: Andante, rubato – bass & treble clefs; 4/4 & 5/4 time signatures; multiple quintuplets
  • II. Fuga Burletta: Allegro moderato – bass, tenor & treble clefs; 3/4 & 4/4 time signatures; double & triple stops; harmonics, left hand pizzicato
  • III. Sarabanda: Lento molto – bass clef, 3/4 time signature, double stops
  • IV. Giga: Prestissimo – bass, tenor & treble clefs: 12/8 time signature
• Publisher: BMI
• Where to Purchase: Sheet Music Plus
• Cost of Score*: $10.99

Recording

Program Notes

“My Suite for Solo Cello was composed at Nervi, near Genoa, Italy in 1993 shortly after completing my Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. I wanted to do a short piece of a very different character for the instrument that had held my attention over many months. The concerto is in many ways a discovered form, improvised to fit the material, and of a very demonstrative, public type. The solo piece is baroque in origins, more private, and very compact. The cello was the instrument my sister played. I heard most of its standard literature, repeatedly, while still in high school, and always think of the sound of the cello as her sound.” — John Harbison

Cellist’s Guide

The Harbison Suite opens with  Preludio, marked Andante, rubato.  The passages creep in and out of thumb position, frequently incorporating accidentals.  This movement slips between quintuplet and regular sixteenth notes and alternates between 4/4 and 5/4 time signatures.

The second movement, titled Fuga Burletta (burletta meaning little joke) is an Allegro moderato. Double and triple stops in neck position are plentiful throughout the movement and frequently require the use of thumb position. If thumb position and double stops aren’t your forte (yet), this movement might be calling your name—it’s a fun and rewarding way to level up those skills.

The Fuga is followed by a short Sarabanda with the tempo marking Lento molto. This lovely movement employs a D-string melody accompanied by an A-string drone, which alternates with a lyrical double stop section. The challenge of this Sarabanda is bow control, as the stick need to be slow, smooth and even.

The final movement, Giga, is Prestissimo.  The main elements in Giga are major 2nds and arpeggios. While the notes themselves are not terribly challenging, the speed at which they are played definitely makes this a challenging movement.

Postcard #3 – Judaic Concert Suite by Aaron Minsky

• Title: Judaic Concert Suite
• Composer: Aaron Minsky
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Year Published: 2004
• Movements: Entrance of the Bride and Groom, Variations on “Adom Olam,” Sound the Shofar
• Duration of Work: 4’, 4:50, 2:28
• Number of Measures: 129, 74, 86
• Number of Pages: 7
• Tempo: half note = 50-58; quarter note = 84-96; half note = 88-96
• Difficulty Level: intermediate
• Highest Position Reached: thumb
• Technique Employed: 4/4, cut time; bass and treble clefs; double, triple, and quadruple stops; triplets and sextuplets; harmonics. tremolo, trills, glissandos
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Where to Purchase:  J.W. Pepper & Son, Inc.
• Cost of Score*: $14

Recordings

Program Notes

“The Judaic Concert Suite combines two elements from the traditional cello repertoire. One element harks back to Ernest Bloch, well known for his short works for cello and piano based on Jewish themes. This suite, however, is for solo cello, and with its robust sound and use of counterpoint and chords, it is also in the tradition of the Bach Cello Suites. What is new is the use of modern melodies and rhythms and the way the three movements form a unified whole, musically and spiritually: musically, because they flow one into the other; spiritually, because they each portray a different aspect of a singular mystical view.

“Entrance of the Bride and Groom” portrays a traditional Jewish wedding. After the ceremony, the bride and groom go into seclusion while the guests mingle quietly. When the couple finally emerges and enters the reception hall, the guests break into wild song and dance, as if a king and queen had entered the room. Spiritually, the bridge and groom, united, are symbolic of the unification of God and mankind, so the dancing is also a form of prayer, demonstrating the hope that one day God and man will be one.

“Variations on Adon Olam” is a set of variations on one of the most famous melodies of the traditional Jewish liturgy. The words of the prayer speak of God as the “Lord of the universe, who reigned before anything was created,” and of a time when “after all things shall cease to be, the Awesome One will reign alone.” This mood of awe and timelessness is reflected in the musical variations.

“Sound the Shofar” begins with the call of the ram’s horn, known in Hebrew as the shofar. The shofar is blown during the Jewish High Holidays. Its soulful cry is believed to bring the listener closer to an experience of the divine. After dancing at the unification of God and man, and praying to the Lord of the Universe who exists beyond time, it is time for us to open our ears to the shofar and find our own path to the King who reigns over all humanity.”  — Aaron Minsky

Cellist’s Guide

Judaic Concert Suite lies really well in the hand and is instantly both rhythmically and melodically accessible. The work functions nicely as a cohesive unit but can also be played as individual movements.

“Entrance of the Bride and Groom” would be a good introduction to double stops and solidifying trills and triplets for intermediate players. This would make a good encore or recessional for a Jewish wedding for advanced and professional players.

The second movement is a bit more technically demanding, with many double stops, rapid string crossings, and 32nd note runs. These variations would be appropriate for high intermediate and advanced level players.

The final movement, “Sound of the Shofar,” would be good practice for anyone learning the Prelude to the 1st Bach Suite. The first and last sections have bariolage and rocking arpeggios, while the middle section consists purely of low position double stops.

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