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 inspired generations of composers to explore the instrument’s expressive range and technical possibilities as an unaccompanied instrument.

In this tenth edition of my digital postcard series, I turn to three contemporary composers — Robert Muczynski, Lera Auerbach, and Juri Seo — whose unaccompanied cello suites offer vivid contrasts in style and spirit. Muczynski’s Gallery (1971) is an expressive suite of musical sketches; Auerbach’s La Suite dels Ocells transforms Catalan inspiration into a poetic reflection; and Seo’s Suite for Cello balances lyricism with sharp modern textures. Together, they continue the conversation Bach began over three centuries ago.

Interested in discovering more music for unaccompanied cello? Explore my earlier postcard collections featuring Asian composers, Black composers, women composers, and Hispanic and Latino/Latina composers, or browse all of my postcards.

Postcard #1 – Gallery by Robert Muczynski

Best known for his expressive chamber works and solo piano repertoire, Robert Muczynski brought a neoclassical clarity and rhythmic drive to everything he wrote. A pianist by training, he had a deep understanding of instrumental color and character, qualities that shine in his Gallery: Suite for Unaccompanied Cello (1971). Inspired by the watercolor paintings of American artist Charles Burchfield, the nine movements unfold like a musical exhibition—each miniature evoking a distinct image, mood, or texture. Though written in a mid-20th-century idiom, the suite remains grounded in lyricism, offering cellists both technical challenges and opportunities for vivid storytelling.

• Title: Gallery
• Composer: Robert Muczynski (19 March 1929 – 25 May 2010)
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Year Published: 1971
• Movements: 9
• Duration: 10:00
• Number of Pages: 4
• Number of Measures: 14, 13, 12, 57, 19, 25, 40, 46, 18
• Tempo: Prelude-quarter = 60, Rainy Night-dotted quarter = 42, Noonday Heat-quarter = 72, Shanty-quarter = 108 & 126, Winter Houses-quarter = 72, Ice Glare-quarter = 80, Black Iron-quarter = 144, September Light-5 eighths = 48, End of Day– quarter = 72
• Difficulty Level: advanced
• Highest Position Reached: thumb
• Technique: bass & treble clefs, 3/8, 5/8, 6/8, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 time signatures; double, triple, & quadruple stops; pizzicato & left hand pizzicato, numerous accidentals, tremolo
• Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc.
• Where to Purchase: Sheet Music Plus
• Cost of Score*:$6.99

Recording

Program Notes

Robert Muczynski (1929–2010), a Chicago-born pianist and composer, is remembered for his elegant, performer-focused writing and a neoclassical style described by musicologist Walter Simmons as “friendly modernism.” In 1965, he joined the faculty of the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he served as both composer-in-residence and chair of composition until his retirement in 1988. Among his students was the noted composer Paul Schoenfield.

Muczynski’s catalog centers on solo and chamber works, particularly for piano, flute, and other small ensembles. His music balances rhythmic vitality and tonal clarity with moments of expressive lyricism—hallmarks of mid-20th-century American neoclassicism, where formal precision meets emotional warmth.

Composed in 1971, Gallery: Suite for Unaccompanied Cello was inspired by the watercolor paintings of Charles Burchfield, an American artist celebrated for his evocative depictions of nature and mood. The work was commissioned by filmmaker Harry Atwood for a project on American Realist painters. Like Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Gallery unfolds in nine short movements that mirror the shifting perceptions of a viewer wandering through an art gallery, each movement capturing a distinct visual and emotional atmosphere.

Though written in a modern idiom, Gallery highlights the cello’s full expressive range through contrasting textures and colors—lyrical lines, percussive energy, and atmospheric nuance that together form a series of vivid musical “paintings.”

Summary based on notes from “A Musical Feast” (February 2010).

Cellist’s Guide

• The second half of  End of Day (which is a recap of Prelude) and Rainy Night incorporate double stops.
• Noonday Heat, Black Iron and the opening of End of Day include many accidentals in 1st-5th positions.
• Shanty, Winter Houses, Ice Glare and September Light have passages in treble clef, with the last line of Ice Glare reaching high thumb position.
• Both Shanty and September Light include frequent time signature changes, with Shanty alternating between 2/4, 3/8, 3/4, 4/44 and 5/8.

Postcard # 2 – La Suite dels Ocells by Lera Auerbach

Originally published as Postcard #3 in December 2021

Lera Auerbach made her mark first as an international concert pianist, defecting from the Soviet Union to pursue her career and advanced musical study, but she knew she was meant to compose from a young age. A prolific composer, Auerbach has written operas, ballets, symphonies, and concertos, as well as pieces for solo instruments, duos, and small ensembles. Often compared with Shostakovich and Schnittke, Auerbach frequently draws on traditional musical forms, blending a virtuoso flair with modern tastes. This particular work was described by critic Stephen Brooks as “a sort of postmodern homage to Casals, drawing on the Bach suites and a song from the cellist’s native Catalonia and rethinking them in a contemporary musical language.”

Composition details

• Title: La Suite dels Ocells (Hommage à Pablo Casals)
• Composer: Lera Auerbach
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Year Composed: 2015
• Movements: 8
• Duration of Work: 23’
• Number of Measures: 43, 54, 27, 14, 38, 40, 110, 78
• Number of Pages: 16
• Tempo:
  • I – half note = 50
  • II – half note = 54
  • III – quarter note = 72
  • IV – quarter note = 56
  • V – quarter note = 63
  • VI – half note = 66
  • VII – half note = 56, quarter note = 63, quarter note = 84, quarter note = 54
  • VIII – quarter note = 58
• Difficulty level: professional
• Highest Position Reached: high thumb position
• Techniques Employed: 5/8, 7/8, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 3/2 time signatures; bass and treble clef; tremolo; grace notes; trills; flautando; sul ponticello; sul tasto; glissandos; double stops; pizzicato; left-hand pizzicato; harmonics
• Publisher: Sikorski
• Where to Find Score: I could not find the score, so I had to write the company and request it. Use this link to request this piece.
• Cost of Score: Follow the link above for price and more information*

Recording of the Fugue (movement VIII):

Program Notes

It was commissioned by Washington Performing Arts, Washington DC, with the generous support of Jane and Calvin Cafritz.

Amit Peled premiered the piece on 8 November 2015 at Terrace Theatre, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Cellist’s Guide

I don’t know why this work has not gained more popularity. Auerbach is a fabulous composer, and the way she weaves together contemporary harmony, Bach-like elements, and motifs from The Song of the Birds is masterful. This is a fitting tribute to Casals, who was most frequently associated with the Bach Suites and the Catalan folk song.

Though this Suite works beautifully as a whole, I would not hesitate to play just one or two movements in a concert. The Preludio and Adagio sognando are written in the stratosphere and would be good practice for those wanting to improve reading in the upper reaches of treble clef and/or practice false harmonics. The Moderato incorporates glissandos, while the Allegretto grazioso employs glissandos, flautando, sul ponticello and sul tasto. The Sognando libero makes use of glissandos and left-hand pizzicato, all of which add a contemporary flair to this work.

Postcard # 3 – Suite for Cello by Juri Seo

Originally published as Postcard #3 in November 2024

Juri Seo, a Korean-American composer and professor at Princeton University, is known for her exploration of contrasts—melding contemporary techniques with classical forms and harmonic structures. Seo’s work often bridges the gap between tradition and innovation, creating music that is emotionally compelling and technically sophisticated.

Composed in 2018, Suite for Cello pays homage to J.S. Bach’s solo suites while incorporating modern techniques. This five-movement work juxtaposes moments of warmth and intimacy with more intense and dissonant textures, offering cellists a unique and rewarding addition to the solo repertoire.

• Title: Suite for Cello
• Composer: Juri Seo
• Year Composed: 2018
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Movements: 5
• Duration: 15:00
• Number of Pages: 11
• Number of Measures: 270
• Tempo: quarter = 54-60, quarter =52, dotted quarter = 132, quarter= 56, eighth = 88
• Difficulty Level: advanced/professional
• Highest Position Reached: thumb position, for a moment
• Technique Employed: bass and treble clefs; 3/16, 2/8, 3/8, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, 8/8, 9/8, 10/8, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4 time signatures; harmonics, many accidentals, double, triple, and quadruple stops; semitone scordatura, use of a metal mute, left-hand pizzicato, ponticello
• Publisher: composer
• Where to Purchase: juriseomusic.com
• Cost of Score*: $18 download

Recording

Program Notes

“Suite for Cello” is a five-movement work that explores the rich sound palette of the modern cello within the framework of an antiquated formal language. The allusions to—and illusions of—J.S. Bach’s six Cello Suites serve not only as an acknowledgment of influence but also as an expression of historical and psychological distance. I wanted to capture the warmth and intimacy that made me fall in love with Bach’s suites while at the same time exploring affective extremes—the fragile, the violent, the obsessive—that were perhaps unavailable to him, writing as he did within the pristine conventions of 18th-century instrumental dance music.

In my suite, the lowest string of the cello is tuned down by a semitone (plus eight cents, to be precise). This scordatura tuning provides a rich array of harmonics that, when juxtaposed with the other “correctly” tuned strings, produce subtle clashes. The two bottom strings define two tonal centers, which are often used simultaneously: B and G. The clashing of both tones and tonal centers creates the feeling of being pulled in different directions. And when the two keys return from their harmonic digressions, we face the distinctly modern problem of returning to two different places at once. – Juri Seo

Cellist’s Guide

This suite is an homage to Bach but with a modern twist. Like Bach’s 5th suite, Seo’s suite is written in scordatura. In the 5th suite, the open strings are tuned GDGC, while in Seo’s suite, the strings are tuned ADGB.

If you plan to learn this piece but have not played with altered tuning before, start with the second or 4th movement, as they have fewer notes on the re-tuned string. This will give your brain a chance to adjust!

Fortunately, the notes that are to be played on the C string (tuned to B) are marked in red. If like me, you have a printer that does not produce easily visible red ink, simply trace the red notes with a red pen.

In addition to coloring C-string notes red, the composer thoughtfully formatted the score like a piano part, with two lines per system. The upper line indicates the actual sounding pitch, while the lower line shows the pitch as we place it on the fingerboard.

Like Sandhiprakash, this suite utilizes many harmonics. The strings on which the harmonics are to be played are also notated and the sounding pitches are given.

This is an important contribution to the cello catalog and I will not be surprised if this suite becomes standard fare in the future.

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*Prices given are accurate on the date of publication of this article. Please check the links for the current price. The Cello Museum does not control these prices and cannot take responsibility for price changes.