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 are a staple of cellists’ repertoire and continue to inspire composers to write new suites for the cello.

In this eleventh edition of my digital postcard series, I turn to two composers — Rudolf Matz and Jerry Liu — whose unaccompanied cello suites present both tradition and innovation. Matz, a 20th-century Croatian composer, pedagogue, and cellist, enriches the cello teaching repertoire with works that balance charm and clarity, while Liu, a contemporary American cellist-composer, expands the instrument’s percussive voice through his all-pizzicato Suite 7 Days. Together, their works highlight the cello’s versatility — from lyrical elegance to rhythmic vitality — continuing the conversation Bach began over three centuries ago.

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

Postcard #1 – Suite: Light And Shadows for violoncello solo by Rudolf Matz

• Title: Suite – Lights And Shadows
• Composer: Rudolf Matz
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Year Composed: 1972
• Movements: 7 (counting two Minuets as one movement)
• Duration: 10:14 without repeats in Minuets
• Number of Pages: 5
• Number of Measures: 16, 34, 24 + 32, 34, 39, 41, 50
• Tempo: Allegro, Andante cantabile, (none given for the Minuets), Allegretto, Andante con moto, Allegretto giusto, Vivace
• Difficulty Level: beginner – intermediate
• Highest Position: 5th
• Technique: bass clef, 3/8, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4 time signatures; pizzicato and left-hand pizzicato; double, triple, and quadruple stops;                           glissandos, accidentals, triplets, bariolage, and sautillé
• Publisher: Dominis Music
• Where to Purchase: Dominis Music and Publishing
• Cost of Score*: $14

Recording

Cellist’s Guide

The more I play this piece, the more I enjoy it and see its technical value.

In the Intrada, the second and fourth fingers “walk” between the A and D strings, while the first finger crosses the C, G, and D strings.  As there are two bars in fourth position, I would introduce this movement  at the beginning of Suzuki Book 3.

The Cantabile opens and ends with strummed chords, followed by lyrical arco lines, which are occasionally interrupted by left-hand pizzicato.

In Minuetto I, the technical focus is on crossing strings within a slur, while the skill addressed in Minuetto II is silently rolling the bow across several strings prior to playing staccato.

Sicilianos are usually slow, but this one is marked “Allegretto.” As is typical of the dance, the meter is in three, and a dotted figure is used throughout.

Pizzicato focuses on strumming, triplets, double-stop pizzicato, and left-hand pizzicato.

A Toccatina is a fast, technical piece. Matz has written his in 5/4 time and includes open string double stops, repeated “circle bows,” two-note slurs, and bariolage.

The Finale Giocoso, which is marked vivace is all about sautillé bowing.  What I particularly like about this movement is that it is all in first position, allowing the player to focus on the bowing.

I think players of all levels will enjoy this suite, as it is both technically and musically engaging.

Postcard # 2 – Suite 7 Days by Jerry Liu

Originally published as Postcard #2 in January 2025

Jerry Liu is a cellist and composer who studied at the San Francisco Conservatory and the New England Conservatory. His Suite 7 Days (2012) is a collection of solo pizzicato etudes, with each movement capturing the essence of a day of the week.

• Title: Suite 7 Days – a pizzicato work for violoncello solo
• Composer: Jerry Liu
• Year Composed: 2012
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Movements: 7
• Duration:
  • Monday 2:25
  • Tuesday 2:35
  • Wednesday 2:55
  • Thursday 2:16
  • Friday 2:25
  • Saturday 2:20
  • Sunday 3:05
• Number of Pages: 14
• Number of Measures: 67, 68, 80, 76, 70, 57, 92
• Tempo:
  • Monday – quarter = 60, 130
  • Tuesday – quarter = 100, 120
  • Wednesday – quarter = 70, 120, 125
  • Thursday – quarter = 140
  • Friday – quarter = 105, 120, 130
  • Saturday – quarter = 105
  • Sunday – quarter = 60, 90
• Difficulty Level: late intermediate
• Highest Position Reached: 5th
• Technique Employed: 1/8, 7/8, 9/8, 10/8, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4 time signatures; bass clef and one measure of treble clef; harmonics, double, triple, and quadruple stops; glissandos and grace notes; pizzicato with thumb, index finger, middle finger, and left hand; strumming with fingernails, flicking rubber practice mute, amplification recommended; hammer ons, slapping, and flicking fingerboard; finger snapping, tapping cello with thumb, brushing the side of the cello with the hand, lightly bouncing hand on fingerboard
• Publisher: Jerry Got Cello Publishing Co.
• Where to Purchase: jerrygotcello.company.site
• Cost of Score*: $10

Recording

 Program Notes

“”Saturday,” originally a piece by itself, was intended as a short concert encore. After receiving positive feedback, I decided to compose the remaining “six days” (as movements). I approached Bay Area composer and friend, Harry Whitney, for his guidance. His constant support and patience encouraged me to explore different forms of expression.

Completed in 2012, Suite 7 Days acts as a collection of concert etudes reflecting upon the essence of each day. A combination of classical techniques with percussive use of the instrument permeates the work, creating an atmosphere of unconventional sounds. Although I strongly encourage the work to be played as a whole, in the order given, “Saturday” and “Sunday” can be performed individually.” — Jerry Liu

Cellist’s Guide

This suite is written to be performed entirely with a variety of pizzicato and right-hand slapping/tapping techniques. Liu writes that due to the low volume produced by plucking, “amplification is highly recommended (but not required). ”

The modern techniques used are fairly conventional, save strumming with the fingernails and flicking a rubber practice mute. I would like to note that down and up bow symbols are used, but in this piece, they indicate the plucking direction, which I confirmed with the composer.

If you are an intermediate player looking for an accessible work with modern folk techniques, this may be the piece for you.

Postcard #3 – Suite in C Major by Rudolph Matz

• Title: Suite in C Major
• Composer: Rudolph Matz
• Instrumentation: unaccompanied cello
• Year Composed: 1950
• Movements: 6
• Duration: 16:20
• Number of Pages: 9
• Difficulty Level: intermediate
• Highest Position: 5th
• Technique: bass clef, 3/8, 3/4, 4/4 time signatures; grace notes, trills, triplet, quintuplets, sextuplets & double sextuplets (12); double & triple stops, left-hand pizzicato
• Publisher: Dominis Music
• Where to Purchase: Dominis Music and Publishing
• Cost of Score*: $16

Recording

Cellist’s Guide

Matz’s Suite in C major is entirely different from Lights and Shadows.  This work is clearly inspired by the Bach suites. Cellists familiar with each of the suites will notice how Matz emulates specific passages from Bach’s dances to serve as teaching tools.

Additionally, the suite order mirrors the dances of Bach’s third and fourth suites: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourées I & II, and Gigue.

For cellists not quite ready to take on a Bach suite, this is a good alternative. Players can get the feel of each dance without as many chords, sixteenth notes or tricky bowing patterns.

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