Listen to the cellist in his own words and performance. And things will be different, but there is hope for better days ahead.Ī message of inspiration and hope. There is tragedy, but together we can rebuild. However, the message could also be applied to the world and coronavirus. On that occasion, Ma was talking of rebuilding a city after the destruction of a natural disaster like an earthquake. You can hear this in Bach's music: the flowing opening (1), a pause and the sudden change in the flow (2), the steady build-up as the prelude reaches its climax (3), and then the ending – the triumphant return of the first theme, but now in radiantly spread chords at the top of the baroque cello's register (4).įour moments in 'Prelude' to Bach's Cello Suite No. It also represents when something very violent and tragic interpreted the flow.Then this piece also includes the rebuilding and the re-imagining of the better version of the very first.” “That piece, in some strange coded way that culture does, represents in many ways the water that is flowing right in front of us.

Hold click (Mac) or right click (Windows) on the blue links below. Configure your browser to play MIDI fles with a plug-in or external application. The suites have been transcribed for numerous instruments, including the violin, viola, double bass, viola da gamba, mandolin, piano, marimba, classical guitar, recorder, electric bass, horn, saxophone, bass clarinet, bassoon. 1, he told the audience of the inner narrative he hears in this famous piece of music. Help listening to and downloading MIDI files. Bach Cello Suites are some of the most frequently performed and recognizable solo compositions ever written for cello. In November the American virtuoso played in Christchurch New Zealand, as part of an informal riverside concert to give comfort to a city that was devastated by an earthquake in 2011.īefore he played the 'Prelude' to Bach's Cello Suite No.

It's also been a time where people have been turning to music to find comfort, togetherness and hope.Īnd there's a message of hope in music from cellist Yo-Yo Ma, that's worth sharing and remembering at this time. Countless people around the world are being impacted by uncertainty, disruption and loss caused by coronavirus. Every cellist who looks at the music immediately feels how. A great cellist, Bach’s beautiful prelude and an allegory to give us all hope. The Six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach belong to the Old Testament of cello literature.

Bach cello prelude