Monday 19 December 2011
Tune of the Day: Prelude by J.S. Bach
from Cello Suite No. 4, transcribed for solo flute
Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite No. 4 for unaccompanied cello is known as one of the most technically demanding of the six cello suites. The Prelude primarily consists of a difficult flowing quaver movement that leaves room for three wave-like cadenzas before returning to its original theme. The composer makes use of repetitive arpeggios to build complex phrases, as he did in the first suite, but here the sense of improvisatory fantasy is stronger: the arpeggio descends in a gradual figure and varies negligibly as it explores a range of keys.