Quote:
Originally Posted by menoluv  Dear Patrick Neher,
I have seen several different interpretions of the tranposition of one of the most famous works of Bach, unaccompanied cello suite no.1 - prelude. And I do know that there are alot of versions of different transposition downloaded off the net.
However, all these intepretations seems to not fit in with the orchestral tuning (considering the fact that I play most in orchestral) in most of the passages.
I have attached one of the two different scores I've seen.
Another which I have, yet have problems uploading the score.( Its in G major )
These are my problems with them:
1) C major score: well I have to say, although it does not sound very close to the original work by Bach, it does make it alot easier. However, I would have to play it in thumb position. So should it be better for me to play it in the 'solo tuning', or could it be done in orchestral tuning?
2) The second score is in G major, unfortunately, I have problems uploading it. The problems with this score is that, although its for the double bass, some of the notes needs my hands to be stretched alot, and that it still have the lower D note, which wasn't meant to be for the normal bass. Another point is that the note " A" near the end of the piece gets transposed down a octave and it starts to sound weird.
So should I get a new score? Or should I just stick with it? Or should I just add a C extension?
Your help would be greatly apprieciated.
(forgive me for the long post and the questions...  )
Gavin.  |
Hi Gavin,
Firstly, realize that ALL publications, even those that I oversee, have mistakes. I can find a wrong note, a slur misinterpreted, an impossible fingering, a mistake in harmony, etc. in absolutely every publication... and not just for bass. The Six Cello Suites of Bach have been published and re-published hundreds of times since the copies of his manuscript (which has never been found) were done. These two copies, one by his wife - Anna Magdalena, and the other by a pupil, Schiller (? I can't remember at this moment), are the sole representations that publishers have been using for more than a century! It is no wonder that among the hundreds of interpretations you will find hundreds of mistakes. Then, bass players have been transcribing the works to make them fit on the bass (going from a cello, tuned in fifths, to a bass tuned in fourths is a much bigger challenge than simply changing the key). There are hundred of these transcriptions / interpretations. You will find errors of all sorts. Secondly: NEVER STRETCH the left hand to play the bass (see my other threads on this subject).
So ... here's what I have done, in studying these works now for almost 30 years: Get the VANDERSOL edition of the Cello Suites (not bass transcription). This is a "naked" version with no bowings, fingerings, or phrasings. But published along with the print is a facsimile of the manuscript of Anna Magdalena. So, side-by-side you can compare what she hand-wrote with what the publisher (Vandersol) printed. You can then add your own bowings, fingerings, etc. You can make your own interpretation. AND you will play in the original composed key. This does not give you the answers to questions like "where should I bring this line down an octave" or "should I finger this across the strings or up-and-down one string," but it does allow you to truly study the works and adapt them to YOUR style of bass playing. The music will be your teacher. You will create (if you are open minded and innovative) technique that is from the demands of the music. The Suites will keep you active as a thinking musician for decades.
I (personally) generally do not perform these pieces in public. There are too many cellists, violists, and fine bassists that do the pieces justice. They are wonderful tools to create great technique and musical interpretation skills, but they still (wow, after more than a hundred years) bear forth controversy among performers, musicologists, theorists, and publishers. Occasionally, though, you will find that you **must** play one on a bass orchestral audition, so you had better know them ... especially the 1st. But know it in YOUR way. Get a good cello version and play off of that. Avoid the bass transcriptions which come with them a lot of bass-related history and, frankly: baggage. Even my beloved Rabbath editions of the Suites have fingerings that Francois Rabbath says now are not "as thoughtful" as how he would play them today. Bach's music is a wonderful tool to allow your playing to evolve.
Best to you!
Patrick
