1A http://violoncellodaspalla.blogspot.com/2010/08/jsbach-violoncello-da-spalla- suites.html - blog of Badirov

Bach, JS Cello Suites (on Violoncello da Spalla) The Cello Suites as youʼve never heard them before – but you really should region region region-content Author: Lindsay Kemp

Bach, JS Cello Suites (on Violoncello da Spalla) ● (6) Suites (Sonatas) for Cello

Buy from Amazon Is Sigiswald Kuijken the first person ever to record Bachʼs solo violin music and his solo cello music? If not – these pieces are a happy hunting ground for transcribers after all – he must surely be the first to do so on the instruments for which they were (perhaps) written. For yes, this pioneer of the Baroque violin, who back in the ʼ80s produced the first convincing period performances of the Sonatas and Partitas, now brings us the Cello Suites on the violoncello da spalla, or shoulder- cello. Sometimes also known as the viola pomposa, this obsolete instrument is basically a smallish cello played horizontally like a violin instead of vertically between the legs (catch Kuijken playing it on YouTube if you want see it in action), and is often casually mentioned in connection with Bachʼs Suites, the last one in particular. As far as I know, however, this is the first time anyone has seriously tried to play it; Kuijken had one specially made for him five years ago, and has gained mastery of it in impressively quick time. The sound, perhaps not surprisingly, sits somewhere between those of the cello and the viola, achieving a happy combination of the formerʼs depth of tone and the latterʼs melodic lucidity. But there are other advantages: in Kuijkenʼs violinistʼs hands a lithe, running smoothness of line is possible, shown to good effect in the Bourrée of Suite No 3, the Gigue of No 4 or the Courante of No 6. Indeed, Suite No 6 emerges as quite a beauty, with the spallaʼs reduced bass resonance really cleaning up the texture of the Prelude, and the high-lying top lines singing out with silvery voice. Against these advantages, an occasional technical awkwardness (shown, for example, in the Prélude of No 4) is but a small concern. Kuijkenʼs own musicianship is also a major plus. There must be few players who start their relationship with these wonderful pieces so late in life, and there is much wisdom and fine Baroque sensibility on show here; Kuijkenʼs secure momentum and gentle grasp of the musicʼs dance rhythms are something any player could learn from. However much it may look like an eccentric experiment, this questing release from one of the great figures of the period revival is one of major interest.

AllMusic Review by Mike D. Brownell [-] - Dmitry Badiarov Just as there are countless differing opinions on the "right" or "best" way to perform the six solo cello suites of J.S. Bach, there are many different views on precisely which instrument Bach had intended his works to be performed on. Modern listeners are of course most familiar with performances on a modern, four- string cello, but many alternatives exist. The Sixth Suite, for example, is commonly known to have been intended for a five-string instrument to facilitate the work's higher register and complicated string crossings. There are also indications that Bach had intended his suites to be played on the violoncello piccolo. As there is no manuscript in Bach's own hand, historians and performers must argue and come to their own conclusions. One such performer, Dmitry Badiarov, has devised an interesting solution. For a recording of the suites on the Ramée label, Badiarov makes a convincing argument for the use of the violoncello da spalla (literally, "shoulder cello), a substantially smaller, unfretted, five-string instrument that is suspended low from the shoulders. Taking it one step further, Badiarov is also a successful luthier and crafted his own violoncello da spalla. His playing is solidly rooted in Baroque performance practice and is marked by clean intonation, nimble string crossings, and a fluid bow arm that uses dynamics as highly effective ornaments. As for his instrument, the album's recorded sound quality is overly reverberant and echoic, making a clear assessment of the sound quality unfortunately rather difficult.

ALBUM NOTE Notes and Editorial Reviews - Dmitry Badiarov - on Arkiv Music For which instrument Bach actually wrote his six suites for unaccompanied violoncello? Pictures, writings, and surviving instruments show that early violoncellos were made in different sizes, ranging from the size of a large viola to the modern full-sized violoncello. The modern cello is ordinarily held between the legs like a bass viol. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this was not the only possible hold, especially not for small instruments. Bach possessed several violoncello piccolos with both four and five strings. These were made by Johann Christian Hoffmann, a contemporary of Bach in Leipzig. Historical evidence suggests that the appropriate type of violoncello for Bach's suites is that made by Hoffmann, and that, when played on the arm ('da spalla') like a violin, the number of unavoidable shifts is no more than average for baroque music. A violin or viola player can rapidly become accustomed to the fingering, which is almost identical to that of the violin. While not a single source mentions that Bach played the violone or viola da gamba, he is known to have been a capable violinist and viola- player. We can suppose that Bach himself had been the first player of these two great cycles of solo compositions. The present recording suggests a fascinating and convincing interpretation of the Six Cello Suites on violoncello da spalla by Dmitry Badiarov, one of the leading figures in the reconstruction of this instrument, and one of its most promising players.