The Cello Suites

The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin is a beautifully written book about J.S.Bach, Pablo Casals, and the mystery behind Bach’s Cello Suites. It is written by a former pop music critic who had his fill of Top 40 and longed for something more, to the point of taking cello lessons as an adult in an attempt to understand this great music.

Biographies of musicians are often tough Academic reads, even for a musical audience. Siblin has, thankfully, written for a general audience and has brought character and humanity to Bach, as well as to Bach’s sons, each of whom carried on the Bach legacy in his own way.

Running alongside Bach’s story is the story of Pablo Casals, the Catalan cellist who brought the Cello Suites to the world. Casals’ life was heavily affected by politics in Catalonia, Spain, and the rest of the world. He became an advocate for world peace, using his cello to make his voice heard. The best way to read this book is with Casals’ recording of the Bach Suites playing in the background.

Siblin also explores the mystery behind the cello suites themselves. No original manuscript for them exists; there is even uncertainty about the instrument for which they were written. He has posted several videos on his website, the last of which depicts a performance on the violincello da spalla, which is a smallish cello played off the shoulder, held up with a band around the neck. This is likely, but not certainly, the instrument for which Bach wrote the suites. More information on this performer and instrument can be found at http://www.earlymusicworld.com/id19.html.

The Cello Suites is a wonderful read, informative and inspirational. Along the way Siblin teaches us to love the music.