The separate edition of the first Suite for violoncello solo by Johann Sebastian Bach contains the musical text of the well-regarded Wiener Urtext edition with all six cello suites of Bach by Ulrich Leisinger. Thanks to new findings on the transmission, Leisinger managed to re-evaluate the sources which did not leave the structure of the musical text and the associated delicate problem of the slurs untouched. His re-evaluation gave reasons for a stronger emancipation from the manuscript copy of Anna Magdalena Bach which had always been cited as main source until then though it was very unreliable with regard to the articulation; thus the new edition leads to more convincing solutions. The present separate edition is the perfect starting point to study Bach’s suites for violoncello solo in class and provides amateurs with a technically ‘accessible’ masterpiece in cello literature.

If you can finally play the Prelude from Bach’s Suite I for Violoncello Solo in G major, you have made it: you have entered the world of great cello literature and at the same time, you have found a companion for life, at least for your life with the cello. There will hardly be a cellist who has not studied this work which offers new discoveries and challenges as he/she progresses and advances; one could call it the most famous piece of cello literature ever.

Brenreiter presents this single edition of Suite I as part of a series of popular works from its programme celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publishing house. The edition constitutes an excerpt from BA00320 J. S. Bach, Six Suites for Violoncello solo and has made history: published in 1950, it has remained one of Brenreiter’s most successful titles to this day. It was edited and provided with bowings and articulation markings by the pioneer of historical performance practice, August Wenzinger.