Welcome to the third post discussing The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin. Composed around 1720 in the secular court of Köthen, the third suite captures Bach at a moment of rare creative freedom, unburdened by church duties.
Musically, it is distinguished by its resonant, "open" architecture. Because it is set in C Major, the cello's lowest string (the C string) acts as a powerful tonic drone, allowing for a sonorous, bell-like clarity that the darker, minor-key suites lack. The Prelude is a masterpiece of pedal points and cascading scales that showcase the instrument's physical range.
Historically, the suite's "distinctness" was misunderstood for centuries. It was long dismissed as a dry, mechanical exercise for building finger strength. Its transformation from a dusty pedagogical tool to a celebrated concert staple highlights a shift in musical values: we moved from seeing Bach’s work as mere "math" to recognizing it as the height of solo expression.
If you want to dive deeper into Suite No. 3 with your students, here are some lesson plans to do that.
- The Physics of the "C": Acoustics & Resonance
Objective: Understand how the C-major key utilizes the cello’s physical properties.
Activity: Use a visualizer to show how the open C-string creates sympathetic vibrations in the other strings.
Science Link: Discuss frequency and the "harmonic series."
- The Anatomy of the Prelude: The Power of the Scale
Objective: Identify the structural "bones" of the opening movement.
Activity: Map the opening downward scale. Have students draw the "shape" of the melody as they listen.
- Dance Forms of the Baroque
Objective: Distinguish between the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée, and Gigue.
Activity: Watch videos of period-accurate Baroque dance. How does the rhythm of the music dictate the movement of the body?
- The Bourrée: Symmetry and Rhythmical "Hooks"
Objective: Focus on the most famous movement of Suite No. 3.
Activity: Identify the "AABB" binary form. Have students clap the syncopated rhythm of the Bourrée I.
- The Sarabande: The Emotional Core
Objective: Analyze the shift in tempo and "weight" in the suite's slowest movement.
Activity: Discuss the history of the Sarabande (once banned for being "indecent") and how Bach transformed it into a meditative prayer.
-----
I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here.
Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.
No comments:
Post a Comment