josie Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 The cello, in JS Bach's day, often had five strings, I've just learned - "Music Matters" on Radio 3 this morning included a very moving interview with cellist David Watkin, in which (among other things) he talks about how the 6th Cello Suite really has to be played on a 5-stringed instrument. Playing it on a 4-string, he says, is "an incredible technical achievement - like watching a fish climbing a tree" - but to get the flow and tone that Bach wanted, you need a 5. The interview starts at 09:00 and the 5-string cello bit at 14:35 in this (later there are good discussions of the relationship of JSB's music to dark matter and to maths): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09k5pg1 There's also a history and technical analysis here: http://5stringcello.com/english/i-j-s-bach-and-the-five-string-cello/i-j-s-bach-and-the-five-string-cello/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 I think they were also fretted at this time too? I’m looking forward to this at my university in March. http://barber.org.uk/fretwork/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJpullchord Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Thanks for that, man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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