When I was 19 years old, I discovered the Bach cello suites and immediately became enthralled by them. I bought the Casals recordings — on LP! — and wore them out, listening again and again. Years later, TD Ellis asked if I would be open to creating an oboe performer’s edition of these profound works. Of course I accepted the challenge, while feeling trepidation about tampering with greatness. It’s about a quarter of a century after I first worked on these editions, and they are finally published. The work was a true labor of love; I spent countless hours studying the manuscript, listening to recordings, practicing the movements, reading about them, taking lessons with cellists. I am glad to be able to share this work with fellow oboists.

Here’s a link to TD Ellis’s website: https://www.themusicsource.org/search.aspx?find=van+cleve

Although I may be best known for my work in contemporary music, I also have a deep love for Baroque music, especially the music of J.S. Bach. I was lucky enough to study Bach’s music with Allan Vogel, Jaap Schroeder, and Ronald Roseman, to found and perform with the Yale Bach Aria Group while a student; to attend the Bach Aria Summer Institute; and to play Baroque chamber works with Burning Bush Baroque and Solisti St. Francis. In this last group, I was inspired by flutist Sergio Pallottelli to adopt repertoire written for other instruments and play them on the oboe.

Here’s my editor’s note for the Bach Suites:

When I first arranged one of Bach’s cello suites for the oboe twenty-five years ago, it felt like a gutsy, almost sacrilegious act.  Now, performers freely borrow repertoire written for other instruments, and the cello suites can be heard on instruments as disparate as the tuba, saxophone, and banjo. Playing them on the oboe doesn’t seem so radical anymore.  Although some passages are not idiomatic for the instrument, oboists are extremely fortunate to have access to these profound compositions.

My approach has been to arrange these suites so that they sound good on the oboe; not to try desperately (and unsuccessfully!) to make the oboe sound like a cello.  Here are a few specifics:

·      My former teacher, Ronald Roseman, used to say in mock seriousness: “You have two choices: you can breathe, or you can make it sound bad.  Which would you prefer?”  With this in mind, I have suggested strategies for breathing.  In particularly demanding movements, bracketed notes can be omitted and the performer can grab a breath. 

·      Double stops have generally been notated as grace notes.  Oboists are urged to think carefully about the performance of these tiny notes: they are often important with respect to structure or counterpoint and thus should not be played too quickly. 

·      Tempo markings are approximate: individual performers may want to adjust them somewhat. A fluid and flexible rhythm is recommended, in the style of an orator or blues musician, particularly in the preludes. 

The indicated dynamics, tempi, and articulations represent one of many valid interpretations.  Oboists are encouraged to consider other options. 

Notes on Specific Suites:

Suite No. 2 This has been transposed down a step to C minor so that more passages lay in a friendly range.  Nevertheless, some passages, although feasible on the oboe, sound better with the indicated octave displacement.  A fermata and short cadenza are inserted at the end of the Prelude.

Suite No. 4: 

At first glance, the Prelude seems somewhat less brilliant and significantly less oboe-friendly than other suite movements.  But its charms become apparent with study.  Fine cellists perform this movement convincingly with a striking variety of interpretations, tempi, and articulations.  Presented here is one interpretation among many, but one that is idiomatic for the oboe.  The tempo is rather slow, and an expansive and fairly free approach is recommended.  Certainly the 16th note passages are best performed ad libitum, and significant moments such as the return of the opening melody in measure 82 are best performed with rubato.  Breath marks are indicated; however, at this tempo, one has time to breath in many places.  It’s almost always best to breathe after the first note of each measure.

In the Sarabande, you’ll see that the grace notes (which are double stops in the original cello version) outline countermelodies and provide harmonic context.  One can perform this piece with no grace notes for the first time through, then with grace notes for the repeat.  Play the grace notes on the beat and not too quickly, paying attention to the countermelody.

Suite No. 5:

This was originally written scordatura with the A string tuned down to a G.  Diligent oboists who study the original manuscript may be confused unless they know this.

The first part of the 5th Suite Prelude is best played very freely.  One can choose to double dot in a French Overture style.  Breath control in a long movement like this is particularly challenging.  A flexible rhythm will help the suffering oboist find breathing spots, and a few places where notes can be omitted have been indicated.

The 5th Suite Sarabande is generally recognized as one of the most profound pieces in Bach’s oeuvre.  Savor this music!  The Sarabande and the Gigue are some of the few movements in all the suites that have no double stops, so oboists can play them exactly as Bach wrote, albeit two octaves up.

Bach wrote many double stops in Gavotte 1, and they are notated here as grace notes.  As mentioned above, these tiny notes have structural and harmonic significance; however, if they are too cumbersome to play, one can leave them out or play them only for the repeat.

Suite No. 6:

The opening two bars of the Prelude outline a D major chord, a quasi-ritornello that is revisited in different keys throughout the movement.  Bach also employs the bariolage technique, an alternation between a fingered pitch and the same pitch played on an open string.  The effect is a subtle variation in tone color on the same pitch.  A similar effect can be achieved by using an alternate fingering on the oboe.  There are many effective options, and I have indicated my recommendation by providing the name of an oboe key that can be depressed to create an alternate timbre.  For more information about alternate fingerings, see my book: Oboe Unbound: Contemporary Techniques.

When facing this movement of uninterrupted eighth notes followed by flourishes of sixteenth notes, oboists are faced with the perennial issue of where to breathe.  Note that the piece is full of repetitions, often performed as echoes.  For this oboe performer’s edition, I have carefully chosen notes that can be left out without sacrificing key elements of the harmony and melody.  The first eighth note and the last eighth note pick up remain, in order to retain the movement’s lilting rhythm.

This Gavotte movement, as in the 5th Suite Gavotte, includes many double stops that are indicated as grace notes.  One can perform them as written, only for the repeats, or leave them out.

Should you find yourself smitten by the suites, I recommend the following two books:  Anner Bylsma’s Bach, the Fencing Master, and Eric Siblin’s The Cello Suites: J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece.  We are fortunate to be able to hear recordings of masterful cellists who have lived with these venerable pieces for a lifetime.  Some of my favorite interpreters are: Pablo Casals, Pierre Fournier, Mistaslav Rostroprovitch, Peter Wispelwey, and YoYo Ma.

These editions are affectionately dedicated to my three principal teachers: Ronald Roseman, Allan Vogel, and Basil Reeve, who helped reinforce in me a passion for Bach.   I also extend deep gratitude to Richard Gard, Julian Revie, and the Center for Music and Liturgy at St. Thomas More Chapel at Yale University, where the unsuspecting and delightfully appreciative congregation were the first to hear these renditions. 

Generations of musicians have revered these pieces and considered their study and performance a boundless artistic and spiritual journey.  You are invited to join in.

Libby Van Cleve

August, 2020