Suite No.5 in C minor, BWV 1011
Suite No.5 in C minor, BWV 1011
- Prélude
- Allemande
- Courante
- Sarabande
- Gavotte I & II
- Gigue
One feels a colossus in chains, a giant endeavouring to adjust his powers to the limitations of his medium of expression.
Leopold Godowsky
This Suite is unique in that Bach uses scordatura for the only time in his entire oeuvre, the highest string being tuned down from A to G. It is also worth noting the unique position the Suite holds in that it was also transcribed by the composer for Lute. The use of scordatura was not unusual at the time, Biber’s Mystery Sonatas from fifty years earlier being the most spectacular example. The Prélude of this Suite is in C minor, a key normally associated with high seriousness in works such as St. Matthews’ Passion. It is written in the form of Prélude and Fugue with no break between the sections.
The Allemande is more serious in character and its powerful dotted rhythms emphasising the movement’s resolute and vigorous character. The Courante is the only one in all the Suites representative of the elegant and complex French-style Courante, more stately than its Italian version. The Sarabande is a short movement, consisting of only 108 notes from beginning to end. It has a dark, grave beauty presenting an other-worldly picture described by Rostropovich as being so unusual that it resembles contemporary music. Of all the dances that have their origins in country dances, the Gavotte, with its moderately fast tempo and duple meter, is the one that has most maintained its original characteristics. The Gigue, like the Courante, is a clear example of the French style of Gigue. It is filled with subtle rhythmic nuances that never seem to settle into regularity, therefore keeping performers and listeners continuously on the edge of their seat.
Norah O’Leary
