I go through a lot of books and am almost finished with that really stands out. It is very engaging and stimulating - “The Cello Suites” by Eric Sublin.
It is about J. S. Bach, his 6 cello suites, Pablo Casals, the cellist who brought them to modern renown, and some other related themes.
It is one of the few that I will re-read, just for the pleasure of it. The author started his writing career as a popular music critic for the a Montreal newspaper and came to classical music as an expansion to his musical enjoyment.
Would you say its more music theory then or does he encompass other things like how the piece impacted the music industry and listeners? Curious , as always
Very little theory but some musicology in tracing the path of the manuscripts. For example, he goes to the Royal museum in Belgium and holds an original manuscript, from Bach’s hand, in his. He covers Bach descendants - some wound up in Kansas with a trunk of original manuscripts.
Lots of Pablo Casals and how came to discover the suites and first brought them to the attention of modern audiences. He then discusses how other cellists approach the works.
Then he tries to learn the cello himself - with the same reactions and sensations I experienced when I tried it.
He also covers how politics in Europe shaped Bach’s life and career.
A great read even for someone with only a passing interest in music but if you appreciate classical music, even better. The reader reviews on Amazon.com are also very glowing so I’m not alone.
, as always