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Allen Winold
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Bach's Cello Suites, Volumes 1 and 2: Analyses and Explorations Kindle Edition

by Allen Winold (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

J. S. Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello are among the most cherished and frequently played works in the entire literature of music, and yet they have never been the subject of a full-length music analytical study. The musical examples herein include every note of all movements (so one needs no separate copy of the music while reading the book), and undertakes both basic analyses—harmonic reduction, functional harmonic analysis, step progression analysis, form analysis, and syntagmatic and paradigmatic melodic analysis—and specialized analyses for some of the individual movements. Allen Winold presents a comprehensive study intended not only for cellists, but also for other performers, music theorists, music educators, and informed general readers.

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  1. Print length
    430 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Indiana University Press
  4. Publication date
    May 10, 2007
  5. File size
    36.3 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . these volumes are a fascinating, comprehensive, and incredibly detailed look into the solo cello works of Bach. Recommended for those who like theory and in-depth, analytical discussions of Bach's music.April 1, 2009"―G. P., Strings Magazine

"Dr. Winold's book is unlike any other I have read and is..a uniquely effective blending of the analytic, historical, and performance realms..it will prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students alike, and should be of interest to any serious music lover."―Robert Dodson, Provost, New England Conservatory

Review

Dr. Winold's book is unlike any other I have read and is..a uniquely effective blending of the analytic, historical, and performance realms..it will prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students alike, and should be of interest to any serious music lover.

-- Robert Dodson ― Provost, New England Conservatory

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00FG1KUU8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Indiana University Press; Illustrated edition (May 10, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 10, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 36.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 430 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 40 ratings

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Allen Winold

Allen Winold

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
40 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a fantastic reference for understanding musical analysis. They appreciate its visual style, with one customer noting it is well illustrated with musical examples.

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5 customers mention "Music theory"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's approach to music theory, finding it a fantastic reference for understanding musical analysis, with one customer noting how it helps students grasp harmonic motion.

"...to have both volumes as the musical examples are really essential. Hard to do on the subway...." Read more

"...These ideas and analysis are perfect for everyone, especially a non-cellist preparing to play the work on the marimba...." Read more

"...It is a wonderful tool for teaching, and helping students understand the harmonic motion and architecture in these pieces." Read more

"Essential reading for any musician approaching the cello suites." Read more

3 customers mention "Visual style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the visual style of the book, with one review noting its well-illustrated musical examples and comprehensive examination of the Suites.

"...This is a very comprehensive examiniation of the Suites, well illustrated with muscial examples and anlysis for all the movements in all the Suites...." Read more

"...He provides a clear history of the works and creates a lucid picture of what Bach might have wanted to hear...." Read more

"...and helping students understand the harmonic motion and architecture in these pieces." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • naeba
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It comes in 2 books; one is harmonic analysis and the other is text discussing in general the Preludes, allemandes etc. I haven't used the text portion so can't speak for it but the analysis portion is very helpful for me personally because it's not a roman numeral analysis but a functional analysis reducing passages down to tonic, dominant, linear functions. Occasionally there is a bit of roman numeral analysis where it can clarify something. There is a legend in the back of the book telling you how to read the analysis and I'd say my advanced high school students who haven't taken theory can use the book with a bit of explanation.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Barry D. Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars A cellest cannot live without it.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Any cellist studgying the Suites needs this book. There is only so much technical anlysis you can do on your own when learning the Suites. This is a very comprehensive examiniation of the Suites, well illustrated with muscial examples and anlysis for all the movements in all the Suites. Be on your guard, you will need a strong working knowledge of music theory in order to understand most of what is discussed. And you cannot browse the book, you need to spend a lot of time (sometimes at the piano) studying the musical examples. But there is a rich, rich reward to anyone who will invest the time. I've been studying the suites on and off for 25 years. After buying this book as a gift for many of my friends, I bought it for myself, and almost instantly found new meaning in movements I thought I had well figured out. If you are studying the Suites, this book is a must have.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Doug S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really top notch
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I am reading this book on the subway. And I know next to nothing about music theory. A couple of things - it helps (a lot!!!) to have both volumes as the musical examples are really essential. Hard to do on the subway. That said, it's a really wonderful intro to music theory. A bit dryball at times but that's okay because this guy knows his stuff and Bach is worth it. Forget those other books on "music appreciation" - this is the real deal! I supplement it by reading the Wikipedia entries on terms used by the author. It's like figuring out a fascinating puzzle. My only recommendation would be to combine this in a single volume ( or read it on a large screen kindle or iPad).
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Tony Steve
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clearing up myriad questions for all.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This text was purchased in preparation for graduate school studies. These ideas and analysis are perfect for everyone, especially a non-cellist preparing to play the work on the marimba.
    Dr. Winold gets to the point. He provides a clear history of the works and creates a lucid picture of what Bach might have wanted to hear.

    He presents ideas about interpretation that makes the journey of studying these pieces a joy.

    I only wish this book had been available 25 years ago. If you are playing these works this book is a must have in your library.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Anny C Bigelow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic reference for understanding musical analysis of these pieces
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    My favorite part of these is volume two. I play the bass lines with students in their lesson. It is a wonderful tool for teaching, and helping students understand the harmonic motion and architecture in these pieces.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Todd
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Introduction to Music Theory and Composition
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2008
    I do not play cello; nor do I have any background in music theory. Rather I have been trying to learn classical guitar and eventually the Prelude to the First Cello Suite was assigned. I found about a half dozen different guitar transcriptions that all varied and I could not understand why nor put together enough understanding of the piece to make it more than many measures of moving notes to try to memorize - and forget about being able to do any nice phrasing or dynamics. So I jumped at the chance to purchase this when I saw it for sale.

    What Dr. Winold has done in this pair of books - one text, the other annotated musical examples keyed to the text and including all six suites in their entirety (note to guitarists - in bass clef and in the original cello keys, of course!) - is provide a miniature course in music theory and composition. He walks through each suite movement by movement and defines the overall structure of the dance forms Bach used for the suites; he compares what is here by Bach with other music of the same time frame; he goes over how musical tension can be created and then resolved within the music; he describes how groups of notes can be repeated in a piece and ways that the patterns can be varied as phrases are developed; he shows how various harmonies and counterpoints are implied rather than fully stated since the cello can typically only play one note at a time. (It is in how they convert this implication of harmony for cello into the multiple notes that a guitar can play at once that the guitar transcriptions all seem to differ - with precedent since Bach did the same thing when he transcribed such music to lute or keyboard.)

    I find it fascinating. The books may be a broad overview of music theory with not quite enough material to fully cover any one topic, but there are enough references to additional information that it enables you to get excited about something here and then go learn more - and not so much info presented that you forget that you started looking into all this to better appreciate what are really some wonderfully sounding pieces of music!

    If I knew how I'd send a thank you note to Dr. Winold for the month of pleasure I've had with these books.
    41 people found this helpful
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  • Ditters von Dittersdorf
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Essential reading for any musician approaching the cello suites.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Ronda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and thorough analysis of the Bach Suites
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2008
    I purchased this book to aid in my graduate theory project. I am a cellist and a graduate of Indiana University. Dr. Allen Winold was my music theory/history professor freshman year. His wife, Helga Winold, was my private teacher all four years. I knew from the moment I saw this book on Amazon that nothing would compare. It is the most clear and thorough analysis of the suites that I have encountered. The book is divided into two volumes in order to appropriately reference the compositional material without trying to squeeze it all in one place or fragment it. I highly recommend this book to all cellists, especially if you are studying the suites.
    26 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bach's Cello Suites
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Content was as expected - arrived by the date stated - useful in depth reading for cellists which puts the cello suites into historical context and provides musical analysis which could improve performance.
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  • RC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un análisis profundo
    Reviewed in Mexico on December 27, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Un análisis interesante desde el punto de vista armónico. Se necesita de un buen grado de comprensión de la nomenclatura de los grados tonales y sus inversiones, así como de armonía funcional. Sin duda un libro que ampliará el conocimiento si se le destina el tiempo suficiente a su estudio. Es excelente que vengan en un libro aparte (volumen 2) los ejemplos musicales (prácticamente todas las suites analizadas y materiales adicionales como la tabla de ornamentaciones) de modo que se pueden consultar cómodamente.
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  • Andrea Mereu
    5.0 out of 5 stars worth to buy
    Reviewed in Germany on August 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great book. Definitely a must for any cellist who wants to really practice/study the Bach suites.
    Gives in great detail information on the structure of the suites. Interesting the historical part as well.
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