BACH for the RECORDERNOTE In preparing this volume, we have firet and foremost taken into account the fact that the person who plays an instrument for his personal pleasure is often obliged to do so on his own. It is not always possible to Gnd an accompanist and it is even more difficult to collect a group of inetrumentalists for the purpose of making music together. In any event, and this is the biggest obstacle, the players must be fairly expert or there is the risk of the ensemble producing rhythmic effects which may be somewhat discouraging. The main attraction of this volume is that all the pieces are for unaccompanied recorder. The items are taken from the 6 Suites by J. S. Bach for solo ‘cello, one of the great German composer's most beautiful works, and a masterpiece of instrumental music for all time. The transcriber has been respectful in his treatment and the original keys have been retained. The modifications necessary for the adaptation of some of the phrases to the limitations of the recorder have been reduced to a minimum and in fact they amount to not more than four or five in all. There are no cuts, and in practice the performer of this music can be certain of playing Bach without any extraneous or inop- portune alterations. The pieces have of course been chosen from those which, because of their melodic and linear qualities, best lend themselves to transcription: a magnificent cantabile Prelude, two wonderful Minuets, three delightful Bourrées, a Giga and a Sarabande. It may seem daring to attempt to transfer the harmonic richness of a Bach sarabande to the slender sound of a recorder. We have however no fear in saying that the result is such as to justify our presumption. The performer should pay the greatest possible attention to the phrasing and punctuation which we have carefully studied from the point of view of the technical and respiratory requirements of the recorder and which we have arranged in such a way as to facilitate breathing without disturbing the melodic line. Only in the firet part of the Prelude of the 2nd Suite have we found it necessary to add apostrophes to indicate the breathing, in order to prevent the flow of the music being interrupted arbitrarily. The transcriptions are for Treble Recorder which, because of its round and pleasing tone, is the instrument most suited to these passages; however, by a simple transposition to a fifth above, these can also be played by the Descant Recorder. nCJohann Sebastian Bach. «ess-s0) 8 PIECES FOR RECORDER from the SUITES for violoncello solo MINUET I from the First Suite Moderato MINUET ILI trom the First Suite Minuetio I D.C. al Fine Printed in England ©) Copyright 1960 by G. Ricordi & Co. (London) Ltd. LD 434rst Suite from the F 3UE GIC nee ine ft [pied — tet PRELUDE from the Second Suite Andante 5] 4 J 4 ly ee LD 4347 f i ] fi l rT ti a8 f A I f a ff Ly a 1] U pia lente LD 3gSARA BAN DE from the Second Suite BOURREE I from the Third Suite Allegro grazioso LD 43s* BOURREE [1 trom the Third Suite ——— ( Lt Ho — .b> et tt ee Ors ee a Hy rree I D.C.ai Fine Box: * BOURREE I from the Fourth Suite LD 434Reproduced and printed by Halstan & Co. Ltd., Amersham, Bucks., England LD 434