Hi, My name is Kasia and I come from Poland. I play the viola. This year I am going to finish my studies ( Masters ). For my last exam I have to write something about Bach cello suites for viola. Could anybody help me to find information about different editions for my instrument? When was the firs transcription for viola, and how many of them are now? I was also wondering is there any possibility to find out the name of editors with dates? ( I have already found them for cello : Schroder-1888, N.Salter-1897, Hausmann-1989, Klengel-1900, J. van Lier-1907...... ect. )

Thaks for any help

My viola edition (not great...) was transcribed by Watson Forbes and published by Hansen (J & W Chester) in 1951. I'm sure there must be better ones...

W

Mine was "adapted, revised and fingered for viola" by Louis Svencenski and published by Schirmer, original copyright 1916, renewed 1944. (It's another non-recommended edition, though, I don't think it's been very well edited at all).

Actually it doesn't matter that it is good or bad edition. I just need as much information as possible of all of them with names of editors and dates.

OK - is that enough about the Svencenski/Schirmer edition?? Anything else you need to know that I might be able to find on the music? I have it sitting beside me at the pc LOL!

According to 'History of the Viola' by M. Riley, the first printed editions (for cello) were in 1825 (Kistner), followed by an edition by Breitkopf und Hartel in 1826. There was also the Bach-Gesellschaft edition in 1879. Editions for the viola followed in the early twentieth century. These included one published in the US in 1916 by G. Schirmer (mentioned earlier).

A recent scholarly edition for viola (and probably the best edition available so far for the viola) is published by Peters (edited Rowland Jones No. 7489 ). It is based on original sources, has a preface with lots of information on playing the suites stylistically, provides the fifth suite in both Bach's original scordatura version and also a version for viola in normal tuning, provides the sixth suite in both Bach's original key of D and also transposed down to G (since the instrument for which Bach wrote this suite had an extra (E) string.

There is also the the Watson Forbes edition which was mentioned earlier.

Other editions include the Edition Reinhardt Munchen/Basel, Lifschey/Schirmer edition (1936) , International editon (edited Katims no. 3081), International editon (edited L. Davis no. 3064) , and United Music Publishers edition. I'm not sure when most of these were published as I don't have copies of them.

Edit: I found this list of editions of the Bach cello suites but it only includes cello editions. l I don't know if it is of any use.

I also found another list of editions for viola:
International Music Co. 1982, c1980 edited by Milton Katims
Chester Music, c1951. transcribed by Watson Forbes. London
G. Schirmer, c1916 edited by Louis Svecenski. New York
G. Schirmer, c1944 edited by Louis Svecenski. New York
Verlag von Friedrich Hofmeister, [193-?] Suite 1-4 edited by Hermann Ritter. Leipzig
F. Hofmeister, [1965?] edited by Fritz Spindler. Leipzig:
Friedrich Hofmeister, [198-?], c1953 edited by Fritz Spindler
Alphonse Leduc, 1962 edited by Robert Boulay. Paris
The best place to find out a complete list of editions would be in the book 'Literatur fur Viola' by Franz Zeyringer

Dear all,

I really thank you for Your help!!!!! You are great !

I have one more question - this time could you help me to find information about the records of cello suites for viola? In my library I can find only cello records - Yo Yo Ma, Casals, Rostropovich, Maisky....ect.
I know that William Primrose, Nobuko Imai and Patricia McCarty recorded them but do you know when they did it? I can not find any information about dates. Are there some more viola players who recorded them?

thanks for any help

Recordings of the Bach cello suites performed on the viola that I am aware of are:

Simon Rowland-Jones
Meridian 84270 and 84324 (1994/1997)

Eric Shumsky
Vestige Classics

Odile Skarnes-Morimoto
Die Extraplatte (1999) (Cello Solo No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007only)

Nobuko Imai
Philips Digital Classics (recorded 1998, 1999 )

Patricia McCarty
Ashmont Music CD 6100 (1998-2000)

William Primrose
Biddulph, LAB 131/2 (Cello suites No. 1-5 only)

Rainer MOOG
[LIVE NOTES WWCC-7214 (J)] rec. 1991?

Milton THOMAS
Concert Disc Connoisseur series CS-246--CS-248 [3 LPs] (1964)

Barbara Westphal
Bridge (2000)

Lillian Fuchs
Doremi DHR-7801/2 (recorded 1952-54)

Rivka Golani
CBC Musica Viva 1141-3

Michael Zaretsky
Artona (2004)

Francoise Gneri
Polymnie 120 212

You can see a recording of Primrose playing the courante from cello suite no.1 extremely fast on youtube. I know that Primrose recorded the cello suites when he was very old (about 75), but I have seen various dates for the Biddulph recordings so I am not sure about the date of these.

Edit: If you can find a copy of Primrose's book 'A Walk on the North Side, Memoirs of a Violist' there is supposed to be a discograhy in the Appendix which should give details of his recording of the Bach Cello Suites.

He played it so fast that the youtube picture shows him having tucked the viola under his arm when the youtube sound still has two more notes to play! Wow, I can't imagine anyone managing to dance to that - certainly not with a big curly white wig on Bach Stylee!