Analysis of J. S. Bach’s suite no. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 from the perspective of polyphony

The most impressive feature of J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor is that the fifth suite is the only one among his six cello suites to have applied scordatura. However, for most cellists, the difficulty of this suite is not to turn the A string down to G nor the fingering after the change of the open string, but to present the perfect polyphonic structure through a single solo instrument. As Bach’s manuscript has been lost, the Suite in G Minor for Lute (BWV 995), which was arranged after Suite No. 5 in C Minor, is the best source available to better understand the structure of his polyphony. In this paper, the author investigates Suite No. 5 in C Minor by juxtaposing Bach’s Suite in G Minor for Lute and Anna Magdalena Bach’s manuscript of Suite No. 5 in C Minor published by Bärenreiter-Verlag. A comparison between the cello and lute editions unveils the voice-leading hidden within the melodic lines of the work.