Bach Suite no 4 - Prelude

This piece really deserves better than a small, carpeted apartment living room, but I can’t imagine surviving quarantine without Bach! I once had a conversation with the violist Michael Strauss about the Cello Suites. His theory is that they map pretty directly on to the experience of aging. The First Suite is the uncomplicated joy of childhood, the Second is angsty teen drama, then comes the confidant swagger of youth, and the Fourth is a slightly bumbling, but somehow still noble middle age. To follow through with the last two, the Fifth Suite is the pain and sorrow of old age, and the Sixth is the sublime joy of heaven.

Certainly I think the prelude to the Fourth Suite fits this theory! Instead of flowing melodic lines, there are awkward, jumpy arpeggios with difficult string crossings. Instead of inventive rhythmic patterns, there is a an almost uninterrupted march of steady eighth notes. But Bach knew what he was doing, and despite what seems like a recipe for a plodding slog, this Prelude strikes me as being particularly elegant. (I mean, I hope that’s how it comes across, anyway!)