The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, acclaimed as some of the greatest works ever written for solo cello, were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach during 1717 - 1723 when he served as a Kapellmeister in Cöthen.
Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Although this suite is called "number one" it is not clear if it was indeed the first written.
The suite is in six movements:
- Prelude
- Allemande
- Courante
- Sarabande
- Minuet I & II
- Gigue
The Prelude, mainly made up of arpeggiated chords, has been performed on instruments other than the cello, such as the piano, the guitar, and the viola. All the cello suites have been transcribed for viola.