Dance styles

Although it is unlikely that Bach expected people to dance to his cello suites, it can help to consider the nature of the dance forms when choosing a tempo the dance movements in his suites.

In the eighteenth century, different dances were considered to have different characters. In his handbook to musicians, Der Vollkommene Capellmeister (Hamburg, 1739), Johann Mattheson (a contemporary of Bach) described what he believed to be the nature of several different dance movements. Some are serious and sombre in character (such as the Sarabande), others are much more light-hearted. Of the Bourrée, for example, he writes that 'its distinguishing feature resides in contentment and a pleasant demeanor, at the same time it is somewhat carefree and relaxed, a little indolent and easy-going, though not disagreeable.'

The dance known as the Allemande originated in the sixteenth century and the nature of its steps and accompanying music went through many changes over the following century. By the mid-eighteenth century the dance itself had fallen out of fashion, and Allemande movements became rather earnest in style. In his musical dictionary, Musikalisches Lexicon (Leipzig, 1732), Bach's cousin, Johann Gottfried Walther, wrote that the Allemande 'must be composed and likewise danced in a grave and ceremonious manner'. Mattheson described the Allemande as 'a serious and well-composed harmoniousness', adding that the dance expresses 'satisfaction or amusement...delighting in order and calm.'

This suggests that a relatively slow tempo would be appropriate for the dance.

Because the piece is built on arpeggios, it is quite easy to discover the underlying harmonic rhythm:

The implied chords change more frequently in this extract (twice per bar - see below), so it is a good idea to choose a tempo that allows you to feel (and the audience to hear) the chord progressions. You will notice that Ruth chooses a slower tempo for the Allemande than for the Prelude.