Challenge of Music - Bach's Prelude in G for solo 'cello

Welcome to Erin's annual Challenge of Music blog hop! I think I am right in saying I have taken part in every one of Erin's challenges, and I've loved them all. 

The Music Challenge is particularly apt for me as I am a sometime musician. I teach singing, cello and piano, and occasionally sing professionally, although due to a number of vocal health issues I've had over the past year or so, I don't do so much of that anymore. And whilst I've been mainly a singer of recent years, I grew up playing the cello (even have a postgrad diploma in it!) and the piano, so am a lover of instrumental music. (Side note: You generally can't call a piece of music a song unless it is sung.....pet peeve of mine, please humour me!!) I love orchestral music, chamber music but one of my best and first loves are solo 'cello works, in particular the solo 'cello suites by J.S. Bach. 

When I was married back in 2010, my dear and lovely friend Roz (a professional 'cellist) played the first movement of the first 'cello suite as we walked into the garden to be married. It was something I had known I'd wanted if I were to get married, for some time.....Often when people are married, they simply walk in to an instrumental extract. Not for me! Well, not the whole suite, but we had the whole of the first movement. You simply can't cut music as exquisite as Bach's short - it would be a crime! Like beginning a Shakespeare play and then cutting straight to the last page.....

When I first began thinking about Erin's challenge, I knew that I would like to use Bach as my starting point. To me, Bach is to music what Shakespeare is to the English language. If I only had to listen to one composer for the rest of my life, it would be Bach. Hopefully I won't ever find myself faced with that dilemma of course! 

I made a couple of pieces listening to and thinking about Bach's 'cello suites. I had one all planned out to reveal today....but alas and alack, the photos simple have NOT worked. Trust me! Rather than show you a pretty piece of jewellery in a very bad light, I thought I would share one of the others I made, and in fact the first one I came to. I feel bad as I've shared it before as it wasn't my planned reveal, but hopefully some of you will not have and it won't matter too much. Piece number 2 will follow at a later date, I promise!

I'm not one for sketching; I'm not one for trying to create a literal meaning from a piece of music. Bach's instrumental music is wonderful to me, because despite, or perhaps because of, being highly emotive on an individual level, it is pure music. It is aural architecture. It is the lines and forms and curves and swoops of life and nature and our surroundings. This necklace is not a literal transformation of the Prelude, but inspired by it. Thank you for the trigger, Erin!

Here are the other hoppers:

Erin Prais-HintzAlenka ObidAli McCarthyAlicia MarinacheAmy SeverinoAmy GrassCarolyn LawsonCece CormierCynthia Riggs Ema Kilroy (bowed out)
Emanda Johnson Emma ToddErin KennyEvelyn ShelbyEvie and Beth McCord Gerd AnderssonHolly Westfall Jennifer Justman Jenny Davies-Reazor Jess GreenJudy Campbell Karla MorganKay Thomerson (bowed out)
Kristina JohanssonLola SurwilloLynn White (bowed out)
Malin de KoningMallory HoffmanMary K McGrawMelissa Meman (bowed out)
Melissa Trudinger Michelle EscanoMichelle BourbonniereMichelle Heim (bowed out)
Michelle Mach Molly AlexanderMolly Schaller (bowed out)
Monique UrquhartNiky SayersPam FarrenRebecca Anderson Sally RussickSharon Palac (bowed out)
Sharon DriscollSusan KennedyTari KahrsTracy Stillman (bowed out)
Veralynne Malone