<P> Due to the works' technical demands, étude - like nature, and difficulty in interpretation because of the non-annotated nature of the surviving copies, the cello suites were little known and rarely publicly performed until they were revived and recorded by Pablo Casals in the early 20th century . They have since been performed and recorded by many renowned cellists and have been transcribed for numerous other instruments; they are considered some of Bach's greatest musical achievements . </P> <P> An exact chronology of the suites (regarding both the order in which the suites were composed and whether they were composed before or after the solo violin sonatas) cannot be completely established . However, scholars generally believe that--based on a comparative analysis of the styles of the sets of works--the cello suites arose first, effectively dating the suites earlier than 1720, the year on the title page of Bach's autograph of the violin sonatas . </P> <P> The suites were not widely known before the 1900s, and for a long time it was generally thought that the pieces were intended to be studies; in addition, some of the suites were written for four strings, and some for five . However, after discovering Grützmacher's edition in a thrift shop in Barcelona, Spain, at age 13, Catalan cellist Pablo Casals began studying them . Although he later performed the works publicly, it was not until 1936, when he was 60 years old, that he agreed to record the pieces, beginning with Suites Nos. 1 and 2, at Abbey Road Studios in London . By 1939, Casals became the first to record all six suites . Their popularity soared soon after, and Casals' original recording is still widely available and respected today . </P> <P> The suites have since been performed and recorded by many renowned cellists including Mstislav Rostropovich, Paul Tortelier, and Yo - Yo Ma . Yo - Yo Ma won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance for his album Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites . </P>

Cello suite no. 6 in d major bwv 1012