Bach, Casals & The Six Suites for 'Cello Solo: Volume Three

The four volumes of Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for Cello Solo is the telling of a preeminent, but almost unknown, legend of Western culture…. the Life of Sebastian Bach, his Legacy, the Life of Pablo Casals - the heroic cellist who rescued the Six Cello Suites from oblivion - and the saga and rediscovery of Bach’s grand masterpiece… the companion to Steven Hancoff’s remarkable and ground-breaking three-CD acoustic guitar recording of Bach’s immortal work.


Volume 3: Pablo Casals and the Six Suites for ‘Cello Solo is actually two books in one. First, the valiant and dynamic life of Pablo Casals, and the spectacularly unlikely serendipity of his having stumbled upon Bach’s Cello Suites when he was only 13 years old, and his artistic vision and perseverance in working on them and bringing them to life 12 years later may well be the single greatest cultural contribution of any 20th century artist.


The second part addresses the inevitable question of what is the ultimate meaning of the Six Suites? Why did Bach, the great keyboardist, compose such a profoundly personal statement for what was then such an obscure four-stringed instrument? What is the interaction between the emotional, archetypal and profoundly personal expression of the spirit of J. S. Bach?


Pablo Casals and the Six Suites for ‘Cello Solo is designed to take advantage of all the state-of–the-art interactive elements of Apple iBooks, is highly illustrated, with hundreds of period pictures – portraits, oils, watercolors, stained glass, photographs, etchings and engravings, authentic documents, sculptures, statues and monuments.


This spectacular book includes six sensational and compelling videos. And not only that, more than 200 contemporary artists from all over the world have contributed hundreds of works of art, all of them inspired by J. S. Bach.



Immersing myself in the genius of Bach has enriched my life beyond what I can possibly articulate here. I am so excited that this life project of mine is now making its way into the wide world. I can only hope that listeners and readers and musicians alike will also feel enriched for having partaken of it.  – Steven