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A review by julziez
The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece by Eric Siblin
2.0
I actually have no idea why I bought this book. I heard about it on a tv show [or I thought I did] and grabbed it off the shelf in haste without really reading the back of it. So, how surprized do you think I was when I reached for a nice fiction filler and was thrown into the 1700s to learn about the life and discovery of JS Bach? The thing about it is, after reading the lengthy biography of the unknown Francis Galton, I wasn't ready to read another lengthy biography about another man that did some important things and died hundreds of years ago. Not only that, but I've also never really had an interest in Bach or the men of classical music. That being said, my lack of interest in the text's subject may or may not have influenced my dislike of the text itself.
As I was reading the Cello Suites, I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I reading about so many people other than JS Bach?" It then became clear to me, though, in about the last third of the book, that the author was merely trying to fill in the huge gaps of knowledge about Bach's life with information about people that relate to him and have a better kept history. Such as Pablo Casals, the discoverer of the Cello Suites and a famous cellist in his own right. I, however, having no interest in Bach himself had even less interest in the people who surrounded him in life and after death. It also made the text a lot harder to read as you had to keep track of names, stories and time periods that differed by centuries.
The only aspects of the book that I must say I liked were the separation of the text into 'suites' and then into various parts of those suites as well as the cohesion between all the discussed people and how they were related so closely through a single love; Bach's music.
If you love classical music, the cello, a centuries old mystery or JS Bach then you will love this read, but otherwise, do not fall into the trap like I did!
As I was reading the Cello Suites, I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I reading about so many people other than JS Bach?" It then became clear to me, though, in about the last third of the book, that the author was merely trying to fill in the huge gaps of knowledge about Bach's life with information about people that relate to him and have a better kept history. Such as Pablo Casals, the discoverer of the Cello Suites and a famous cellist in his own right. I, however, having no interest in Bach himself had even less interest in the people who surrounded him in life and after death. It also made the text a lot harder to read as you had to keep track of names, stories and time periods that differed by centuries.
The only aspects of the book that I must say I liked were the separation of the text into 'suites' and then into various parts of those suites as well as the cohesion between all the discussed people and how they were related so closely through a single love; Bach's music.
If you love classical music, the cello, a centuries old mystery or JS Bach then you will love this read, but otherwise, do not fall into the trap like I did!