Segovia Sunday #3: The Maestro Plays the Famous Prelude from Bach’s ‘Cello Suite No. 1’

The Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 has become one of the most recognized pieces in the entire classical canon, played on every instrument imaginable and extremely popular among guitarists. Not surprisingly, Andrés Segovia, who did so many guitar transcriptions of Baroque and Renaissance works, was the first to popularize the piece. According to the authoritative discography in Graham Wade’s essential 1983 book, Segovia: A Celebration of the Man and His Music, the Maestro first recorded the Prelude in 1935, then again in 1952 (both recordings are available on various CD anthologies).


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This live performance of the piece comes from a 1965 master class in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.