For the past few weeks, the Grade 11 DP Music students have been diving into the foundations of Music theory and the Mathematics that governs western tonality. To finish up, they have been asked to analyze and dissect the famous Cello suite no. 1 in G Major by J.S. Bach. This stunning piece sounds simple enough: an exploration of arpeggios, but what Bach does with them is nothing short of ethereal. The primary question the students must answer is does he modulate; in other words, does he change the key? Yes, then where? If no, then why not? This activity will help the students develop the skills necessary to successfully complete their Internal Assessment by the end of this year. But in the meantime, what do you think?
Yo-Yo Ma, Cello playing Cello Suite no. 1 in G Major