Much has been written about the Suites, so only a minimum needs mentioning here. Bach is assumed to have composed the Suites in Köthen around 1720; it is unclear whether they were all composed there or whether Suites IV and VI were completed later in Leipzig. The requirement of five strings in Suite VI also could suggest a later date of composition. The violoncello piccolo, a possible alternative to the normal five-stringed cello, is only confirmed in Bach's works from 1724 (Bettina Schwemer and Douglas Woodfull-Harris). There is no surviving autograph, so watermarks cannot help date the works either. The two earliest surviving copies were made by Bach's wife Anna Magdalena (1701-1760), probably between 1727 and 1731, and a copy made in 1726 by Johann Peter Kellner (1705-1772). Two further copies from the second half of the century are also considered relevant sources, as is the first edition, published in Paris in 1824. All five versions differ significantly from each other, making an urtext edition impossible and introducing a high degree of subjectivity into any scholarly edition.

In contrast to the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin BWV 1001-1006, the Cello Suites all share a similar structure: an opening prelude is followed by an allemande, a courante and a sarabande, after which a galanterie, i.e. a pair of menuets, gavottes or bourées, is followed by a concluding gigue. However, the préludes vary in form and character, and the dance movements follow either the French or the Italian style, irrespective of their common names. Notable is also the scordatura required by Bach in the 5th Suite - the tuning of the four strings not in the usual fifths (C-G-D-A) but with the A string lowered to a G. This was common practice at the time, lending an unusual tone colour to some keys. We have already mentioned the additional E' string required in Suite VI. Whether this was intended for a violoncello piccolo or for viola da spalla18 remains uncertain. any scholarly edition. In contrast to the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin BWV 1001-1006, the Cello Suites all share a similar structure: an opening prelude is followed by an allemande, a courante and a sarabande, after which a galanterie, i.e. a pair of menuets, gavottes or bourées, is followed by a concluding gigue. However, the préludes vary in form and character, and the dance movements follow either the French or the Italian style, irrespective of their common names.

Notable is also the scordatura required by Bach in the 5th Suite-the tuning of the four strings not in the usual fifths (C-G-D-A) but with the A string lowered to a G. This was common practice at the time, lending an unusual tone colour to some keys. We have already mentioned the additional E' string required in Suite VI. Whether this was intended for a violoncello piccolo or for viola da spalla remains uncertain.