The term violoncello was particularly vague in the early 18th century: it referred to a variety of string instruments of different sizes and shapes, usually with four or five strings; some of these instruments were held between the knees, others were supported by the arm. So we cannot be entirely sure what kind of instrument she was referring to when Bach's wife Anna Magdalena wrote "Suites a Violoncello solo senza Basso" (Suites for violoncello solo without bass) on the title page of her manuscript copy. It is said that Bach himself played both the violin and the viola exceptionally well, and it is quite possible that he originally composed the suites for his own use and played them on a violoncello piccolo held by the arm with viola fingerings. However, it is also possible that he composed these works for other virtuosos he knew, including Gregor Christoph Eylenstein, concertmaster of the Weimar court orchestra, and the Leipzig violinist Carl Gotthelf Gerlach. They were not only outstanding violinists, but also known as masters of the cello and viola d'amore. These considerations - and the observation that certain suites seem to be particularly well suited to certain instruments - inspired Ronan Kernoa to record the six suites on six different instruments.