C.P.E. Bach's A major Cello Concerto has enjoyed longstanding popularity. Bach himself prepared versions of this work for solo cello, solo flute, and solo keyboard. In the last 100 years, it has also been arranged for cello and orchestra by Ferdinand Pollain, who transposed much of the concerto up an octave, as well as by Gaspar Cassadó in F major, with the addition of a solo flute in the slow movement.

At present, two critical editions of this concerto are widely available: Eulenburg/Schott and cpebach.org. Both indicate the manuscript at the Brussels Conservatory as a principal source. In practice, the cpebach.org edition appears to align closely with the 1960s Eulenburg text. Both editions present page-turn challenges in performance contexts. Additionally, the slow movement is marked "Largo con sordini, mesto," whereas the manuscript reads "Largo mesto," with "con sordini" applying only to certain instruments rather than the full ensemble.

Our edition draws on the manuscript found in the Alströmer Collection. One notable textual difference appears in the solo cello arpeggios on the final page, along with a small number of accompanying notes. The aim has been to prepare a text that remains faithful to the source while offering practical page turns and the inclusion of cue notes, which are not provided in the Eulenburg/Schott or cpebach.org editions. The tempo marking in the Largo movement has also been adjusted to reflect the Alströmer manuscript’s indication of "Largo maesto."