The
Partitas,
BWV
The (, ; BWV) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in ...
825–830, are a set of six
keyboard suites written by
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
, published individually beginning in 1726, then together as ''
Clavier-Übung I'' in 1731, the first of his works to be published under his own direction. They were, however, among the last of his keyboard suites to be composed, the others being the six
English Suites, BWV 806-811 and the six
French Suites, BWV 812-817, as well as the
Overture in the French style, BWV 831.
History

The six partitas for keyboard form the last set of
suites that Bach composed, and are the most technically demanding of the three. They were composed between 1725 and 1730 or 1731. As with the
French and
English Suites, the autograph manuscript of the Partitas is no longer extant.
In keeping with a nineteenth-century naming tradition that labelled Bach's first set of Suites ''English'' and the second ''French,'' the Partitas are sometimes referred to as the ''German'' Suites. This title, however, is a publishing convenience; there is nothing particularly German about the Partitas. In comparison with the two earlier sets of suites, the Partitas are by far the most free-ranging in terms of structure. Unlike the English Suites, for example, wherein each opens with a strict
prelude, the Partitas feature a number of different opening styles including an ornamental
Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...
and a
Toccata
Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virt ...
.
Although each of the Partitas was published separately under the name ''
Clavier-Übung'' (Keyboard Practice), they were subsequently collected into a single volume in 1731 with the same name, which Bach himself chose to label his Opus 1. Unlike the earlier sets of suites, Bach originally intended to publish seven Partitas, advertising in the spring of 1730 upon the publication of the fifth Partita that the promised collected volume would contain two more such pieces. The plan was then revised to include a total of eight works: six Partitas in Part I (1731) and two larger works in Part II (1735), the
Italian Concerto, BWV 971, and the
Overture in the French style, BWV 831. The second of these is an eight-movement partita, the largest such keyboard work Bach ever composed, and may in fact be the elusive "seventh partita" mentioned in 1730. The Overture in the French style was originally written in C minor, but was transposed a half step down for publication to complete the tonal scheme of Parts I and II as described below.
Tonalities
The tonalities of the six Partitas (B major, C minor, A minor, D major, G major, E minor) may seem to be random, but in fact they form a sequence of intervals going up and then down by increasing amounts: a second up (B to C), a third down (C to A), a fourth up (A to D), a fifth down (D to G), and finally a sixth up (G to E). This key sequence continues into ''
Clavier-Übung II'' (1735) with the two larger works: the
Italian Concerto, a seventh down (E to F), and the
Overture in the French style, an augmented fourth up (F to B). Thus this sequence of tonalities customary for 18th-century keyboard compositions is complete, beginning with the first letter of his name (B in German is Bach's "home" key of B) and ending with the last letter (H in German is B) while including both A and C along the way.
Six partitas
* Partita No. 1 in B major, BWV 825
:
Praeludium,
Allemande
An ''allemande'' (''allemanda'', ''almain(e)'', or ''alman(d)'', French: "German (dance)") is a Renaissance and Baroque dance, and one of the most common instrumental dance styles in Baroque music, with examples by Couperin, Purcell, Bach ...
,
Corrente
The ''courante'', ''corrente'', ''coranto'' and ''corant'' are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. In a Baroque dance suite an Italian or French courante is typically pair ...
,
Sarabande
The sarabande (from ) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance.
History
The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance called ''zara ...
,
Menuet I, Menuet II,
Gigue
The gigue ( , ) or giga () is a lively baroque dance originating from the English jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th centuryBellingham, Jane"gigue."''The Oxford Companion to Music''. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 6 July ...
*
Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826
:
Sinfonia
Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and Φωνή (s ...
, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande,
Rondeau,
Capriccio
* Partita No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827
:
Fantasia, Allemande, Corrente, Sarabande, Burlesca,
Scherzo
A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often r ...
, Gigue
*
Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828
:
Ouverture, Allemande, Courante,
Aria
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
, Sarabande,
Menuet, Gigue
* Partita No. 5 in G major, BWV 829
:Praeambulum, Allemande, Corrente, Sarabande, Tempo di Minuetto,
Passepied, Gigue
*
Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830
:
Toccata
Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virt ...
, Allemande, Corrente,
Air
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
, Sarabande, Tempo di
Gavotta, Gigue
Notable recordings
On clavichord
*
Richard Troeger (Lyrichord Discs, 2000) first recorded the partitas on clavichord.
*
Menno van Delft (Resonus Classics, 2018)
On harpsichord

*
Wanda Landowska (1935 or 1936)
*
Ralph Kirkpatrick (1958)
*
Helmut Walcha (EMI, 1962)
*
Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments.
Leo ...
(Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1964–70 and Virgin, 1986)
*
Martin Galling (1964)
*
Karl Richter (TELDEC Telefunken-Decca, 1960, SAWT9913-B SAWT9914-B)
*
Blandine Verlet (Philips, 1978 and Naïve, 2001)
*
Kenneth Gilbert (Harmonia Mundi, 1985)
*
Trevor Pinnock (Archiv, 1985 and Hänssler, 1998–99)
*
Huguette Dreyfus (Denon, 1986)
*
Scott Ross (Erato, 1988)
*
Christophe Rousset (L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1992)
*
Andreas Staier (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1993)
* Siegbert Rampe (EMI Music Germany, 2000)
*
Masaaki Suzuki (BIS, 2001)
*
Zuzana Růžičková (Supraphon, 1984)
*
Pascal Dubreuil (Ramée, 2008)
*
Benjamin Alard (Alpha, 2010)
*
Peter Watchorn (Musica Omnia, 2013)
* Martin Gester (Ligia, 2015)
* Mireille Lagacé (
Calliope
In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses".
Mythology
Calliope had two famous sons, OrpheusH ...
, 2015)
*
Jory Vinikour (Sono Luminus, 2016)
*
Colin Tilney
Colin Graham Tilney (31 October 1933 – 17 December 2024) was a British-Canadian harpsichordist, fortepianist and teacher.
He is well known for his historically-informed approach to performance practice, performing on original or copied ins ...
(Music and Arts, 2020)
* Giulia Nuti (Arcana, 2024)
On piano
*
Rosalyn Tureck (1949/50)
*
Dinu Lipatti (BWV 825), (EMI Classics, 1950)
*
Glenn Gould (Sony 1957, 1980)
*
Friedrich Gulda (Philips, 1972)
*
Tatiana Nikolayeva (Melodija 1981)
*
Jean Louis Steuerman (Philips, 1984)
*
András Schiff
Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor. He has received numerous awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Music Bac ...
(Decca Classics, 1985)
*
Maria Tipo (EMI, 1991)
*
Wolfgang Rübsam (Naxos, 1992)
*
Risto Lauriala (Alba, 1992)
*
Maria João Pires (
DGG 447 894-2, 1995)
*
Sergey Schepkin (Ongaku, 1996–97)
*
Angela Hewitt (Hyperion, 1997)
*
Richard Goode (Nonesuch, 2003)
*
Gianluca Luisi (
OnClassical, 2005–07)
*
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...
(Verbier Festival, 2008)
*
Murray Perahia
Murray David Perahia ( ; born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He has been considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. ...
(Sony, 2008 and 2009)
*
Vladimir Ashkenazy (
Decca, 2010)
*
Andres Carciente (Noromusic, 2012)
*
Igor Levit (Sony, 2014)
*
Yuan Sheng (Piano Classics, 2017)
*
Christian Zacharias (MDG, 2021)
*
Tingshuo Yang (Luxembourg Classics, 2024)
On guitar
*
Judicael Perroy Partita no.2 (Naxos Records, 2011)
See also
*
Works for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard works () by Johann Sebastian Bach traditionally refers to Chapter 8 in the BWV catalogue or the fifth series of the New Bach Edition, both of which list compositions for a solo keyboard instrument like the harpsichord or the clavicho ...
*
English Suites, BWV 806-811
*
French Suites, BWV 812-817
*
List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach printed during his lifetime
Notes
References
* (contains detailed preface by Engler)
*
External links
*
Essay by Yo Tomita on Bach's Partitas*
{{Authority control
Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach
Compositions for harpsichord
1731 compositions
de:Clavierübung#Clavierübung Teil I: Partiten
he:רשימת יצירות באך#פרטיטות (לכלי מקלדת) (825-830)