The ''French Suites'',
BWV
The (BWV; ; ) is a 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. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2 ...
812–817, are six
suites which
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
wrote for the
clavier (
harpsichord or
clavichord
The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras.
Historically, it was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid to compositi ...
) between the years of 1722 and 1725.
[Bach. ''The French Suites: Embellished version''. Bärenreiter ]Urtext
Urtext (, from ''ur-'' "primordial" and ''text'' "text", ) may refer to:
* Urtext (biblical studies), the text that is believed to precede both the Septuagint and the Masoretic text
* Urtext edition
An urtext edition of a work of classical mu ...
Although Suites Nos. 1 to 4 are typically dated to 1722, it is possible that the first was written somewhat earlier.
The suites were later given the name 'French' (first recorded usage by
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (21 November 1718 – 22 May 1795) was a German music critic, music theorist and composer. He was friendly and active with many figures of the Enlightenment of the 18th century.
Life
Little is known of Marpurg's ear ...
in 1762). Likewise, the ''
English Suites'' received a later appellation. The name was popularised by Bach's biographer
Johann Nikolaus Forkel
Johann Nikolaus Forkel (22 February 1749 – 20 March 1818) was a German musicologist and music theorist, generally regarded as among the founders of modern musicology. His publications include '' Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work ...
, who wrote in his 1802 biography of Bach, "One usually calls them French Suites because they are written in the French manner."
This claim, however, is inaccurate: like Bach's other suites, they follow a largely Italian convention. There is no surviving definitive manuscript of these suites, and ornamentation varies both in type and in degree across manuscripts.
The courantes of the first (in D minor) and third (in B minor) suites are in the French style; the courantes of the other four suites are all in the Italian style. In any case, Bach also employed dance movements (such as the polonaise of the sixth suite) that are foreign to the French manner. Usually, the swift second movement after the allemande is named either courante (French style) or corrente (Italian style), but in all these suites the second movements are named courante, according to the Bach catalog listing, which supports the suggestion that these suites are "French". Some of the manuscripts that have come down to us are titled "Suites Pour Le Clavecin", which is what probably led to the tradition of calling them "French" Suites.
Two additional suites, one in A minor (BWV 818), the other in E major (BWV 819), are linked to the familiar six in some manuscripts. The ''
Overture in the French style
The ''Overture in the French style'', BWV 831, original title ''Ouvertüre nach Französischer Art'', also known as the ''French Overture'' and published as the second half of the '' Clavier-Übung II'' in 1735 (paired with the ''Italian Concerto ...
'', BWV 831, which Bach published as the second part of
Clavier-Übung
Clavier-Übung, in more modern spelling Klavierübung, is German for "keyboard exercise". In the late 17th and early 18th centuries this was a common title for keyboard music collections: first adopted by Johann Kuhnau in 1689,Wollf (1991) p.189Bo ...
, is a suite in the French style but not connected to the ''French suites''. Some manuscripts have movements not found in other copies. These movements are probably spurious.
Movements
Suite No. 1 in D minor, BWV 812
Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV 813
Suite No. 3 in B minor, BWV 814
Suite No. 4 in E major, BWV 815
Suite No. 4 also exists in an alternative version, published as BWV 815a, which includes three additional movements: a Prelude, a second Gavotte and a Menuet.
Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
The first few bars of this suite were written in 1722 for Bach's second wife, but it was not completed until 1723. The Gigue, as often, is in
fugal
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...
style, in
binary form. The voices enter in descending order (Soprano-Alto-Bass), while in the second half of the piece the voices not only enter in opposite order but also an inversion of the 1st subject.
Suite No. 6 in E major, BWV 817
See also
*
Works for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard works () by Johann Sebastian Bach traditionally refers to List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach#BWV Chapter 8, Chapter 8 in the BWV catalogue or the fifth series of the New Bach Edition, both of which list compositions for a solo ...
*
Partitas, BWV 825–830
*
English Suites, BWV 806–811
*
Bach compositions printed during the composer's lifetime
Notes and references
External links
*
''French Suites'',
Mutopia Project (free sheet music)
Liner notesfor recording by
Angela Hewitt
Angela Hewitt, (born July 26, 1958) is a Canadian classical pianist. She is best known for her Bach interpretations.
Career
Hewitt was born in Ottawa, Ontario, daughter of the Yorkshire-born Godfrey Hewitt (thus she also has British nationality ...
Liner notes for recording by
Julian Perkins
Julian Perkins is a British conductor and keyboard player ( harpsichord, fortepiano and clavichord). Shortlisted for the Gramophone Award in 2021, he is Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in the USA. He lives in London, Englan ...
Liner notes for recording by
Masaaki Suzuki
is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for wh ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:French Suites, Bwv 812-817
Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach
Compositions for harpsichord