French Suites
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French Suites are suites composed in a style that for one or more reasons is considered French. Generally it refers to compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. There are seven of Bach's suites originally composed for harpsichord (or a similar keyboard instrument) that received the epithet "French":
- The six suites BWV 812-817, which are normally intended when speaking about "the" French Suites by Bach;
- The Overture in French style, BWV 831, which Bach published as second part of Clavier-Übung II.
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The six French Suites
These six suites for keyboard were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1722:
- 1st suite in d minor, BWV 812
- 2nd suite in c minor, BWV 813
- Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Air, Menuet, Gigue (additional movements, in BWV 813a: Menuet - Trio)
- 3rd suite in b minor, BWV 814
- Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, Trio, Anglaise, Gigue
- 4th suite in E flat major, BWV 815
- Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Air (additional movements, in BWV 815a: Praeludium. Gavotte I, Gavotte II, Menuet)
- 5th suite in G major, BWV 816
- 6th suite in E major, BWV 817
- Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gavotte, Polonaise, Bourrée, Menuet, Gigue
Quotations
Philipp Spitta (in his book "Johann Sebastian Bach, His work and influence on the music of Germany, 1685–1750"; vol.II pp.159–161, Fuller-Maitland translation originally published in 1889)
- "The French Suites are, as has been said, contained for the most part in Anna Magdalena's first book, and almost fill it. The name "French" was given to them later, without the master's concurrence, on account of the meagre form of their component sections, which, even in external dimensions, adhere as closely as possible to the type on which they are founded. In this respect they offer a conspicuous contrast to the broad symphonic forms of the later partitas and the English Suites, as the are called. Beyond this there is no idea of imitating or carrying out any specially French characteristics; none such are to be discerned anywhere in Bach, nor could they be possible except in his very earliest work. It would be more natural to detect a certain affinity with the Suites of Georg Böhm, who, no doubt, for his part, was strongly influenced by French art; but this affinity even is only one of feeling. The arrangement of the French Suites is always that which has already been fully described — Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Giga, are the essential sections; between the last two pieces intermezzi are introduced. Not one of them has a prelude; there would seem to have been one originally to the fourth, which was afterwards cut out for the sake of uniformity. The whole work does not give the impression of being a collection made or determined by accident; on the contrary, it is arranged with artistic intelligence — a whole cast in one mould. As in the Inventions and the Sinfonias, we here too find a considerable number of "Paralipomena" which prove the care with which the mastes selected the best. No less than three complete suites exist besides these, and identical with them as to the character of the details and the whole arrangement. They are in A minor, E flat major, and E minor, and are so admirable that only something of very superior beauty could have a right to displace them."
External links
French suites in Mutopia Project (free sheet music) (http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?collection=bachfr&preview=1)
Overture in French style
In the second of his printed publications for the keyboard (published in 1739) Bach aimed at contrasting a work in "Italian" style (the Italian Concerto) with a work in "French" style, a suite, which for the occasion he called Overture nach Französicher Art ("Ouverture according to French taste/style/genre"). The term "Overture" refers to the fact that this suite starts with an Ouverture movement, unlike the six other French suites mentioned above (apart from the "a" version of BWV 815 that starts with a "prelude").
The movements of the French suite BWV 831 are:
- Ouvertüre, Courante, Gavotte I + II (da capo), Passepied I + II (da capo), Sarabande, Bourrée I + II (da capo), Gigue, Echo.
The style of this work refers to composers like Couperin (a particular favourite of Bach) that had published compositions in this suite format. Such suites had been composed as well for solo instruments as for orchestral settings. Bach's composition, though a work for solo harpsichord, employs a fuller sound than was customary for the French composers he referred to.
The French Overture has not so far become as popular as its Italian counterpart in the Clavierübung II. Nevertheless it is a masterpiece of keyboard music, particularly the melancholy Sarabande. (Jonathan Lim)