6 French Suites, BWV 812-817

Historical context

The six small Suites, generally called the ‘French Suites,’ consist of Allemandes, Courantes, and other movements. The composer was intentionally less academic in them than in his larger Suites, and their melodies are “more than usually pleasant and agreeable,” as the book notes. The fifth Suite, in particular, deserves notice, as all its movements are “most melodious,” and in the concluding Gigue, only consonant intervals, especially thirds and sixths, are used.

The French Suites undoubtedly date back to the Cöthen period, figuring, though incomplete, in the ‘Notenbuch’ of Anna Magdalena Bach (1722), according to the book. These suites are certainly older than the English suites, which were written before 1726. Unlike the English suites, the French suites entirely dispense with preludes. The book describes these works as “fanciful and beautiful,” contrasting with the “strong, grave, and masculine” character of the English suites. While the so-called ‘French Suites’ are works of Bach’s age of ripest mastery, the book clarifies they “have no right to the epithet ‘French’ in the sense of direct stylistic imitation,” instead forming “a stepping-stone to Bach’s other Suites.”

Drawn from Forkel, Johann Nikolaus, 1749-1818; Terry, Charles Sanford, 1864-1936, Johann Sebastian Bach; his life, art, and work, tr. from the German of Johann Nikolaus Forkel, with notes and appendices (1920); Spitta, Philipp, 1841-1894, Johann Sebastian Bach : his work and influence on the music of Germany, 1685-1750 (1899); Spitta, Philipp, 1841-1894, Johann Sebastian Bach : his work and influence on the music of Germany, 1685-1750 (1899) — public domain, archive.org.