Bourrée in E minor

Lute composition by Johann Sebastian Bach; fifth movement of BWV 996

J.S. Bach 'Bourree in E minor' (BWV 996)

Bourrée in E minor is a popular lute piece, the fifth movement from Suite in E minor BWV 996 (BC L166) written by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1708 and 1717. The piece is arguably one of the most famous among guitarists.[1]

A bourrée was a type of dance that originated in France with quick duple meter and an upbeat.[2] Though the bourrée was popular as a social dance and shown in theatrical ballets during the reign of Louis XIV of France, the Bourrée in E minor was not intended for dancing.[2] Nonetheless, some of the elements of the dance are incorporated in the piece.[2]

Bach wrote his "lute" pieces in a traditional score rather than in lute tablature, and it is believed that Bach played these pieces on the Lautenwerk, a keyboard instrument acoustically imitating lute.[2] No original script of the Suite in E minor for Lute by Bach is known to exist.[3] However, in the collection of one of Bach's pupils, Johann Ludwig Krebs, there is one piece ("Praeludio - con la Suite da Gio: Bast. Bach") that has written "aufs Lauten Werck" ("for the lute-harpsichord") in unidentified handwriting.[3] Some argue that despite this reference, the piece was meant to be played on the lute as demonstrated by the texture.[3] Others argue that since the piece was written in E minor, it would be incompatible with the baroque lute which was tuned to D minor.[4] Nevertheless, it may be played with other string instruments, such as the guitar, mandola or mandocello, and keyboard instruments, and it is especially well-known among guitarists.[5] The tempo of the piece is fairly quick and smooth. It also demonstrates counterpoint, as the two voices move independently of one another.[1] Furthermore, the Bourrée in E minor demonstrates binary form.[6]

Lute Suite No,. 1 - BWV 996, E Minor - V Bourrée

Performed on a lautenwerck by Martha Goldstein

* * *

J.S. Bach "Bourrée in E minor" (BWV 996)

Performed on an organ

* * *

Problems playing these files? See media help.

## In classical music

[edit]

Robert Schumann quotes the first 14 notes of this memorable theme (transposed to G minor) in #3 of the Op. 60, 6 Fugues on B–A–C–H, where he neatly combines it with the B♭ A C B motif. There also appears to be an echo of this reference in the next fugue, #4.

## Jethro Tull version

[edit]

"Bourrée"

Single by Jethro Tull
from the album  Stand Up
B-side| "Fat Man"
Released| 13 October 1969 [7]
Recorded| April 24, 1969[8]
Studio| Olympic Studios, London, UK
Genre| Jazz fusion, instrumental rock
Length| 3:46
Label| Chrysalis, Island, Reprise, Fontana
Songwriter(s)| J.S. Bach, arr. Ian Anderson
Producer(s)| Ian Anderson, Terry Ellis
Jethro Tull singles chronology
| "Living in the Past"
(1969)  | "Bourrée"
(1969)  | "Sweet Dream"
(1969)

|
|

Jethro Tull used the first eight bars of the piece as the basis for the song "Bourée", from their 1969 album Stand Up.[9] Like many Jethro Tull songs, it prominently features Ian Anderson's flute playing. The song also includes a bass guitar solo, played by Glenn Cornick on the original recording. Alternate studio recordings appear on The Jethro Tull Christmas Album and the 25th Anniversary Box Set. It is a staple of the band's concerts, and appears on the live albums Bursting Out, A Little Light Music, Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970, and Live at Montreux 2003, as well as the concert DVD Living with the Past. In April 2011, Anderson played a duet version of the song with NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, who was on board the International Space Station at the time, as a celebration of 50 years of human spaceflight.[10]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The piece has been used by a number of musicians:

* Bola Sete covered the composition on his album Tour de Force from 1964
* Paul McCartney has said in interviews and on tours that the songs "Blackbird" and "Jenny Wren" were both inspired by variations and alterations to the bourrée.[11]
* The London Blues-rock group Bakerloo released their arrangement of the tune, titled "Drivin' Bachwards", as a single on Harvest Records (HAR 5004) in July 1969. The same recording appeared on their self-titled debut album (Harvest SHVL 762) the following December.
* Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin occasionally incorporated the opening melody of the piece into live performances of the song "Heartbreaker", during the song's guitar solo.[12]
* Tenacious D used the piece for their songs "Rock Your Socks", from their self-titled album, and "Classico", from the soundtrack of the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.[13]
* Yngwie Malmsteen has also been known to integrate this, among other works by Bach, into his live sets.[14][1]
* Leo Kottke performs "Bourrée" on the album Mudlark.[1]
* Lenny Breau re-harmonized this piece and recorded it on the album Minors Aloud under the title "On a Bach Bouree".
* Alter Bridge used this riff as the chorus to "Wayward One", the closing track of their 2007 album Blackbird.
* Jam-80 a short-lived Icelandic band featuring Björk recorded it on a demo cassette.
* It has been adapted for the Commodore 64 version of Black Lamp.
* Blizzard composer Glenn Stafford used it in the soundtrack for Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness in the second half of the song titled "Human 2".
* Blues Saraceno covered the bourrée on his 1994 album Hairpick. This version used Jethro Tull's arrangement.
* In 2014, German band Son of a Bach released[15] a heavy metal cover of the bourrée on YouTube, which was viewed almost 2 million times.
* Gabrielle McCarthy led the Flying Luttenbachers in a secret exhibition performance of a modern variant at Constellation Jazz Club in 2019.

## See also

[edit]

* List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Mark Phillips; Jon Chappell (2008). Guitar Exercises for Dummies. For Dummies. p. 87\. ISBN 978-0-470-38766-5.
2. ^ a b c d Nancy Bachus; Daniel Glover (2000). The Baroque Spirit, Bk 2: Book & CD. Alfred Music Publishing. p. 28\. ISBN 978-0-7390-0502-6.
3. ^ a b c Hannu Annala; Heiki Mätlik (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications. p. 32\. ISBN 978-0-7866-5844-2.
4. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach; Jozsef Eotvos (2002). J. S. Bach: The Complete Lute Works. Mel Bay Publications. p. vi. ISBN 978-0-7866-6819-9.
5. ^ Elizabeth T. Knuth. "Bourrée". Archived from the original on 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
6. ^ Bill Purse (2003). The PrintMusic! primer: mastering the art of music notation with Finale PrintMusic!. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 164\. ISBN 978-0-87930-754-7.
7. ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
8. ^ Rabey, Brian (15 September 2013). A Passion Play: The Story of Ian Anderson & Jethro Tull. London: SoundCheck Books. p. 52\. ISBN 978-0957144248.
9. ^ Jethro Tull, Scott Allen Nollen, Ian Anderson (McFarland, 2001) Page 47
10. ^ Stephanie Schierholz (2011-04-12). "NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform First Space-Earth Flute Duet". Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
11. ^ Bass Player. "He Can Work It Out". Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
12. ^ Songfacts. "Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin". Retrieved 2007-12-18.
13. ^ Kickass Classical. "The Most Popular Classical Music". Archived from the original on 2006-04-02. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
14. ^ Chordie. "Bachs Bouree by Yngwie Malmsteen". Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
15. ^ "Son of a Bach - Bourrée". Retrieved 26 March 2023 - via www.youtube.com.

## External links

[edit]

* Lute Pieces, BWV 995-1000: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
* Sheet Music
* Sheet Music from Mutopia
* Guitar Information
* The Origin of Jethro Tull's Bourrée

* v
* t
* e

Compositions for organ, keyboard and lute by Johann Sebastian Bach

Organ|

* Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a (doubtful)
* Sonatas, BWV 525–530
* Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 531
* Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532
* Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537
* Toccata and Fugue in D minor ("Dorian"), BWV 538
* Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540
* Fantasia and Fugue in G minor ("Great"), BWV 542
* Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
* Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544
* Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546
* Prelude and Fugue in E minor ("Wedge"), BWV 548
* Eight Short Preludes and Fugues, BWV 553–560 (doubtful)
* Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 562
* Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
* Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (doubtful)
* Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E major, BWV 566
* Fantasia ("Pièce d'Orgue") in G major, BWV 572
* Fugue in G minor ("Little"), BWV 578
* Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
* Concertos, BWV 592–597
* Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644
* Schübler Chorales, BWV 645–650
* Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668
* Chorale partita Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, BWV 768
* Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", BWV 769
* Neumeister chorales, BWV 1090–1120
* Chorale fantasia Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 1128

Keyboard|

* Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801
* English Suites, BWV 806–811
* French Suites, BWV 812–817
* Partitas, BWV 825–830
* No. 2
* No. 4
* No. 6
* Overture in the French style, BWV 831

* Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893
* Book 1
* No. 1 in C major
* No. 2 in C minor
* No. 3 in C♯ major
* No. 4 in C♯ minor
* No. 7 in E♭ major
* No. 10 in E minor
* No. 16 in G minor
* No. 21 in B♭ major
* No. 22 in B♭ minor
* Book 2
* No. 1 in C major
* No. 2 in C minor
* No. 3 in C♯ major
* No. 4 in C♯ minor
* No. 5 in D major
* No. 6 in D minor
* No. 12 in F minor
* No. 13 in F♯ major
* No. 18 in G♯ minor
* No. 22 in B♭ minor
* No. 24 in B minor

* Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue
* Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906
* Toccatas, BWV 910–916
* Six Little Preludes, BWV 933–938
* Italian Concerto
* Harpsichord solo concertos
* Goldberg Variations
* discography
* Gould recording
* Aria variata alla maniera italiana
* Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother

Lute|

* Suite in G minor, BWV 995
* Suite in E minor, BWV 996
* Bourrée
* Suite in C minor, BWV 997
* Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E♭ major, BWV 998
* Prelude in C minor, BWV 999
* Fugue in G minor, BWV 1000

Mixed
collections|

* Clavier-Übung III: Prelude and Fugue in E♭ major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552, Chorale preludes, BWV 669–689, Duets, BWV 802–805
* Concerto transcriptions, BWV 592–596 and 972–987
* Klavierbüchlein W. F. Bach
* Notebook A. M. Bach
* Twelve Little Preludes

* List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
* List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach
* List of concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach

* v
* t
* e

Jethro Tull

* Ian Anderson
* David Goodier
* John O'Hara
* Scott Hammond
* Jack Clark

* Mick Abrahams
* Clive Bunker
* Glenn Cornick
* Tony Iommi
* Martin Barre
* John Evan
* Jeffrey Hammond
* Barriemore Barlow
* John Glascock
* Dee Palmer
* Dave Pegg
* Mark Craney
* Eddie Jobson
* Gerry Conway
* Peter-John Vettese
* Paul Burgess
* Doane Perry
* Don Airey
* Maartin Allcock
* Andrew Giddings
* Dave Mattacks
* Jonathan Noyce
* Florian Opahle
* Joe Parrish

Studio albums|

* This Was
* Stand Up
* Benefit
* Aqualung
* Thick as a Brick
* A Passion Play
* War Child
* Minstrel in the Gallery
* Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
* Songs from the Wood
* Heavy Horses
* Stormwatch
* A
* The Broadsword and the Beast
* Under Wraps
* Crest of a Knave
* Rock Island
* Catfish Rising
* Roots to Branches
* J-Tull Dot Com
* The Jethro Tull Christmas Album
* The Zealot Gene
* RökFlöte

Live albums|

* Bursting Out
* Live at Hammersmith '84
* A Little Light Music
* Jethro Tull in Concert
* Living with the Past
* Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
* Aqualung Live
* Live at Montreux 2003
* Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
* Live at Carnegie Hall 1970

Compilations|

* Living in the Past
* M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull
* Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II
* Original Masters
* 20 Years of Jethro Tull: Highlights
* Nightcap
* The Best of Jethro Tull – The Anniversary Collection
* Through the Years
* The Very Best Of
* The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull
* The Essential
* 50 for 50

Boxed sets|

* 20 Years of Jethro Tull
* 25th Anniversary Box Set

Videos|

* Slipstream
* 20 Years of Jethro Tull
* 25th Anniversary Video
* Living with the Past
* A New Day Yesterday
* Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
* Live at Montreux 2003
* Jack in the Green
* Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
* Live at AVO Session Basel
* Around the World Live

Songs|

* "Sunshine Day"
* "A Song for Jeffrey"
* "Love Story"
* "Living in the Past"
* "Bourée"
* "Sweet Dream"
* "The Witch's Promise"
* "Teacher"
* "Aqualung"
* "Cross-Eyed Mary"
* "Mother Goose"
* "Hymn 43"
* "Locomotive Breath"
* "Life Is a Long Song"
* "Bungle in the Jungle"
* "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day"
* "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die"
* "The Whistler"
* "Songs from the Wood"
* "Heavy Horses"
* "Dun Ringill"

Related|

* Discography
* Members
* A Billion Hands Concert
* The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
* A Classic Case
* Thick as a Brick 2
* Jethro Tull – The String Quartets

Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template