French Suites (Bach)

Collection of keyboard works by Johann Sebastian Bach

"French Suites" redirects here. For other uses, see Suite française (disambiguation).

Gavotte from French Suite No. 5

The French Suites, BWV 812–817, are six suites which Johann Sebastian Bach wrote for the clavier (harpsichord or clavichord) between the years of 1722 and 1725.[1] Although Suites Nos. 1 to 4 are typically dated to 1722, it is possible that the first was written somewhat earlier.[1]

## Style

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The suites were later given the name 'French' (first recorded usage by Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg in 1762). Likewise, the English Suites received a later appellation. The name was popularised by Bach's biographer Johann Nikolaus Forkel, who wrote in his 1802 biography of Bach, "One usually calls them French Suites because they are written in the French manner."[1] This claim, however, is inaccurate: like Bach's other suites, they follow a largely Italian convention.[2] There is no surviving definitive manuscript of these suites, and ornamentation varies both in type and in degree across manuscripts.[1] 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, BWV 831, which Bach published as the second part of Clavier-Übung, is a suite in the French style but not connected to the French suites.[3] Some manuscripts have movements not found in other copies. These movements are probably spurious.[citation needed]

## Movements

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### Suite No. 1 in D minor, BWV 812

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1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Menuet I
5. Menuet II
6. Gigue

### Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV 813

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1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Air
5. Menuet
6. Menuet – Trio (in BWV 813a)
7. Gigue

### Suite No. 3 in B minor, BWV 814

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French Suite No. 3 in B minor (MIDI realization)

I. Allemande

* * *

II. Courante

* * *

III. Sarabande

* * *

IV. Gavotte (Angloise)

* * *

V. Menuet

* * *

VI. Trio

* * *

VII. Gigue

* * *

Problems playing these files? See media help.

1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Angloise
5. Menuet – Trio
6. Gigue

### Suite No. 4 in E♭ major, BWV 815

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1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Gavotte
5. Air
6. Menuet
7. Gigue

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.[4][5]

### Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816

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French Suite No. 5 in G major (MIDI realization)

I. Allemande

* * *

II. Courante

* * *

III. Sarabande

* * *

IV. Gavotte

* * *

V. Bourrée

* * *

VI. Loure

* * *

VII. Gigue

* * *

Problems playing these files? See media help.

1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Gavotte
5. Bourrée
6. Loure
7. Gigue

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 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.[6]

### Suite No. 6 in E major, BWV 817

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French Suite No. 6 in E major (MIDI realization)

I. Allemande

* * *

II. Courante

* * *

III. Sarabande

* * *

IV. Gavotte

* * *

V. Polonaise

* * *

VI. Bourrée

* * *

VII. Menuet

* * *

VIII. Gigue

* * *

Problems playing these files? See media help.

1. Allemande
2. Courante
3. Sarabande
4. Gavotte
5. Polonaise
6. Bourrée
7. Menuet
8. Gigue

## Legacy

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The Menuet from Suite No. 3 in B-minor BWV 814 was provided as one of three soundtrack options in Nintendo's Game Boy version of Tetris.[7]

## See also

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* Works for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach
* Partitas, BWV 825–830
* English Suites, BWV 806–811
* Bach compositions printed during the composer's lifetime

## Notes and references

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1. ^ a b c d Bach. The French Suites: Embellished version. Bärenreiter Urtext
2. ^ Christophe Rousset, notes to the recording of the French Suites, Ambroisie AMB9960
3. ^ Although see the discussion of French influences in Hans-Joachim Schulze, The French Influence in Bach's Instrumental Music, Early Music, 13:2, 1985 (J. S. Bach Tercentenary Issue, 180–184.
4. ^ Judith Schneider (1994). Johann Sebastian Bach: French Suites (2 ed.). Alfred Music. pp. 134–139. ISBN 978-1-4574-4464-7.
5. ^ David Schulenberg (2006). The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach. New York: Routledge. ISBN 1-136-09154-8.
6. ^ O. Warburton, Annie. Analyses of Musical Classics, Book 1 (1963 ed.). Longmans. p. 27.
7. ^ Fifty Key Video Games Edited by Bernard Perron, Kelly Boudreau, Mark J.P. Wolf, Dominic Arsenault. Taylor and Francis, 2023.

## External links

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* French Suites: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
* French Suites Archived 11 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Mutopia Project (free sheet music)
* Liner notes for recording by Angela Hewitt
* Liner notes Archived 11 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine for recording by Julian Perkins
* Liner notes Archived 3 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine for recording by Masaaki Suzuki

* 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

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Australia
* Spain
* Israel
* Catalonia

Other|

* MusicBrainz work

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