BBC Russian

The English Suites, BWV 806–811, are a set of six suites written by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach for harpsichord (or clavichord) and generally thought to be the earliest of his 19 suites for keyboard (discounting several less well-known earlier suites), the others being the six French Suites (BWV 812–817), the six Partitas (BWV 825-830) and the Overture in the French style (BWV 831). They probably date from around 1713 or 1714.^[1]

YouTube Encyclopedic

1/5
Views:
696 867
22 391
72 945
1 052
10 521

Transcription

History

These six suites for keyboard are thought to be the earliest set that Bach composed aside from several miscellaneous suites written when he was much younger. Bach's English Suites display less affinity with Baroque English keyboard style than do the French Suites to French Baroque keyboard style. It has also been suggested that the name is a tribute to Charles Dieupart, whose fame was greatest in England, and on whose Six Suittes de clavessin Bach's English Suites were in part based.^[2]

Surface characteristics of the English Suites strongly resemble those of Bach's French Suites and Partitas, particularly in the sequential dance-movement structural organization and treatment of ornamentation. These suites also resemble the Baroque French keyboard suite typified by the generation of composers including Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, and the dance-suite tradition of French lutenists that preceded it.

In the English Suites especially, Bach's affinity with French lute music is demonstrated by his inclusion of a prelude for each suite, departing from an earlier tradition of German derivations of French suite (those of Johann Jakob Froberger and Georg Boehm are examples), which saw a relatively strict progression of the dance movements (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue) and which did not typically feature a Prelude. Unlike the unmeasured preludes of French lute or keyboard style, however, Bach's preludes in the English Suites are composed in strict meter.

The suites

The six suites are:

Suite No. 1 in A major, BWV 806
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante I
4. Courante II
5. Double I
6. Double II
7. Sarabande
8. Bourrée I
9. Bourrée II
10. Gigue
Suite No. 2 in A minor, BWV 807
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Bourrée I
6. Bourrée II
7. Gigue
Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV 808
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Gavotte I
6. Gavotte II
7. Gigue

Suite No. 4 in F major, BWV 809
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Menuet I
6. Menuet II
7. Gigue
Suite No. 5 in E minor, BWV 810
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Passepied I
6. Passepied II
7. Gigue
Suite No. 6 in D minor, BWV 811
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Double
6. Gavotte I
7. Gavotte II
8. Gigue

This first suite is unusual in that it has two courantes and two doubles for the second courante. This suite also departs from the scheme of the other five, in that the prelude is short and based on a theme from a suite by Dieupart. The preludes of the other five suites in this series are based on the allegro of a concerto grosso form.

The key sequence follows the same series of notes as the chorale "Jesu, meine Freude"; it is unestablished whether or not this is coincidental.

Notable recordings

On harpsichord

Wanda Landowska (No. 2, 3 & 5, Pearl, 1928–35)
Ralph Kirkpatrick (Archiv Produktion, 1956)
Helmut Walcha (EMI Electrola, 1959)
Martin Galling (Murray Hill, 1970 [recorded in 1964])
Kenneth Gilbert (Harmonia Mundi, 1981)
Zuzana Růžičková (Supraphon/Eterna, 1981)
Christiane Jaccottet (Saphir/Disky, 1982)
Gustav Leonhardt (Virgin, 1984)
Huguette Dreyfus (Archiv Produktion, 1974, 1990)
Colin Tilney (Music&Arts, 1993)
Trevor Pinnock (Archiv Production, 1992)
Peter Watchorn (Musica Omnia, 1997)
Pascal Dubreuil (Ramée, 2013)
Ketil Haugsand (Simax Classics, 2014)

On piano

Walter Gieseking (Nos. 2–4 & 6, Music & Arts, 1950)
Alexander Borovsky (Vox, 1952)
Tatiana Nikolayeva (Nos. 1 & 4, Scribendum, 1965)
Friedrich Gulda (Nos. 2 & 3, Andante, 1969–70)
Wilhelm Kempff (No. 3, Deutsche Grammophon, 1975)
Glenn Gould (Columbia/Sony, 1977)
Mieczysław Horszowski (No. 3, Pearl, 1979; No. 2, Arbiter, 1984; No. 5, RCA Japan, 1987)
Ivo Pogorelić (Nos. 2 & 3, Deutsche Grammophon, 1985)
András Schiff (Decca, 1988, 2003 Live in Hungary)
Wolfgang Rübsam (Naxos, 1995)
João Carlos Martins (Concord Concerto / Labor Records / Tomato Music, 1995–1996)
Rosalyn Tureck (No. 3, Video Artists International, 1993)
Murray Perahia (Sony Classics, 1997)
Robert Levin (Hänssler, 1999)
Martha Argerich (No. 2, Deutsche Grammophon, 1979)
Ivo Janssen (Void, 2000)
Angela Hewitt (Hyperion, 2003)
Sviatoslav Richter, (Delos, 2004)
Vladimir Feltsman (Nimbus, 2005)
Ramin Bahrami (Decca, 2012)
Piotr Anderszewski (No. 6, Accord, 1996))
Piotr Anderszewski (No. 6, Erato/Warner Classics, 2004)
Piotr Anderszewski (Nos. 1, 3 & 5, Warner Classics, 2014)

On cello

Pablo Casals (Gavottes I and II from English Suite No. 6, BWV 811, arr. Fernand Pollain; Naxos Historical 8.110915-16)

Media

English Suite No. 1 in A major, performed by Martha Goldstein

VIII. Bourrée I and II

IX. Gigue

Problems playing these files? See media help.

English Suite No. 3 in G minor, performed by Martha Goldstein

V–VI. Gavotte I and II

VII. Gigue

Problems playing these files? See media help.

References

^ Nicholas Kenyon, "Bach: The Music": 'Bach 333' CD set, 2018
^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., 1954, Eric Blom, ed.

External links

English Suites: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
English Suite No. 1, English Suite No. 2, English Suite No. 3 and English Suite No. 4: performances by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)

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

International

VIAF

National

Other

MusicBrainz work

English Suites (Bach)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia