Bach’s first biographer, Johann Nicolaus Forkel, stated quite positively, “They are known by the name of the English Suites because the composer made them for an Englishman of rank.” Forkel gathered much of his information from Bach’s sons and seems to have used it conscientiously, so that we must give any of his statements some respect, even though he cites no specific source for this one. The character of the separate pieces is sharply and distinctively marked, and their feeling intensified by richness of harmony. Terry also finds Bach’s use of Preludes in these suites “a distinctively English form,” after the usage of Henry Purcell and his predecessors. Bach English Suites are a collection of six suites ranging from BWV806-811. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the music industry. What can be found in these suites is not the Bach, who is often portrayed as disgruntled, ill-tempered, and a social revolutionary. Optus, the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, has a long association with nature so M&C Saatchi, Sydney set about exploring communication between humans... Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. It has been suggested that Bach was a disgruntled revolutionary, beating his wings with angry futility against the circumstances which confined him. This might give a pair of viable clues as to why we call them The English Suites, but the other curiosity is that there is not any ‘English’ quality to the music at all. Orchestral Musicians Bring Whales To Surface – This Will Take Your... Elgar’s Nimrod Vocal Performance Will Make You So Emotional. As dance forms, the ‘gigue’ is the liveliest, written in a 6/8 rhythm and often placed at the end of the suite. In discussing Bach’s keyboard suites, Schweitzer provides us with interesting insight into the development of the suite form. P centuries. As with the French Suites, composition of the English Suites occupied Bach over a considerable period of time. Bach,” he concludes, “goes still further; he always visualizes the form, and gives each of the principal dance forms a definite musical personality. This is the copy inscribed “fait pour les Anglois.” Johann Christian Bach was only fifteen years old when his father died, so the manuscript was probably written when its composer was already dead. Albert Schweitzer’s opinion was that Forkel’s explanation “was certainly not the case,” although he cites no source either. Bach never wrote sarabandes of such breadth and beauty, or gigues of such wild boldness.”, While they may have their reflective and melancholy movements, the overall expression of the English Suites demonstrates Bach’s joy in life and in music. They probably date from around 1713 or 1714. The courantes of the First Suite and the sarabande of the Sixth are followed by “Doubles,” or variations. One thing is certain, however, Johann Sebastian Bach never called these works English Suites. Johann Sebastian Bach: English Suite No. Tips And Techniques On How To Learn Piano Fast. The opening ‘preludes’ are where the virtuosity begins. Geiringer writes, “It is not clear whether the performer is supposed to play all [these] pieces or to make a selection between them.” It may be that the doubles are intended as instruction for the performer on how to produce ornaments when repeating the other sections of the suites. This is particularly in evidence in the final prelude that is seven and a half minutes long. “Their pervading tone,” writes Terry, “is of happy humor and exuberant good nature. [This essay was written for Columbia LP set M2 34578, Glenn Gould’s recording of the Bach English Suites, published in 1977. Bach – English Suites (Andras Schiff) Originally, their date of composition was thought to have been between 1718 and 1720, but more recent research suggests that they are likely to have been composited earlier, around 1715, while the composer was living in Weimar. Although the composer went to the expense of publishing his works only for somewhat more learned or useful music, manuscripts of the English Suites circulated widely. Spitta is certain that the English Suites were written later than the French. Each of the six English suites includes a Prelude, Allemande, Courante, and a Sarabande with the final two movements, either as a Gavotte, Gigue, Passpied, Bourée or a Menuet. They do stem from the courtly dances you might have seen during the Renaissance, but by this time in musical history, they had evolved into purely instrumental forms as opposed to pieces intended for actual dance. Sheku Kanneh-Mason has rearranged Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah into the best thing... Astounding A Cappella Version Of Vivaldi’s Spring.