The four
Orchestral Suites or
Ouvertures BWVThe Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
1066–1069 are a set of compositions by
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist whose ecclesiastical and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, probably composed between 1725 and 1739 in Leipzig. The word ouverture refers to an opening movement in which a section of slow dotted-note rhythm is followed by a fugue; at the time, this name was also used to refer to a whole
suiteIn music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet, or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
of dance-pieces in the French
baroqueBaroque music describes a style of European classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1750. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical era...
style.
- Ouverture
- Courante
The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era....
- Gavotte
The gavotte originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo...
I/II
- Forlane
- Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, meaning small, pretty, delicate, a diminutive of menu, from the Latin minutus; menuetto is a word that occurs only on musical scores...
I/II
- Bourrée
This article is about various types of dance and music called "bourrée".The bourrée is a dance of French origin common in Auvergne and Biscay in Spain in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time, somewhat resembling the gavotte...
I/II
- Passepied
The passepied is a 17th- and 18th-century dance that originated in Brittany. The term can also be used to describe the music to which a passepied is set...
I/II
Instrumentation:
OboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
I/II,
bassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 1800s, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band, and chamber music literature...
,
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
I/II,
violaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range , and nearly identical playing position...
, basso continuo
- Ouverture
- Rondeau
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also in reference to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
- Sarabande
In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of crotchets and minims in alternation...
- Bourrée I/II
- Polonaise
The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its...
(Lentement) - Double
- Minuet
- Badinerie
The badinerie or badinage is a brief and lively dance. It takes its name from the French badiner . The term arose during the 18th century when the badinerie was first included as a movement in the Baroque suite. Johann Sebastian Bach's badinerie from his Orchestral Suite No...
Instrumentation: Solo
fluteThe Western concert flute or C flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute...
, violin I/II, viola, basso continuo
The
badinerie has become a show-piece for solo flautists, due to its quick pace and difficulty.
- Ouverture
- Air
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
- Gavotte I/II
- Bourrée
- Gigue
The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance originating from the British jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century and usually appears at the end of a suite.The Gigue is lively Baroque dance originating from the British jig...
Instrumentation:
TrumpetA "lip-vibrated aerophone," the baroque trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family. A baroque trumpet is a brass instrument used in the 16th through 18th centuries, or a modern replica of a period instrument...
I/II/III,
timpaniTimpani are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper, and more recently, constructed of more lightweight fiberglass. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick...
, oboe I/II, violin I/II, viola, basso continuo
The
Air is one of the most famous pieces of classical music.
Discussion
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The four
Orchestral Suites or
Ouvertures BWVThe Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
1066–1069 are a set of compositions by
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist whose ecclesiastical and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, probably composed between 1725 and 1739 in Leipzig. The word ouverture refers to an opening movement in which a section of slow dotted-note rhythm is followed by a fugue; at the time, this name was also used to refer to a whole
suiteIn music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet, or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
of dance-pieces in the French
baroqueBaroque music describes a style of European classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1750. This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical era...
style.
Ouverture No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066
- Ouverture
- Courante
The courante, corrente, coranto and corant are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era....
- Gavotte
The gavotte originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo...
I/II
- Forlane
- Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, meaning small, pretty, delicate, a diminutive of menu, from the Latin minutus; menuetto is a word that occurs only on musical scores...
I/II
- Bourrée
This article is about various types of dance and music called "bourrée".The bourrée is a dance of French origin common in Auvergne and Biscay in Spain in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time, somewhat resembling the gavotte...
I/II
- Passepied
The passepied is a 17th- and 18th-century dance that originated in Brittany. The term can also be used to describe the music to which a passepied is set...
I/II
Instrumentation:
OboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
I/II,
bassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 1800s, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band, and chamber music literature...
,
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
I/II,
violaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range , and nearly identical playing position...
, basso continuo
Ouverture No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067
- Ouverture
- Rondeau
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also in reference to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
- Sarabande
In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of crotchets and minims in alternation...
- Bourrée I/II
- Polonaise
The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its...
(Lentement) - Double
- Minuet
- Badinerie
The badinerie or badinage is a brief and lively dance. It takes its name from the French badiner . The term arose during the 18th century when the badinerie was first included as a movement in the Baroque suite. Johann Sebastian Bach's badinerie from his Orchestral Suite No...
Instrumentation: Solo
fluteThe Western concert flute or C flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute...
, violin I/II, viola, basso continuo
The
badinerie has become a show-piece for solo flautists, due to its quick pace and difficulty.
Ouverture No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
- Ouverture
- Air
Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
- Gavotte I/II
- Bourrée
- Gigue
The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance originating from the British jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century and usually appears at the end of a suite.The Gigue is lively Baroque dance originating from the British jig...
Instrumentation:
TrumpetA "lip-vibrated aerophone," the baroque trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family. A baroque trumpet is a brass instrument used in the 16th through 18th centuries, or a modern replica of a period instrument...
I/II/III,
timpaniTimpani are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper, and more recently, constructed of more lightweight fiberglass. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick...
, oboe I/II, violin I/II, viola, basso continuo
The
Air is one of the most famous pieces of classical music. An arrangement of the piece by German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845 - 1908) has come to be known as
Air on the G StringThe "Air on the G String" is a musical piece for string and piano, arranged by August Wilhelmj from the Air of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068...
.
Ouverture No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069
- Ouverture
- Bourrée I/II
- Gavotte
- Menuet I/II
- Réjouissance
Instrumentation: Trumpet I/II/III, timpani, oboe I/II/III, bassoon, violin I/II, viola, basso continuo
The opening movement of this suite was reused by Bach at the choral opening to his
cantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and often containing more than one movement.-Historical context:...
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (BWV 110). The voices come in at the opening of the fugal gigue, so that their singing of 'lachens' (laughter) sounds like 'ha ha ha', a technique Bach used a few times in his vocal works.
External links