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J. S. Bach's English and French Suites with an Emphasis on the Courante

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J. S. Bach's English and French Suites with an Emphasis on the Courante J. S. Bach’s English and French Suites with an emphasis on the Courante Renate McLaughlin Introduction Religious confl icts brought about the Figure 1. The Courante from French Suite #1, BWV 812 Thirty Years War (1618–1648), which devastated Germany. Reconstruction took at least one hundred years,1 en- compassing the entire lifetime of Bach. The Treaty of Westphalia (1648), which ended the war, gave each sovereign of the over 300 principalities, which make up modern Germany, the right to deter- mine the religion of the area under his (yes, they were all male) control. This resulted in a cultural competition among the numerous sovereigns, and it also led to the importing of French culture and its imitation (recall that Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” reigned from 1643 to 1715). social standing during his entire career!). French Suites and English Suites the importance of these suites in stu- Bach encountered French language, An elite group of professional musicians In the Baroque era, a suite consisted dents’ progress from the Inventions to music, dance, and theater throughout his stood at his disposal,6 and his duties fo- of a collection of dance tunes linked by the Well-Tempered Clavier. formative years. In the cities where Bach cused on secular chamber music. Since the same key and often with some com- (5) Writing in 2000, Christoph Wolff lived, he would have heard frequent per- the court belonged to the reformed mon thematic material. Concerning the stated as a fact that the “so-called” Eng- formances of minuets, gavottes, couran- church, Bach’s employer expected nei- origin of the suite, Bach scholar Albert lish Suites originated in Bach’s later Wei- tes, sarabandes, etc.2 ther liturgical music nor organ music. It Schweitzer believed that the dance suite mar years,22 and that Bach himself used Christoph Wolff has provided addi- is clear from the prefaces that Bach wrote was created by wandering musicians in the perhaps more accurate name “suites tional evidence for Bach’s acquaintance his keyboard works for didactic purpos- the early 17th century who strung to- avec préludes.” Wolff also asserts that with French music and French customs. es—for members of his family and for gether music from different countries. the French Suites were written during In connection with the famous com- his students. Additional evidence for this Town pipers adopted this music and Bach’s years in Cöthen.23 petition between J. S. Bach and Louis is that the Clavierbüchlein for Friede- played sets with at least four move- So by the 1970s, we appear to have Marchand, scheduled to take place in mann (1720) and the Clavierbüchlein for ments: the allemande (German origin), fi gured out the background of Bach’s Dresden in 1717, Wolff wrote that Bach Anna Magdalena (1722) include material courante (French origin), sarabande English and French suites, in spite of would most likely have won the contest.3 from the suites, but in rudimentary form (Spanish origin), and gigue (English Fuller’s comment that discussion about Bach knew thoroughly the stylistic idi- and not in a systematic order.7 origin). Keyboard players adopted these why twelve of Bach’s suites are called oms of the French keyboard repertoire; Howard Schott also noted that the dance suites from the pipers and devel- English and French suites will continue and his own keyboard suites integrated French Suites (BWV 812–817) and the oped the suites further.14 for as long as these suites themselves are genuine French elements from the English Suites (BWV 806–811) belonged Bach brought the suite to its peak by discussed.24 very beginning. He consistently applied to the domestic musical repertoire of the giving each movement a musical identity In total, Bach composed about 45 French terminology, but he also blended Bach family.8 He continued with the as- and personality.15 Each of the six Eng- suites.25 Neither the six French Suites in Italian concerto elements (example: sertion that the English suites are more lish suites and six French suites includes nor the six English Suites were published the prelude to BWV 808). Further, he in- Gallic in style and feeling than their the expected allemande, courante, sara- during Bach’s lifetime, but they were corporated polyphonic writing and fugal French brethren. To mix things up a bit bande, and gigue. (Details on the cou- copied by hand by students and music textures, especially for the concluding more, the preludes in the English suites rante are discussed later in this article.) lovers. Generally, only compositions gigues. As we know, this highly antici- are in Italian concerto-grosso style.9 Each English suite begins with a pre- likely to increase Bach’s stature as a vir- pated contest with Marchand never took On December 3, 1721, shortly after lude, which is followed by an allemande. tuoso were published,26 due to the high place, since Marchand unexpectedly and her wedding as Bach’s second wife, Anna Each French suite begins with an alle- cost of publication. Handwritten copies secretly left Dresden. Magdalena Bach started a notebook of mande. Each suite, English and French, of both the French Suites and the Eng- keyboard compositions.10 She recorded ends with a gigue. Some movements in lish Suites go back to Bach’s early years J. S. Bach’s life—a short version4 the title page and a few headings, but some of the English suites have doubles in Leipzig.27 The towns where Johann Sebastian Bach himself wrote the musical entries. written out—these are the ornamented Manfred Bukofzer devoted an entire Bach lived and his key roles there can be They included fi ve short but sophisticated versions that a Baroque performer would chapter in his book, Music in the Baroque summarized as follows. The context pro- harpsichord suites, which would later be- have played on the repeats. Era, to develop the thesis that Bach fused vided by this list is important, because come the French Suites, BWV 812–816. It is interesting to observe how our national styles.28 He noted that the titles Bach wrote the English and French The undisputed surviving harpsichord knowledge about Bach’s suites has in- “English” suites and “French” suites are suites fairly early in his career. and clavichord works written during the creased in recent years by comparing misleading (as well as not authentic):29 Eisenach: born March 21, 1685 Cöthen years are:11 what has been written about them at dif- the suites were no longer tied to dance Ohrdruf: 1695–1700, stayed with old- Clavier Book for Wilhelm Friedemann ferent times. The following comments, music, and only a skeleton of rhythmic er brother Clavier Book for Anna Magdalena listed in chronological order, start with patterns had survived. They had become Lüneburg: 1700–1702, Choral Scholar The Well-Tempered Clavier wild guesses and uncertainty and end abstract art music. (By the way, Bukofzer Arnstadt: 1703–1707, Organist (New 15 Inventions with reasonable certainty about what we claimed that both sets of suites belong to Church) 15 Sinfonias. must currently regard as the truth. the Cöthen period, and that on stylistic Mühlhausen: 1707–1708, Organist and Further evidence that Bach wrote the (1) Writing in 1950, Alfred Kreutz, grounds, the English Suites were com- Town Musician (St. Blasius) keyboard pieces listed above, as well as the editor of the English Suites for C. F. posed fi rst.30) Weimar: 1708–1717, Ducal Court the French and English suites, as peda- Peters Corporation, followed Forkel in Bukofzer stated that “in the French Organist and chamber musician, then gogical pieces for his family and his stu- asserting that the English Suites were suites Italian, French, and German styles Concertmaster dents (and not to gain favor with particu- written for a noble Englishman. But he no longer stand side by side but wholly Cöthen: 1717–1723, Capellmeister lar members of the royalty) was provided also conceded that if the English Suites merge with Bach’s personal style.”31 He for Prince Leopold by one of Bach’s students, H. N. Gerber. had been commissioned, we should be also observed that the melodic character Leipzig: 1723–1750, Cantor and Di- Gerber studied with Bach in Leipzig and able to fi nd some trace of this. He then of the dances in the French Suites leans rector Musices (the dual title refl ects the left an account of Bach as a keyboard mused that the English Suites might toward the Italian style. split in the town council of Leipzig) teacher. According to Gerber, keyboard vaguely follow some musical work pub- Leipzig: died July 28, 1750 students started with the Inventions lished in England, and he listed works A surprise about the courante and the French and English suites, and by Purcell, Händel, and Dieupart as Anthony Newman’s book on Bach The keyboard music (other than or- they concluded with the 48 preludes and candidates.16 and the Baroque includes a chapter en- gan music) by J. S. Bach fugues in the Well-Tempered Clavier.12 (2) Writing in 1954, Bach scholar Al- titled Dance Music, which incorporates Bach wrote most of his music for key- Current scholarship indicates that the bert Schweitzer stated that both the a section on the courante.32 He explains board (clavichord and harpsichord) dur- English Suites were composed in Bach’s English and the French suites were com- that there are two types of courante in ing his years in Cöthen (1717–1723).5 He Weimar years (1708–1717), and the posed during Bach’s years in Cöthen.17 Baroque instrumental music: the cor- served the court as Capellmeister and French Suites were composed later, dur- (3) In 1957, Rudolf Steglich, in his rente of Italian origin and the courante director of chamber music (the highest ing his years in Cöthen.13 preface to the Henle edition of the Eng- of French origin.
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