The Six English Suites BWV 806-811
by Johann Sebastian Bach
Harpsichord - Sheet Music

Item Number: 2449931
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Solo piano (or harpsichord) - SMP Level 10 (Advanced)

SKU: BA.BA05165

Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Edited by Alfred Durr. This edition: urtext edition. Paperback. Barenreiter Urtext. Baroque. Collection. With introductory text (does not include words to the songs). BWV 806-811. 127 pages. Baerenreiter Verlag #BA05165. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA05165).

ISBN 9790006466191. 9x12 inches.

The history of the composition of the English Suites remains largely unknown. There is no unanimity of opinion even about the meaning of the name. Johann Nikolaus Forkel writes in his biography of Bach (1802) that the Suites were "composed for an English nobleman" and the title page of a manuscript which was owned by Johann Christian Bach does actually carry the information: Fait [!] pour les Anglois. Other commentators put little trust in this tradition and believe that the Suites were more probably composed à les Anglais, that is in the English manner. But this interpretation is also unconvincing because the "reminiscences" in the examples given as proof are on the one hand too vague and on the other the passages do not come only from English compositions.

However not only is the origin of the name uncertain but also the date of composition. The only known facts are that the first Suite had already attained its present form at the latest in Cöthen (1717-1723) and that the other Suites already existed in 1725. But both dates have only limited value because the Suites could just as well have been composed several years earlier, perhaps even during Bach's Weimar period.

About Barenreiter Urtext

What can I expect from a Barenreiter Urtext edition?

MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND
- A reliable musical text based on all available sources
- A description of the sources
- Information on the genesis and history of the work
- Valuable notes on performance practice
- Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions

... AND PRACTICAL
- Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them
- A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format
- Excellent print quality
- Superior paper and binding

 

About SMP Level 10 (Advanced)

Very advanced level, very difficult note reading, frequent time signature changes, virtuosic level technical facility needed.

  • Suite 1, BWV 806
  • Suite 2, BWV 807
  • Suite 3, BWV 808
  • Suite 4, BWV 809
  • Suite 5, BWV 810
  • Suite 6, BWV 811
  • Suite 1, BWV 806a (Early Version)