The four orchestral suites (called ouvertures by their
author), BWV 1066–1069 are four suites by Johann
Sebastian Bach. The name ouverture refers only in part
to the opening movement in the style of the French
overture, in which a majestic opening section in
relatively slow dotted-note rhythm in duple meter is
followed by a fast fugal section, then rounded off with
a short recapitulation in triple meter of the opening
music. More broadly, the term was used in Baroque
Germany for a suite of dan...(+)
The four orchestral suites (called ouvertures by their
author), BWV 1066–1069 are four suites by Johann
Sebastian Bach. The name ouverture refers only in part
to the opening movement in the style of the French
overture, in which a majestic opening section in
relatively slow dotted-note rhythm in duple meter is
followed by a fast fugal section, then rounded off with
a short recapitulation in triple meter of the opening
music. More broadly, the term was used in Baroque
Germany for a suite of dance-pieces in French Baroque
style preceded by such an ouverture. This genre was
extremely popular in Germany during Bach's day, and he
showed far less interest in it than was usual: Robin
Stowell writes that "Telemann's 135 surviving examples
[represent] only a fraction of those he is known to
have written"; Christoph Graupner left 85; and Johann
Friedrich Fasch left almost 100. Bach did write several
other ouverture (suites) for solo instruments, notably
the Cello Suite no. 5, BWV 1011, which also exists in
the autograph Lute Suite in G minor, BWV 995, the
Keyboard Partita no. 4 in D, BWV 828, and the Overture
in the French style, BWV 831 for keyboard. The two
keyboard works are among the few Bach published, and he
prepared the lute suite for a "Monsieur Schouster,"
presumably for a fee, so all three may attest to the
form's popularity.
Scholars believe that Bach did not conceive of the four
Orchestral Suites as a set (in the way he conceived of
the Brandenburg Concertos). The Air is one of the most
famous pieces of baroque music. An arrangement of the
piece by German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845–1908)
has come to be known as Air on the G String.
