The orchestral suite, French and aristocratic in nature, lost ground in Germany as the nobility and bourgeoisie developed their own 'enlightened' and bourgeois lifestyle.
Performer Biography
Masaaki Suzuki, the director of Bach Collegium Japan, began working as a church organist at the age of twelve and studied harpsichord and organ in Amsterdam.
Compositional Technique
The 'overture suite' form, used by Bach, begins with an extended first movement of the French opera overture type, characterized by changes of pulse and a fugal section.
Performer Biography
The Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ), founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki, aims to introduce Japanese audiences to period instrument performances of baroque works.
Compositional Technique
Bach's orchestral suites combine French and Italian stylistic elements with local German tradition, a concept known as 'mixed taste'.
Composition History
Bach's original scores for these four orchestral suites have not survived, making their exact dating difficult for scholars.
Composition History
Of Bach's more than twenty surviving concertos, there are only four orchestral suites, reflecting the suite's decline in popularity during his time.
