The 'English' Suites were composed between 1717 and 1723 and assembled as a cycle by 1725 at the latest.
Instruments
The harpsichord used for this recording was made by Joel Katzman in Amsterdam in 1991, modeled after a Ruckers instrument from Antwerp, 1638.
Compositional Technique
The key sequence of the Suites (A - a - g - F - e - d) clearly describes the Chorale tune 'Jesu, meine Freude', suggesting a path to redemption and salvation after the musical journey.
Composition History
The 'English' Suites are so named due to a theme in the first Prelude resembling a Gigue by Charles Dieupart (a Frenchman living in London) and claims by Forkel's biography that they were 'composed for an English nobleman'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Richard Egarr, the performer, believes that Bach's earlier keyboard works, including the 'English' Suites, delight in a purely physical keyboard pleasure and imagination often absent from his later, more profound works.
Performer Biography
Richard Egarr, the harpsichordist on this album, is known for directing from the keyboard, conducting, playing concertos on various instruments, and giving solo recitals.
Composition History
The title 'Six Suittes avec leurs Preludes pour le Clavecin' comes from a copy made by a pupil of Bach, which uniquely contains seven bars in Bach's own handwriting in the Prelude of the third Suite.
