(Music Sales America). The French Suites were written in 1722. But it was not until Bach biographer Johann Forkel prepared an edition in the early nineteenth century that the pieces became known by the collective title French . It is true that Bach gave each of the dance movements a French title, but it was Forkel who declared that they were 'written in the French taste, with an emphasis on tunefulness and consonant harmony rather than German structure and counterpoint'.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Bach's six French suites, edited by Egon Petri. This helpful instructive edition is filled with dozens upon dozens of instructive tips and footnotes, dynamics and articulation markings, to help you to learn and play well. 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817: Suite No.1 in D minor, BWV 812 Suite No.2 in C minor, BWV 813 Suite No.3 in B minor, BWV 814 Suite No.4 in E-flat major, BWV 815 Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 Suite No.6 in E major, BWV 817

Much music was written for the two most important dances of the 18th and 19th centuries, the minuet and the waltz. In Decorum of the Minuet, Delirium of the Waltz, Eric McKee argues that to better understand the musical structures and expressive meanings of this dance music, one must be aware of the social contexts and bodily rhythms of the social dances upon which it is based. McKee approaches dance music as a component of a multimedia art form that involves the interaction of physical motion, music, architecture, and dress. Moreover, the activity of attending a ball involves a dynamic network of modalities—sight, sound, bodily awareness, touch, and smell, which can be experienced from the perspectives of a dancer, a spectator, or a musician. McKee considers dance music within a larger system of signifiers and points-of-view that opens new avenues of interpretation.