J.S Bach – French Suites BWV 812817 and French Overture BWV 831 Piano Book

Edition Peters

J.S Bach – French Suites BWV 812817 & French Overture BWV 831

Piano Solo Book

Genre: Baroque Period

This comprehensive edition brings together Bach’s six French Suites (BWV 812817) and the monumental French Overture in B minor (BWV 831), offering a rich tapestry of Bach’s suite compositions. Aimed at pianists of moderate skill level, the six French Suites are perfect stepping stones to the more complex structure and emotional depth of the French Overture.

The book focuses on providing a clean and comprehensible score for the performer, making it easier to engage with these masterpieces. For the academically inclined, an Editorial Report is included, detailing the sources, editorial decisions, and ornamentations in a manner usually reserved for critical complete editions.

With 180 pages of meticulously edited music, this edition is designed to serve both the performer aiming for interpretive excellence and the scholar seeking an in-depth understanding of these Baroque gems.

AMEB:

Piano / Associate / List A

• French suite No. 5 in G major BWV 816

Piano / Certificate of Performance / List B

• French Suite [No. 3] in B minor BWV 814

Piano / Grade 3 / List A

• Polonaise 5th movement from French Suite in E major BWV 817

Piano / Grade 6 / List A

• Courante 2nd movement from French Suite No. 2 in C minor BWV 813
• Gigue 6th movement from French Suite No. 3 in B minor BWV 814

Piano / Grade 8 / List A

• Gigue 7th movement from ‘French’ suite No. 5 in G major BWV 816

Piano for Leisure / Grade 5 / Open Manual list

• Gavotte 4th movement from French Suite in Eb major BWV 815

Piano for Leisure / Grade 6 / Open Manual list

• Gigue 8th movement from French Suite in E major BWV 817
• Menuet and Trio 4th movement from French Suite in B minor BWV 814

Piano for Leisure / Grade 7 / Open Manual list

• Allemande 1st movement from French Suite in D minor BWV 812

Who Was Johann Sebastian Bach?

Johann Sebastian Bach (16851750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for his intricate compositions and for the intellectual depth of his work. His music is revered for its emotional expressiveness, technical command, and artistic beauty. Bach was a master of several musical forms and styles, including concertos, symphonies, chamber music, and especially keyboard music and sacred choral works.

Among his most famous works are the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, the St. Matthew Passion, and The Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard. His music is considered some of the greatest in Western classical music, and his compositional techniques have influenced generations of composers. Bach’s work was not fully appreciated in his lifetime, but he was posthumously recognised as one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition.