www.annaszalucka.com 00:00-03:28 Allemande 03:28-05:29 Courante 05:29-09:06 Sarabande 09:06-10:39 Anglaise 10:39-13:47 Menuet-Trio 13:47-15:38 Gigue The form of Suite was very popular in baroque. It brings together dances from diferrent parts of Europe making it one integrated whole. There are four dances that originally form the core of the baroque suite: German Allemande, French Courante, Spanish Sarabande and Enligh Gigue. Additionally the Suite could be (and usually was) extended by other dances: Menuet, Passapied or even Polonaise. Bach wrote his six French Suites in year 1722-25 and they were originally designed to be played on a harpsichord. Bach himself considered the Suites as a bridge between the Inventions and Das Wohltemperierte Klavier. The title ‘French’ was not given by the composer but by the society to differentiate the French Suites from the previously written English Suites. Funny enough, they are, however, written in an Italian manner. There is no surviving manuscript of these Suites, therefore the execution of the ornaments can be a very exciting and inspiring challenge for the performer. The third Suite in B minor is one of the most frequently played ones. It consists of Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Anglaise (previously named as Gavotte), Menuet, Trio and Gigue.