EDWARD ISAACS (Solo Pianoforte) THE French ' Suites of pieces for the clavier
(i.e., nowadays, for the Piano) are a set of six which Bach wrote about 172U-1722 for his second wife, Anna Magdalena, to play. Their gracious friendly spirit suggests that Bach and his wife were very happy together.
It was not Bach's idea to call the Suites ' French.' This was a nickname, probably bestowed by the family, to distinguish them for their lightness, this being a characteristic of French music in those days, as ever since. There is nothing French about them.
Of the six pieces that form the fifth of the French Suites, four are to be played. The Allemande is tuneful; it begins like ' Home, Sweet Home.' The Courante is more ' running,' as its name implies. The Sarabande is a slow movement with a number of little thrills. The Gigue is a rollicking affair with a jolly tune that sometimes comes in upside down.