Orchestral Suite No. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067

• Bach composed this suite around 1738-9, to perform with the Collegium Musicum he directed in Leipzig.¹
  • The Collegium Musicum was an instrumental group founded by Telemann in 1702; Bach began directing the group in 1729. The Collegium was composed of professional musicians and university student musicians
  • The Collegium gave weekly concerts at coffeehouses in Leipzig, famously Zimmermann’s Coffee House, and welcomed frequent guest artists. The audience was mostly middle class listeners.
  • Bach enjoyed directing the Collegium because the group gave more artistic freedom and stronger musicians than his liturgical position.

Movements:²

1. Ouverture
2. Rondeau
3. Sarabande
4. Bourrées I & II
5. Polonaise & Double
6. Menuett
7. Badinerie. This term comes from the French for “playful” or “trifle.” Its usage in music date from the 18th century, and it indicates a fun or joking mood.³

1. Christoph Wolff and Walter Emery, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 12, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
2. “Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (Bach, Johann Sebastian),” IMSLP, accessed January 12, 2021, https://imslp.org/wiki/Orchestral_Suite_No.2_in_B_minor%2C_BWV_1067_(Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian).
3. Erich Schwandt, “Badinage, badinerie,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 12, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000001745.