Overture in the French Style in b minor, BWV 831

Composer: BACH, Johann Sebastian
  • Overture in the French Style in b minor, BWV 831 was written for harpsichord in 1735. Bach wrote an earlier version of this work in c minor (BWV 831a) in 1733 and later transposed it to b minor.
  • Overture in the French Style was published in 1735 along with Italian Concerto, BWV 971, in Bach’s Clavier-Übung (“Keyboard Exercise”), Book II.
  • The title of “Overture” is misleading, as this work is actually a suite consisting of 11 sections:
    1. Overture
    2. Courante
    3. Gavotte I
    4. Gavotte II
    5. Passepied I
    6. Passepied II
    7. Sarabande
    8. Bourrée I
    9. Bourrée II
    10. Gigue
    11. Echo1
  • Overture in the French Style sounds exactly as the title describes, in the style of the French school of harpsichord playing, as heard in the music of Lully and Couperin.
  • Fun fact – Overture in the French Style is the longest keyboard suite Bach ever wrote.2

Sources

  1. “Ouverture nach Französischer Art, BWV 831 (Bach, Johann Sebastian),” IMSLP, accessed September 30, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Ouverture_nach_Franz%C3%B6sischer_Art,_BWV_831_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian).
  2. Donald G. Gíslason, “PROGRAM NOTES: SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF PERFORMS THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS,” Vancouver Recital Society (2022), accessed September 30, 2025, https://vanrecital.com/2022/10/program-notes-sir-andras-schiff-goldberg-variations/.

Cut IDs

21272 55727 27267