French Suite II c minor BWV 813

Bach’s French Suites are among his most popular keyboard works, and are also much used as teaching material. This was already the case at the time of their composition, so that today a vast number of copies survives from Bach’s own circle of students. These copies provide many, presumably authentic, variants. In this revised Henle Urtext, editor Ullrich Scheideler presents the complicated source situation with exemplary clarity. Suite no. II in c minor, BWV 813, is extracted from the complete volume HN 593, and as a handy and reasonably-priced single edition is perfectly suited for teaching.

This aspect is supplemented both by Michael Schneidt’s helpful fingerings and by the information provided on ornamentation: additional ornamentation signs from the copies have been transferred to our musical text, and the Preface explains their execution, making this Urtext edition an excellent introduction to Baroque ornamentation practice too.

As a further plus point, interesting differences between the sources are easily accessible in footnotes, with the Allemande and Courante even provided in two different versions. In summary: an ideal entry-point into the world of Bach’s Suites!