The six French Suites, BWV 812–817 were written for the clavier (harpsichord or clavichord) by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1722 and 1725. They were later given the name "French" by Bach's biographer J.N. Forkel, who wrote that "one usually calls them French Suites because they are written in the French manner" - despite the fact that only a few of the movements are in the French style (the courantes of the first and third suites, for example). Bach employed dance movements that are foreign to the French manner, such as the Polonaise of the Sixth suite.
No definitive manuscript of the suites has survived. This is due to the fact that Bach made several copies, all with remarkable differences in regard to which movements are included in each suite, but also because several other manuscript sources from the 1730s and '40s are in the hand of copyists.
"Listening to Simonetto is like listening to Martha Argerich: along with the utter command of discipline and technique, I hear his brain and emotions being about two measures ahead of the notes. No wonder he exudes spontaneity." (Gil French, Fanfare)
