Six Partitas BWV 825-830

Between 1726 and 1731, Bach published a partita every year, and then in 1731 he had the six works published together as the first part of the volume Clavier-Übung. He designated the work Op. 1; it was the first work to which he gave an opus number. Each partita consists of seven splendid movements, which reveal stylistic variety and a composer teeming with ideas. It is in these pieces that Bach's output of suites for keyboard instruments reached its apotheosis. They surpass the frequently played French and English Suites both artistically and in terms of the demands made on the performer.