Composed: 1738-39
Duration: 20 minutes

Bach composed suites for keyboard, violin, and cello, and we have the complete sets of six in each of these cases. There are only four orchestral suites, and there is nothing to suggest that they were ever part of a set. Probably, like most of Bach’s instrumental music, they were composed during his years at the court of Cöthen for specific occasions. While the other orchestral suites are clearly outdoor music, including brass and drums, the Second Suite is intended for performance in a salon. It is closer to the manner of a concerto than the others, with a solo flute part requiring outstanding virtuosity.

The form of this work, however, is that of a typical French suite – an overture with a stately, slow opening in dotted rhythm and a rapid fugal allegro, followed by a series of dances with French titles. Although these movements retain the characteristic rhythmic patterns of the various dances, there is not the least thought that anyone would have tried to use them in a ballroom; these are pure music, faintly recalling their origins as dances, intended entirely for lighthearted listening pleasure. The final movement doesn’t even pretend to be a dance – it is a show-piece for the flute, and the title, Badinerie, may be translated as “jesting” or “chattering.”