J S BACH Allemande

(from Lute Suite No.1 BWV996)

ach’s 1st Lute Suite is perhaps best known for its infamous Bourrée, as played around the world by classical and electric guitarists alike. The suite itself is a six-movement work and features this evocative Allemande as its second movement; an Allemande being a type of instrumental dance common during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The suite was in fact written for harpsichord as well as the lesser-spotted lute-harpsichord, though today it is commonly known simply as a Lute suite. The original handwritten manuscript for the suite exists in two editions both written during Bach’s lifetime, however neither of them were by Bach’s hand. The earliest was written by his colleague and relative