From early in the 17th century until the form engaged the interest of Johann Sebastian Bach, various notable German composers including Rosenmller, Fischer, Fasch and Telemann had contributed to the development of the orchestral suite or ‘Ouverture’, which name betrays its French theatrical origins. From Bach himself only four such suites have come down to us due to the diligence of C.F.Penzel, who was a student at the Thomasschule from 1751, and who made copies of Bach’s MSS he found there. Thus, neither the dates nor the order of composition of the suites can be established with any certainty. As to the present suite in D major, recent criticism suggests that it may originally have been written for strings only, and dates, in its final form from around 1731. Penzel’s copy of the suite includes significant variants to be played by a solo violin (marked Violino Concertato) which are included here in the Appendices.

The score is newly-edited from the extant sources consisting of sets of parts (some in Bach’s autograph) and copyist’s scores preserved in the Staastbibliothek zu Berlin Preussischer Kulturbestitz, Musikabteilung mit Mendelssohn-Archiv. This edition replaces the former Eulenburg miniature score edited by Wilhelm Altmann.