Lute Suite in E minor, BWV 996 Allemande Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Known as the father of classical music, Bach created more than 1,100 works, including roughly 300 sacred cantatas. His output is unparalleled and includes about every musical genre outside of opera. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and for vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival, he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. Suite in E minor, BWV 996, is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1708 and 1717. It is probable that this suite was intended for Lautenwerck (lute-harpsichord). Because the lautenwerk is an uncommon instrument, it is in modern times often performed on the guitar or the lute. The work consists of six movements: Präludium: Presto Allemande Courante (Sarabande) Bourrée (Gigue) An allemande (allemanda, almain(e), or alman(d), French: "German (dance)") is a Renaissance and Baroque dance, and one of the most common instrumental dance styles in Baroque music. It is often the first movement of a Baroque suite of dances, paired with a subsequent courante, though it is sometimes preceded by an introduction or prelude. This piece is selected as one of RCM (The Royal Conservatory of Music) grade 8 repertoire. [MEDIA=youtube]-I04H9qIMWs[/MEDIA]
