The dedicatory letter will explain its purpose:
“Most Gracious King,—To Your Majesty is proffered herewith in humblest obedience a musical offering, whose most excellent portion originates from your noble hand. I recall with respectful pleasure the peculiarly royal favour with which during my visit to Potsdam your Majesty was pleased to play to me a fugue theme, and to require me immediately to work it out in your presence. Obedience to your Majesty’s command was my duty. I however soon remarked, that for want of proper preparation the working out was not as good as so excellent a theme required. I therefore resolved to work out this most royal theme properly and to make it known to the world. This project is now fulfilled to the best of my ability, and it has no other object than in some small way to do honour to the fame of a monarch, whose greatness and power both in the arts of peace and war, and especially in that of music are acknowledged and admired by all. I make bold to add this humble request: that your Majesty will accord a gracious reception to this small work, and by so doing still further extend your royal condescension.—Your Majesty’s most humble and obedient servant,
The Author.
“Leipsic, July 7, 1747.”
This dedication however only referred to a portion of the work, which was gradually completed and engraved later. The epithet ricercata perhaps refers to the mechanical difficulty of the pieces.
The six Great or English Suites are so called according to Forkel[68] because they were written for some Englishman of rank. The same authority says that the six little French suites received their name because they are in French taste. It does not appear that the composer gave either of these names. Both sets seem to have been written at Cöthen.
Bach as a teacher
All accounts agree as to Bach’s wonderful capacity for teaching, and we have a description of his methods from one of his pupils, H. N. Gerber,[69] which we make no apology for quoting in full:
“He went to Leipsic to study partly law and partly music under the great Joh. Seb. Bach.... In the first six months he heard much excellent church music and many concerts under Bach’s direction, but no opportunity arose which gave him courage to approach the great man, until at last he mentioned his wish to one of his friends called Wilde (afterwards organist at St Petersburg) who introduced him to Bach. Bach received him in the most friendly manner and at once called him ‘Fellow-countryman.’[70] He promised to give him instruction, and asked whether he had practised fugues diligently. At the first lesson he placed the ‘Inventions’ before him. When Gerber had studied these to Bach’s satisfaction, he was given a number of suites, and then the Wohltemperirte Clavier. This work Bach played through three times to him with unapproachable art; and my father counted those amongst his most enjoyable lessons when Bach, under the excuse that he felt indisposed to teach, would seat himself at one of his excellent instruments, and the hours passed like minutes. The end of a lesson was taken up with figured bass-playing, for which Bach would choose the violin solos of Albinoni; and I must confess that the skill with which my father performed these basses in Bach’s manner, and especially in the flow of the parts amongst each other was unsurpassable. This accompaniment was so beautiful in itself that no solo part that I have heard could give me so much pleasure.” Gerber was for two years under Bach.