Why Bach Chose These First

Johann Sebastian Bach had already composed the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well-Tempered Clavier, hundreds of cantatas, and some of the greatest organ music ever written. Yet when he finally published music under his own name, he didn't choose any of them. Instead, he chose six keyboard suites—the Partitas—as his Opus 1. Why? In this video, I explore Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat major and the remarkable collection it belongs to. Rather than hearing these works simply as Baroque dance suites, I ask what they reveal about Bach himself, his artistic ambitions, and what he wanted the world to hear first. While relearning all six Partitas during the COVID lockdowns in Thailand, I found myself hearing them in a completely different way. The more I lived with this music, the more I came to hear not just a sequence of dances, but a composer of extraordinary imagination, purpose, and confidence. By the end of this video, I hope you'll hear Bach's Partitas—and perhaps Bach himself—a little differently. 🎹 Performance: Robert Costin 🎼 J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825 (piano) If you enjoy thoughtful explorations of Bach's music, interpretation, and musical history, consider subscribing for new videos every week. #Bach #JohannSebastianBach #ClassicalMusic #Partita #BWV825 #Baroque #Piano #MusicHistory