The musical term suite means a row, a sequence of pieces, in fact primarily of dances. Bach himself, ist must be said, never named his suites thus, but used the name of the weighty introductory movement, "Ouverture", as the tltle of the entire work. Nevertheless, they are genuine suites which count among the last works of this ancient category.
Through the extension of the dominating introductory movement, the overture, to half the length of the entire work, Bach elevated his suites from the sphere of light “table music” and formed them into genuine works of “worldly” festive music. The elements of greatness and splendour are underlined by the constitution of the orchestra in the 1st, 3rd and 4th suites. The dances and characteristic pieces follow the overture according to a brilliant plan of dramatic significance.
The structure of the Third Suite is more easily grasped than that of the other suites, alone on account of the smaller number of movements. After the manificently energetic overture there follows, as the heart of the work, the unique Air. It is an “Italian” adagio which Bach has placed as the only movement reminiscent of the Vivaldi style in this “Fench" environment. This stylistic contrast lends its far-soaring melody an added magic. The three French dance movements that follow again offer an ingenious intensification of tempo and expression: from the aristocratic Gavotte there springs, as it were, the fiery Bourrée, and the work then closes with a fourther intensification in the energetic Gigue. In this Gigue, the italian and French forms of the dance, as explained above, are blended in a wonderful manner. The 1st violins and the oboes run along in quavers, it is true, but since these are not led in virtuoso leaps and brolten chords as in the ltalian gigue, but in small intervals - furthermore being slurred in half-bars - thc soloist bravura characteristic of the Italian gigue is tamed to produce a finale with wide melodic curves in the upper part rising above the dance-like, forward-urging foundation of the middle parts and the bass.
Thc Fourth Suite is the only one already to include an allegro section in dance character in the overture. The character and rhythm of a gigue are built into the form of the fugato Allegro. The sequence of dances is not laid out so as to create an intensification here, but as a continual calming down. It begins with a passionate Bourrée; the Gavotte that follows is both one degree more moderate in tempo and one stage more noble in character. In the Minuet, which is still more calm in tempo, courtly elegance and restraint dominate again. The sequence of these threemovements thus shows not only a calming of the passion, a moderating of the tempo, but more still a gradual becoming nobler expressed in ever greater self-control. The Réjouissance is here simply the necessary joyful finale, intended to diiniss the listener gaily after the suite.