There is enough surviving evidence to indicate that Bach spent a long time over the production of his six 'French Suites' (the title is not his) as we know them today. The greater number of pieces contained in them appear in the first of the music books which Bach inscribed to his second wife, Anna Magdalena, and which he began to compile in 1722. In another manuscript (probably dating from a year or so later) the first four suites appear, together with two others in A minor and E flat respectively (BWV818 and 819). Early in Bach's Leipzig career these two suites were replaced by Bach's final choice of a fifth and sixth suite, BWV816 in F major and BWV817 in E major.
In his new recording of the six 'French Suites ' (BWV812-17) Christopher Hogwood very interesting includes as well some of Bach's earlier thoughts on this compilation. He has chosen first the Suite in E flat, BWV819, adding to it an earlier Allemande from BWV819a; secondly he plays the suite in A minor, BWV818a which has in common with BWV818 its Allemande, Courante and Gigue though Bach, in fact, treats the Courante in a markedly different way in each case. This all sounds very confusing and, in a sense it is, for this music is seldom performed and consequently fairly unfamiliar. Hogwood gives most attractive performances of these little-known pieces which are, anyway, immediately appealing on account of their melodic grace. I enjoyed his performance of the six suites, too, though I felt that he was marginally less comfortable in the first three than he sounded in the last three. The first three are all in minor keys and possess a more serious aspect than the playful character of the remaining suites. Hogwood brings a lightness and refinement to Suites Nos. 4-6 which I have sometimes found lacking in performances.
What spoils this light, fresh approach, however, is the recorded sound of the harpsichords themselves. Hogwood uses two different instruments now belonging to the Paris Conservatoire. They have a fine sound but the recording balance picks up so much bass response from the instruments that one's attention is sometimes deflected from almost every other aspect of the performance. I was able to adjust my equipment to some extent but the basic problem still remains. Even so, this is a set well worth having, especially perhaps for the items which we do not often hear; these occupy a full side of the two-record set. I have not seen the accompanying notes.'