Dances by C.P.E. Bach

Miklós Spányi writes in CD (BIS-CD-1329) as follows (translated by ChatGPT4o):

"Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach composed two suites for keyboard in his early works, but after that, it was rare for him to include dances in his keyboard sonatas. However, he never completely abandoned the genre of dance music. From the 1760s onward, he increasingly composed two of the most popular dances of the time—the Minuet and the Polonaise—not only for keyboard but also for string and wind ensembles, and even for mechanical musical instruments. Additionally, some of the twelve sonatinas for keyboard and orchestra composed between 1762 and 1765 include dance movements.

Although dances for solo keyboard may appear to hold secondary importance compared to many of his sonatas, their quality is by no means inferior. These dances display fresh ideas, an accessible style, melodies that can be described as ʼsweetʼ and almost ʼfamiliar,ʼ and a clear and well-structured keyboard texture, reflecting genuine inspiration and craftsmanship. In contrast to his often dramatic sonatas, these dances prioritize entertainment, always presented with elegance and wit in Bachʼs works.

Many of these dances possess highly symmetrical forms, which, unlike his sonatas that tend to avoid symmetry, align more closely with the typical ʼClassicalʼ style of the 18th century."

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