Bach's keyboard suites, still frequently performed today, were composed or revised in the 1720s and 1730s. Although their exact genesis is unknown, the English Suites are considered the earliest among them. The title became established during the 18th century, after J. C. Forkel, Bach's first biographer, noted that they were "composed for an English nobleman." While the veracity of this claim cannot be verified, Forkel's words, given his close relationship with Bach's sons, must be acknowledged as having a certain degree of persuasiveness.

However, the common belief that the six suites exhibit English characteristics is not stylistically accurate. If the French Suites sound more refined compared to the English Suites, it is likely because the former were written with a greater awareness of the contemporary galant style, employing many conventional idioms. In any case, what the composer likely aimed for through the late keyboard suites, beginning with the English Suites, was to fuse a German sound with traditional genres of French origin; in short, to integrate imitative counterpoint into a compositional style where harmonic elements predominated. This was an unparalleled endeavor by Bach, reaching its culmination in the Six Partitas. Furthermore, as Bach himself called them "suites with preludes," each of the English Suites features a lengthy prelude. In the preludes of the five suites excluding the first, formal principles of Italian concertos or da capo arias can be observed, yet they simultaneously encompass intricate motivic development through two-part contrapuntal writing. This can also be described as a fusion of Italian elements and German sonorities. In any case, nothing more than an extramusical origin can be inferred from the name English Suites.

All English Suites consist of six movements in the same sequence: Prelude - Allemande - French Courante - Sarabande - inserted dance - Gigue. However, unlike the French Suites or Partitas, there is no consistency or logical order in the choice of keys or the arrangement of the six suites; some suggest they were simply arranged according to their order of composition or difficulty.

Furthermore, some of the dances show clear similarities to the Six Suites (1701) by Charles Dieupart (ca. 1667-ca. 1740), a French musician who was also active in London. Bach copied several of Dieupart's works, and since Dieupart's Six Suites also begin with an overture, it is certain that this collection played a role in the genesis of the English Suites.

2. A minor: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée I-II, Gigue / BWV 807

The Sarabande includes an agrément, i.e., an ornamented version. Typically, instead of playing both versions consecutively, the ornamented version is performed as a repetition.