Clavier-Übung, consisting of Preludes, Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes, Gigues, Minuets, and other modern dances, composed for the delight of music lovers by Johann Sebastian Bach, Capellmeister to the Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels and Director Musices in Leipzig. Opus 1. Published by the composer. 1731.

In 1726, Bach began publishing his own works, approximately three and a half years after taking up his post in Leipzig. Bach's publication plan was meticulously and carefully conceived. For the genre, he chose the galant suite, which was the latest fashion at the time. The scale had to be neither as extensive as the English Suites nor as delicate as the French Suites; the content had to be accessible, yet substantial enough to further enhance Bach's reputation as a keyboard virtuoso, and above all, satisfying to himself. The target audience was general music lovers who intended to perform the pieces in private settings such as homes or salons, rather than as repertoire for public concerts. He then published one piece sequentially almost every year to gauge sales, finally reissuing all six pieces together in 1731. Regarding the title, he avoided eccentricity, Johann Kuhnau. Furthermore, he borrowed the title Clavier-Übung from Kuhnau's widely known and well-received collection of works. This title, "Übung" (exercise/practice piece), is by no means synonymous with 19th-century études. It embodies the intention of being intimate works for those seeking solace from music, and, of course, as perfected musical paradigms.

Despite being published, this collection presents complex issues regarding revisions. Bach continuously refined his own works, especially his keyboard compositions, and his hand did not falter even with published works. The earlier versions published in separate fascicles already differ from the collected edition of 1731. Moreover, the 1731 edition that Bach kept in his possession underwent further revisions. In addition, four printed copies containing annotations for improvements have been preserved, one of which is highly likely to have belonged to Bach himself. The New Bach Edition (NBA V/1) was published after thoroughly examining all these revisions, but there is still room for discussion.

Each of the six pieces is given a different opening movement. The structure of the suites is more varied than that of the French Suites, with some deviations from convention in the types and arrangement of the inserted dance movements. While the movement structure and musical language are extremely diverse, the sense of unity within the compositions is further enhanced by the thematic connections at the beginning of pieces, the uniformity of cadential patterns, contrapuntal development, and meticulous motivic work. Here, one can observe the pinnacle of Bach's aesthetic of 'diversity and unity'.

It should be noted that this collection has sometimes been referred to as 'German Suites,' but this name does not originate from Bach, nor is it stylistically appropriate. Just as the French Suites and English Suites cannot be considered typical French or English examples, neither can a typical German character be found in the Partitas.

For the standard forms of suites, please refer to the section on the French Suites.

6. Partita in E minor, BWV 830 (6 movements): Toccata, Allemande, Corrente, Air, Sarabande, Tempo di Gavotta, Gigue / 1731

An early version of this suite also exists in Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebook. Furthermore, the Corrente and Tempo di Gavotta were taken from an early version of the Sonata in G major for violin and obbligato harpsichord (BWV 1019). Although it was thus composed at a relatively early stage, Bach refined it for six years before publishing it at an opportune moment. It maintains a dramatic tension, from the extensive Toccata to the strictly contrapuntal Gigue. It is the culmination and final piece of Bach's Clavier-Übung Part I, and a masterpiece that can be considered the pinnacle of Bach's keyboard suite art.