J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach acheived is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.

There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").

This arrangement is scored for a sax quintet consisting of one soprano, two altos, one tenor and one baritone saxophone. Clarinet may be substituted for soprano sax.

Same piece for two flutes and cello, brass quintet, flute quartet, or violin, viola, and cello.

MP3 sound sample: entire piece (synthesizer/midi).



BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone quintet consisting of one soprano (or clarinet), two altos, one tenor, and a baritone, comes in a pdf file of 209K, with a six-page score, one two-page part, four one-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.