Orchestral suites are collections of short dances that were performed at informal social occasions, such as noblemen’s dinners or open-air parties. This genre became very popular in Germany during Bach’s time. Four orchestral suites by the composer are known, and a fifth was later attributed to his son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. It’s not known why they were composed and for what occasion, as they don’t form part of a cycle like the Brandenburg concertos.
It is likely that they were written as festive music for the courts of Weimar and Cöthen. They later formed part of the repertoire of the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig, the prestigious group of musicians of which Bach was appointed director in 1729, and which met regularly at the Café Zimmermann to play. They are good examples of the composer’s lighter style and an unquestionable example of his mastery. The pieces follow the French model, starting with a slower, more solemn opening followed by a more energetic middle section and various short dances.
The cantata Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209, a secular cantata first performed in Leipzig in 1747, is one of two cantatas with Italian text composed by Bach, along with Amore traditore.
It was probably composed as a farewell to someone who had left the Leipzig academic community. A possible candidate would have been Johann Matthias Gesner, a classical scholar and friend of Bach who was born in Ansbach, the town mentioned in the cantata, and was for several years rector of the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where Bach also worked. On the other hand, the text also mentions a journey in service of the homeland, as well as Minerva, the goddess of defensive warfare, and speaks of a young person. It could therefore have been dedicated to a young man who was going to serve in the army.