Partita
Partita was originally the name for a single-instrumental piece of music, but Johann Kuhnau, his student Christoph Graupner, and Johann Sebastian Bach used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite.
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote two sets of partitas for different instruments. Those for solo keyboard the composer published as his Opus 1. One additional suite in B minor, the Overture in the French Style is sometimes also considered a partita. See Partitas for keyboard and choral partitas for organ. The "Partita" in A minor for solo flute which takes the form of a suite of four dances, has been given the title "partita" by its modern editors; it is sometimes transposed for oboe.
Bach also wrote three partitas for solo violin in 1720 which he paired with sonatas. See: Sonatas and partitas for solo violin.
The most prolific composer of partitas for harpsichord was Christoph Graupner, whose works in the form number about 57. The first set was published in 1718 and dedicated to his patron Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. The last of his partitas exist in manuscripts dated 1750. They are difficult and virtuosic pieces which exhibit an astonishing variety of musical styles. See: List of harpsichord pieces by Christoph Graupner.Examples
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