suite
A collection of instrumental pieces grouped together, often dances in the same key.
In Depth
A suite is a collection of instrumental pieces performed as a group, originally based on a sequence of stylized dances. The Baroque suite typically included an allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue, often with additional dances like the minuet, bourrée, or gavotte.
Bach's orchestral suites (overtures), cello suites, and keyboard suites are the pinnacle of the Baroque form. By the 19th and 20th centuries, the suite had evolved beyond dance movements. Orchestral suites were extracted from ballets and operas (Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite), or composed as programmatic works (Holst's The Planets, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition).
Bach's Cello Suites were virtually unknown for nearly 200 years until Pablo Casals discovered them in a second-hand music shop in Barcelona when he was 13. He spent 12 years studying them before performing them publicly.