The Overture in the French style, BWV 831, original title Ouvertüre nach Französischer Art, also known as the French Overture and published as the second half of the Clavier-Übung II in 1735 (paired with the Italian Concerto), is a suite in B minor for a two-manual harpsichord written by Johann Sebastian Bach.
[1] The key sequence continues into Clavier-Übung II (1735) with two larger works: the Italian Concerto, a seventh down (E to F), and the French Overture, an augmented fourth up (F to B♮).
This is an "echo", a piece meant to exploit the terraced loud and soft dynamics of the two-manual harpsichord.
With eleven movements, the French Overture is the longest keyboard suite ever composed by Bach.
Such suites with an introducing overture were normally composed for orchestral settings, but rarely for solo instruments.