Musicalischer Parnassus (9 harpsichord suites)

At an age of over 80, Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer published his second collection of harpsichord suites, the Musicalischer Parnassus op. 7 (Augsburg, 1738). It was dedicated to Francisca Elisabeth Augusta, who was one of the most musically talented grandchildren of Princess Francisca Sybilla Augusta, the wife of the Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden. It is considered to be one of the most outstanding Baroque harpsichord works in existence.

Musicalischer Parnassus contains 9 dance suites carrying the names of each of the 9 Muses in Greek mythology. The word "Parnassus" in the title refers to Mount Parnassus, the home of the Greek Muses. The nine Muses (Clio, Calliope, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania) are said to be the nine daughters of Zeus. They respectively represent: History, Epic poetry, Love poetry, Song and Elegiac poetry, Tragedy, Hymns, Dance, Comedy, and Astronomy. Each suite begins with an initial movement (Praeludium, Ouverture, Toccata, etc.), followed by an Allemande (except in the 2nd suite) and different dance movements. Only the first (Clio) and last (Uranie) suites hold the sequence Allemande-Courante-Sarabande.