Sebastian Bach 4987398

Portrait of Bach, aged 61, Haussmann,1748

Johann Sebastian BachFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Sebastian Bach[1] (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 28 July 1750) was a German composer, organist,harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque period.He enriched established German styles through his skill incounterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and theadaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad,particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositionsinclude the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor,the The Well-Tempered Clavier, two Passions, keyboardworks, and more than 300 cantatas, of which nearly 100cantatas have been lost to posterity.[2] His music is reveredfor its intellectual depth, technical command, and artisticbeauty.

Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, into a greatmusical family; his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was thedirector of the town musicians, and all of his uncles wereprofessional musicians. His father probably taught him toplay violin and harpsichord, and his brother, JohannChristoph Bach, taught him the clavichord and exposed himto much contemporary music.[3][4] Apparently at his owninitiative, Bach attended St Michael's School in Lneburgfor two years. After graduating, he held several musicalposts across Germany: he served as Kapellmeister (directorof music) to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Kthen, Cantor of Thomasschule in Leipzig, and Royal CourtComposer to August III.[5][6] Bach's health and vision declined in 1749, and he died on 28 July 1750.Modern historians believe that his death was caused by a combination of stroke and pneumonia.[7][8][9]

Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although hewas not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his musicin the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of theBaroque period, and as one of the greatest composers of all time.[10]

Contents1 Life

1.1 Childhood (16851703)1.2 Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mhlhausen (170308)1.3 Return to Weimar (170817)

Johann Sebastian Bach - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach

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Johann Ambrosius Bach,Bach's father

1.4 Kthen (171723)1.5 Leipzig (172350)1.6 Death (1750)

2 Legacy3 Works

3.1 Organ works3.2 Other keyboard works3.3 Orchestral and chamber music3.4 Vocal and choral works

3.4.1 Cantatas3.4.2 Passions3.4.3 Mass in B minor

4 Musical style4.1 Performances

5 See also6 References7 Bibliography8 External links

LifeChildhood (16851703)

See also: Bach family

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, on 21March 1685 O.S. (31 March 1685 N.S.). He was the son of JohannAmbrosius Bach, the director of the town musicians, and MariaElisabeth Lmmerhirt.[11] He was the eighth child of Johann Ambrosius,(the eldest son in the family was 14 at the time of Bach's birth)[12] whoprobably taught him violin and the basics of music theory.[13] His uncleswere all professional musicians, whose posts included church organists,court chamber musicians, and composers. One uncle, Johann ChristophBach (164593), introduced him to the organ, and an older secondcousin, Johann Ludwig Bach (16771731), was a well-known composerand violinist. Bach drafted a genealogy around 1735, titled "Origin of themusical Bach family".[14]

Bach's mother died in 1694, and his father died eight months later.[6]Bach, 10, moved in with his oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach(16711721), the organist at the Michaeliskirche in Ohrdruf,Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.[15] There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his own brother's,despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private and blank ledger paper of


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St. Boniface's Church in Arnstadt

that type was costly.[16][17] He received valuable teaching from his brother, who instructed him on theclavichord. J.C. Bach exposed him to the works of great composers of the day, including South Germancomposers such as Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied)[3] and Johann JakobFroberger; North German composers;[4] Frenchmen, such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis Marchand,Marin Marais; and the Italian clavierist Girolamo Frescobaldi. Also during this time, he was taughttheology, Latin, Greek, French, and Italian at the local gymnasium.[18]

At the age of 14, Bach, along with his older school friend George Erdmann, was awarded a choralscholarship to study at the prestigious St. Michael's School in Lneburg in the Principality ofLneburg.[19] Although it is not known for certain, the trip was likely taken mostly on foot.[18] His twoyears there were critical in exposing him to a wider facet of European culture. In addition to singing inthe choir he played the School's three-manual organ and harpsichords.[18] He came into contact withsons of noblemen from northern Germany sent to the highly selective school to prepare for careers inother disciplines.

While in Lneburg, Bach had access to the Johanniskirche (Church of St. John) and possibly used thechurch's famous organ, built in 1549 by Jasper Johannsen, since it was played by his organ teacherGeorg Bhm.[20] Given his musical talent, Bach had significant contact with Bhm while a student inLneburg, and also took trips to nearby Hamburg where he observed "the great North German organistJohann Adam Reincken."[20][21] Staufer reports the discovery in 2005 of the organ tablatures that Bachwrote out when still in his teens of works by Reincken and Dieterich Buxtehude showing "a disciplined,methodical, well-trained teenager deeply committed to learning his craft."[22]

Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mhlhausen (170308)In January 1703, shortly after graduating from St. Michael's andbeing turned down for the post of organist at Sangerhausen,[23][24] Bach was appointed court musician in the chapel of DukeJohann Ernst in Weimar. His role there is unclear, but likelyincluded menial, non-musical duties. During his seven-monthtenure at Weimar, his reputation as a keyboardist spread so muchthat he was invited to inspect the new organ, and give theinaugural recital, at St. Boniface's Church in Arnstadt, locatedabout 40 km southwest of Weimar.[25] In August 1703, hebecame the organist at St Boniface's, with light duties, arelatively generous salary, and a fine new organ tuned in themodern tempered system that allowed a wide range of keys to beused.

Despite strong family connections and a musically enthusiasticemployer, tension built up between Bach and the authorities after several years in the post. Bach wasdissatisfied with the standard of singers in the choir, while his employer was upset by his unauthorisedabsence from Arnstadt; Bach was gone for several months in 170506, to visit the great organist andcomposer Dieterich Buxtehude and his Abendmusiken at the Marienkirche in the northern city of


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St. Mary's Church in Lbeck

Portrait of the young Bach(disputed)[27]

Lbeck. The visit to Buxtehude involved a 400 kilometre(250 mi) journey on foot each way. The trip reinforcedBuxtehude's style as a foundation for Bach's earlier works. Bachwanted to become amanuensis (assistant and successor) toBuxtehude, but did not want to marry his daughter, which was acondition for his appointment.[26]

In 1706, Bach was offered a post as organist at St. Blasius's inMhlhausen, which he took up the following year. It includedsignificantly higher remuneration, improved conditions, and abetter choir. Four months after arriving at Mhlhausen, Bachmarried Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin. They had seven

children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl PhilippEmanuel Bach who both became important composers as well. Bach was able to convince the churchand city government at Mhlhausen to fund an expensive renovation of the organ at St. Blasius's. Bach,in turn, wrote an elaborate, festive cantataGott ist mein Knig, BWV 71for the inauguration of thenew council in 1708. The council paid handsomely for its publication, and it was a major success.[18]

Return to Weimar (170817)In 1708, Bach left Mhlhausen, returning to Weimar this time as organistand from 1714 "Konzertmeister", director of music, at the ducal court,where he had an opportunity to work with a large, well-fundedcontingent of professional musicians.[18] Bach moved with his familyinto an apartment very close to the ducal palace. In the following year,their first child was born and Maria Barbara's elder, unmarried sisterjoined them. She remained to help run the household until her death in1729.

Bach's time in Weimar was the start of a sustained period of composingkeyboard and orchestral works. He attained the proficiency andconfidence to extend the prevailing structures and to include influencesfrom abroad. He learned to write dramatic openings and employ thedynamic motor-rhythms and harmonic schemes found in the music ofItalians such as Vivaldi, Corelli, and Torelli. Bach absorbed thesestylistic aspects in part by transcribing Vivaldi's string and windconcertos for harpsichord and organ; many of these transcribed worksare still played in concert often. Bach was particularly attracted to the Italian style in which one or moresolo instruments alternate section-by-section with the full orchestra throughout a movement.[28]

In Weimar, Bach continued to play and compose for the organ, and to perform concert music with theduke's ensemble.[18] He also began to write the preludes and fugues which were later assembled into hismonumental work Das Wohltemperierte Clavier ("The Well-Tempered Clavier"Clavier meaningclavichord or harpsichord),[29] consisting of two books, compiled in 1722 and 1744,[30] each containinga prelude and fugue in every major and minor key.


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The autograph of Bach'sViolin Sonata No. 1 in Gminor (BWV 1001)

Also in Weimar Bach started work on the Little Organ Book for hiseldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, containing traditional Lutheranchorales (hymn tunes) set in complex textures to train organists. In 1713Bach was offered a post in Halle when he advised the authorities duringa renovation by Christoph Cuntzius of the main organ in the west galleryof the Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen. Johann Kuhnau and Bachplayed again when it was inaugurated in 1716.[31][32] Musicologistsdebate whether his first Christmas cantata Christen, tzet diesen Tag,BWV 63, was premiered here in 1713,[33] or if it was performed for thebicentennial of the Reformation in 1717.[34]

In the spring of 1714, Bach was promoted to Konzertmeister, an honourthat entailed performing a church cantata monthly in theSchlokirche:[35] He was appointed

"das praedicat eines Concert-Meisters mit angezeigtem Rang nachdem Vice-Capellmeister ... dargegen Er Monatlich nee Stckeuffhren, und zu solchen Proben die Capell Musici uf seinVerlangen zu erscheinen schuldig ... gehalten seyn sollen" (the titleof a concert master, next in rank to the vice chapel master ... for which he is to perform newpieces each month, and the chapel musicians shall be under a duty to attend such rehearsalsas he may require).[36]

The first three cantatas Bach composed in Weimar were Himmelsknig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, forPalm Sunday, which coincided with the Annunciation that year, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV12, for Jubilate Sunday, and Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172 for Pentecost.[35]

In 1717, Bach eventually fell out of favour in Weimar and was, according to a translation of the courtsecretary's report, jailed for almost a month before being unfavourably dismissed: "On November 6,[1717], the quondam concertmaster and organist Bach was confined to the County Judge's place ofdetention for too stubbornly forcing the issue of his dismissal and finally on December 2 was freed fromarrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge."[37]

Kthen (171723)Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Kthen hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717.Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well, and gave himconsiderable latitude in composing and performing. The prince was Calvinist and did not use elaboratemusic in his worship; accordingly, most of Bach's work from this period was secular,[38] including theorchestral suites, the six suites for solo cello, the sonatas and partitas for solo violin, and theBrandenburg concertos.[39] Bach also composed secular cantatas for the court such as Die Zeit, die Tagund Jahre macht, BWV 134a. At least one significant influence upon Bach's musical development duringhis years with the Prince are recorded by Stauffer as Bach's "complete embrace of dance music, perhapsthe most important influence on his mature style other than his adoption of Vivaldi's music in


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St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

Nikolaikirche, c. 1850

Weimar."[2]

Despite being born in the same year and only about 80 miles (130 km) apart, Bach and Handel nevermet. In 1719 Bach made the 20-mile (32 km) journey from Kthen to Halle with the intention ofmeeting Handel, however Handel had recently departed the city.[40] In 1730, Bach's son Friedmanntravelled to Halle to invite Handel to visit the Bach family in Leipzig, but the visit did not come topass.[41]

On 7 July 1720, while Bach was abroad with Prince Leopold, Bach's first wife suddenly died. Thefollowing year, he met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young, highly gifted soprano 17 years his junior, whoperformed at the court in Kthen; they married on 3 December 1721.[42] Together they had 13 morechildren, six of whom survived into adulthood: Gottfried Heinrich, Johann Christoph Friedrich, andJohann Christian, all of whom became significant musicians; Elisabeth Juliane Friederica (172681),who married Bach's pupil Johann Christoph Altnikol; Johanna Carolina (173781); and Regina Susanna(17421809).[43]

Leipzig (172350)In 1723, Bach was appointed Cantor of the Thomasschule atThomaskirche in Leipzig, and Director of Music in the principalchurches in the town, namely the Nikolaikirche and the Paulinerkirche,the church of the University of Leipzig.[6] This was a prestigious post inthe mercantile city in the Electorate of Saxony, which he held for 27years until his death. It brought him into contact with the politicalmachinations of his employer, Leipzig's city council.

Bach was required to instruct thestudents of the Thomasschule in singingand to provide church music for the mainchurches in Leipzig. Bach was requiredto teach Latin, but he was allowed toemploy a deputy to do this instead. Acantata was required for the churchservices on Sundays and additional church holidays during the liturgicalyear. He usually performed his own cantatas, most of which werecomposed during his first three years in Leipzig. The first of these wasDie Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75, first performed in the Nikolaikircheon 30 May 1723, the first Sunday after Trinity. Bach collected hiscantatas in annual cycles. Five are mentioned in obituaries, three areextant.[35] Of the over three hundred cantatas which Bach composed in

Leipzig, approximately one hundred have been lost to posterity.[2] Most of these concerted worksexpound on the Gospel readings prescribed for every Sunday and feast day in the Lutheran year. Bachstarted a second annual cycle the first Sunday after Trinity of 1724, and composed only Chorale cantatas,each based on a single church hymn. These include O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, Wachet auf,


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Caf Zimmermann Leipzig,where the CollegiumMusicum performed

ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62, and Wie schn leuchtet derMorgenstern, BWV 1.

Bach drew the soprano and alto choristers from the School, and the tenors and basses from the Schooland elsewhere in Leipzig. Performing at weddings and funerals provided extra income for these groups;it was probably for this purpose, and for in-school training, that he wrote at least six motets, at least fiveof which are for double choir.[44] As part of his regular church work, he performed other composers'motets, which served as formal models for his own.[18]

Bach broadened his composing and performing beyond the liturgy bytaking over, in March 1729, the directorship of the Collegium Musicum,a secular performance ensemble started by the composer Georg PhilippTelemann. This was one of the dozens of private societies in the majorGerman-speaking cities that was established by musically activeuniversity students; these societies had become increasingly important inpublic musical life and were typically led by the most prominentprofessionals in a city. In the words of Christoph Wolff, assuming thedirectorship was a shrewd move that "consolidated Bach's firm grip onLeipzig's principal musical institutions".[45] Year round, the Leipzig'sCollegium Musicum performed regularly in venues such as the CafZimmermann, a Coffeehouse on Catherine Street off the main marketsquare. Many of Bach's works during the 1730s and 1740s were writtenfor and performed by the Collegium Musicum; among these were partsof his Clavier-bung (Keyboard Practice) and many of his violin andharpsichord concertos.[18]

In 1733, Bach composed a Missa of Kyrie and Gloria which he laterincorporated in his Mass in B minor. He presented the manuscript to theKing of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Elector of Saxony, AugustIII in an eventually successful bid to persuade the monarch to appointhim as Royal Court Composer.[5] He later extended this work into a fullMass, by adding a Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, the music for whichwas partly based on his own cantatas, partly new composed. Bach's appointment as court composer waspart of his long-term struggle to achieve greater bargaining power with the Leipzig Council. Althoughthe complete mass was probably never performed during the composer's lifetime,[46] it is considered tobe among the greatest choral works of all time. Between 1737 and 1739, Bach's former pupil CarlGotthelf Gerlach took over the directorship of the Collegium Musicum.

In 1747, Bach visited the court of King Frederick II of Prussia at Potsdam. The king played a theme forBach and challenged him to improvise a fugue based on his theme. Bach improvised a three-part fugueon one of Frederick's fortepianoss, then a novelty, and later presented the king with a Musical Offeringwhich consists of fugues, canons and a trio based on this theme. Its six-part fugue includes a slightlyaltered subject more suitable for extensive elaboration.

In the same year Bach joined the Correspondierende Societt der musicalischen Wissenschaften (de) of


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Places where Bach lived

Lorenz Christoph Mizler after a long formal preparation whichwas necessary by the Society. Mizler called his former teacherone of his "guten Freunde und Gnner" (good friends andsponsors).[47] This is particularly noteworthy because Mizler wasa passionate representative of the German and PolishEnlightenment.[48] Bach's membership had several effects. Onthe occasion of his entry to this Society Bach composed Einigecanonische Veraenderungen, / ber das / Weynacht-Lied: / VomHimmel hoch da / komm ich her (BWV 769).[49] In 1746, duringthe preparation of Bach's entry, the famous Bach-portrait waspainted by Elias Gottlob Haussmann. A portrait had to besubmitted by each member of the Society.[50] The canon triplex 6 voc. (BWV 1076) on this portrait was dedicated to theSociety.[51] The Society insisted on a necrology of each member.

Therefore, Mizler initiated the history of the Bach biographies in the Musikalische Bibliothek (de).[52] Itwas often argued, that other late works might have a connection with the music theory based Society.[53]One of those works was The Art of Fugue, which was composed shortly before his death, but Bach nevercompleted the final fugue. It consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on a simple theme.[54] Itwas only published posthumously in 1751.[55]

Bach's last large work was the Mass in B minor (174849) which Stauffer describes as "Bach's mostuniversal church music. Consisting mainly of recycled movements from cantatas written over athirty-five year period, it allowed Bach to survey his vocal pieces one last time and pick selectmovements for further revision and refinement."[56] The final work Bach completed was a choraleprelude for organ, entitled Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit (Before thy throne I now appear, BWV668a) which he dictated to his son-in-law, Johann Altnikol, from his deathbed. When the notes on thethree staves of the final cadence are counted and mapped onto the Roman alphabet, the initials "JSB" arefound.[57]

Death (1750)Bach's health declined in 1749; on 2 June, Heinrich von Brhl wrote to one of the Leipzig burgomastersto request that his music director, Gottlob Harrer, fill the Thomascantor and Director musices posts"upon the eventual ... decease of Mr. Bach."[33] Bach became increasingly blind, so the British eyesurgeon John Taylor operated on Bach while visiting Leipzig in March or April 1750.[58]

On 28 July 1750 Bach died at the age of 65. A contemporary newspaper reported "the unhappyconsequences of the very unsuccessful eye operation" as the cause of death.[59] Modern historiansspeculate that the cause of death was a stroke complicated by pneumonia.[7][8][9] His son Emanuel andhis pupil Johann Friedrich Agricola wrote an obituary of Bach.[60]

Bach's estate included five Clavecins, two lute-harpsichords, three violins, three violas, two cellos, aviola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, and 52 "sacred books", including books by Martin Luther and


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Bach's grave, St. Thomas'Church, Leipzig

Statue of Bach by Donndorf,Eisenach

Statue of Bach, Leipzig

Josephus.[61] He was originally buried at Old St. John's Cemetery inLeipzig. His grave went unmarked for nearly 150 years. In 1894 hiscoffin was finally found and moved to a vault in St. John's Church. Thisbuilding was destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, so in1950 Bach's remains were taken to their present grave at Leipzig'sChurch of St. Thomas.[18]

LegacyLorenz Christoph Mizler, a former student, wrote a detailed obituary ofBach, which was published in the musical periodical MusikalischeBibliothek (de) in 1754. The obituary arguably remains "the richest andmost trustworthy"[62] early source document about Bach. After hisdeath, Bach's reputation as a composer at first declined; his work wasregarded as old-fashioned compared to the emerging galant style, amovement which can be seen as the precursor to the classical style of thelate 18th century.[63] Initially he was remembered more as a player andteacher.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bach wasrecognised by several prominent composers for his keyboard work.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frdric Chopin,Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn were among his admirers;they began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being exposed toBach's music.[64] Beethoven described him as the "Urvater derHarmonie", the "original father of harmony".[65]

Bach's reputation among the widerpublic was enhanced in part by JohannNikolaus Forkel's 1802 biography of thecomposer.[66] Felix Mendelssohnsignificantly contributed to the revival ofBach's reputation with his 1829 Berlin performance of the St MatthewPassion.[67] In 1850, the Bach Gesellschaft (Bach Society) was foundedto promote the works; in 1899 the Society published a comprehensiveedition of the composer's works with little editorial intervention.

During the 20th century, the process of recognising the musical as wellas the pedagogic value of some of the works continued, perhaps mostnotably in the promotion of the cello suites by Pablo Casals, the firstmajor performer to record these suites.[68] Another development hasbeen the growth of the "authentic" or "period performance" movement,

which attempts to present music as the composer intended it. Examples include the playing of keyboardworks on harpsichord rather than modern grand piano and the use of small choirs or single voices


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Toccata and Fugue in D minor

BWV 565

Opening to Cantata 140

from Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,performed by the MIT Concert Choir

C Major Prelude

The C major Prelude from TheWell-Tempered Clavier, Book 1

Problems playing these files? See media help.

instead of the larger forces favoured by 19th- and early 20th-century performers.[69]

Bach's music is frequently bracketed with the literature of William Shakespeare and the science of IsaacNewton.[70] In Germany, during the twentieth century, many streets were named and statues wereerected in honour of Bach. His music features three times more than any other composer on theVoyager Golden Record, a phonograph record containing a broad sample of the images, commonsounds, languages, and music of Earth, sent into outer space with the two Voyager probes.[71]

A large crater in the Bach quadrangle on Mercury is named in Bach's honor[72] as are the main-beltasteroids 1814 Bach and 1482 Sebastiana.[73]

WorksMain articles: BWV and List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

In 1950, a thematic catalogue called Bach WerkeVerzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue) was compiledby Wolfgang Schmieder.[74] Schmieder largelyfollowed the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe, acomprehensive edition of the composer's works thatwas produced between 1850 and 1905: BWV 1224are cantatas; BWV 225249, large-scale choralworks including his Passions; BWV 250524,chorales and sacred songs; BWV 525748, organworks; BWV 772994, other keyboard works;BWV 9951000, lute music; BWV 100140,chamber music; BWV 104171, orchestral music;and BWV 10721126, canons and fugues.[75]

Organ worksBach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ worksin both the traditional German free genressuch as preludes, fantasias, and toccatasand stricterforms, such as chorale preludes and fugues.[18] At a young age, he established a reputation for his greatcreativity and ability to integrate foreign styles into his organ works. A decidedly North Germaninfluence was exerted by Georg Bhm, with whom Bach came into contact in Lneburg, and DieterichBuxtehude, whom the young organist visited in Lbeck in 1704 on an extended leave of absence fromhis job in Arnstadt. Around this time, Bach copied the works of numerous French and Italian composersto gain insights into their compositional languages, and later arranged violin concertos by Vivaldi andothers for organ and harpsichord. During his most productive period (170814) he composed about adozen pairs of preludes and fugues, five toccatas and fugues, and the Orgelbchlein ("Little organbook"), an unfinished collection of 46 short chorale preludes that demonstrates compositional techniquesin the setting of chorale tunes. After leaving Weimar, Bach wrote less for organ, although some of hisbest-known works (the six trio sonatas, the "German Organ Mass" in Clavier-bung III from 1739, and

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The title page of the third part of theClavier-bung, one of the few worksby Bach that was published during hislifetime

the Great Eighteen chorales, revised late in his life) were composed after his leaving Weimar. Bach wasextensively engaged later in his life in consulting on organ projects, testing newly built organs, anddedicating organs in afternoon recitals.[76][77]

Other keyboard worksBach wrote many works for harpsichord, some of which mayhave been played on the clavichord. Many of his keyboard worksare anthologies that encompass whole theoretical systems in anencyclopaedic fashion.

The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 and 2 (BWV846893). Each book consists of a prelude and fugue ineach of the 24 major and minor keys in chromatic orderfrom C major to B minor (thus, the whole collection isoften referred to as 'the 48'). "Well-tempered" in the titlerefers to the temperament (system of tuning); manytemperaments before Bach's time were not flexible enoughto allow compositions to utilise more than just a fewkeys.[78]The 15 Inventions and 15 Sinfonias (BWV 772801).These short two- and three-part contrapuntal works are arranged in the same chromatic order asthe Well-Tempered Clavier, omitting some of the rarer keys. These pieces were intended by Bachfor instructional purposes.[79]Three collections of dance suites: the English Suites (BWV 806811), the French Suites (BWV812817), and the Partitas for keyboard (BWV 825830). Each collection contains six suites builton the standard model (AllemandeCouranteSarabande(optional movement)Gigue). TheEnglish Suites closely follow the traditional model, adding a prelude before the allemande andincluding a single movement between the sarabande and the gigue.[80] The French Suites omitpreludes, but have multiple movements between the sarabande and the gigue.[81] The partitasexpand the model further with elaborate introductory movements and miscellaneous movementsbetween the basic elements of the model.[82]The Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), an aria with thirty variations. The collection has a complexand unconventional structure: the variations build on the bass line of the aria, rather than itsmelody, and musical canons are interpolated according to a grand plan. There are nine canonswithin the 30 variations, one every three variations between variations 3 and 27.[83] Thesevariations move in order from canon at the unison to canon at the ninth. The first eight are in pairs(unison and octave, second and seventh, third and sixth, fourth and fifth). The ninth canon standson its own due to compositional dissimilarities.Miscellaneous pieces such as the Overture in the French Style (French Overture, BWV 831),Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 903), and the Italian Concerto (BWV 971).

Among Bach's lesser known keyboard works are seven toccatas (BWV 910916), four duets (BWV802805), sonatas for keyboard (BWV 963967), the Six Little Preludes (BWV 933938), and the Aria


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variata alla maniera italiana (BWV 989).

Orchestral and chamber musicBach wrote for single instruments, duets, and small ensembles. Many of his solo works, such as his sixsonatas and partitas for violin (BWV 10011006), six cello suites (BWV 10071012) and Partita forsolo flute (BWV 1013), are widely considered among the most profound works in the repertoire.[84]Bach composed a suite and several other works for solo lute. He wrote trio sonatas; solo sonatas(accompanied by continuo) for the flute and for the viola da gamba; and a large number of canons andricercare, mostly with unspecified instrumentation. The most significant examples of the latter arecontained in The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering.

Bach's best-known orchestral works are the Brandenburg Concertos, so named because he submittedthem in the hope of gaining employment from Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in1721; his application was unsuccessful.[18] These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre.Other surviving works in the concerto form include two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and BWV 1042); aConcerto for Two Violins in D Minor (BWV 1043), often referred to as Bach's "double" concerto; andconcertos for one to four harpsichords. It is widely accepted that many of the harpsichord concertos werenot original works, but arrangements of his concertos for other instruments now lost.[85] A number ofviolin, oboe and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these. In addition to concertos, Bachwrote four orchestral suites, and a series of stylised dances for orchestra, each preceded by a Frenchoverture.[86]

Vocal and choral works

Cantatas

As the Thomaskantor, beginning mid of 1723, Bach performed a cantata each Sunday and feast day thatcorresponded to the lectionary readings of the week.[18] Although Bach performed cantatas by othercomposers, he composed at least three entire annual cycles of cantatas at Leipzig, in addition to thosecomposed at Mhlhausen and Weimar.[18] In total he wrote more than 300 sacred cantatas, of whichapproximately 200 survive.[87]

His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation, including those for solo singers, single choruses,small instrumental groups, and grand orchestras. Many consist of a large opening chorus followed byone or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets) and a concluding chorale. The recitative is part ofthe corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The melodyof the concluding chorale often appears as a cantus firmus in the opening movement. Among his bestknown cantatas are:

Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4Ich hatte viel Bekmmernis, BWV 21Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 (Actus Tragicus)


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Bach's seal, used throughout hisLeipzig years. It contains the letters JS B superimposed over their mirrorimage topped with a crown.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147

In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as councilinaugurations. These include wedding cantatas, the Wedding Quodlibet, the Peasant Cantata and theCoffee Cantata.[88]

Passions

Bach's large choral-orchestral works include the grand scale St Matthew Passion and St John Passion,both written for Good Friday vespers services at the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche in alternateyears, and the Christmas Oratorio (a set of six cantatas for use in the Liturgical season of Christmas).[89][90][91] The two versions of the Magnificat (one in E-flat major, with four interpolated Christmas-related movements, and the later and better-known version in D major), the Easter Oratorio, and theAscension Oratorio are smaller and simpler than the Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.

Mass in B minor

Main article: Mass in B minor

Bach assembled his last large work, the Mass in B minor, near the end of his life, between 1748 and1749, mostly from pieces composed earlier (such as the cantatas Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191 andWeinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12). The mass was never performed in full during Bach'slifetime.[92] All of these movements, unlike the six motets (Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied; Der Geisthilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226; Jesu, meine Freude; Frchte dich nicht; Komm, Jesu, komm!; andLobet den Herrn alle Heiden), have substantial solo parts as well as choruses. It is not known whatdirection of development Bach had intended for his last Mass to take. As Stauffer states, "If Bach hadlived longer, it is likely that he would have created a definitive fair copy of the Mass, similar to those ofthe St. John and St. Matthew Passions... As Otto Bettmann once remarked, Bach's 'music set in orderwhat life cannot.'"[93]

Musical styleBach's musical style arose from his skill in contrapuntalinvention and motivic control, his flair for improvisation, hisexposure to North and South German, Italian and French music,and his devotion to the Lutheran liturgy. His access to musicians,scores and instruments as a child and a young man and hisemerging talent for writing tightly woven music of powerfulsonority, allowed him to develop an eclectic, energetic musicalstyle in which foreign influences were combined with anintensified version of the pre-existing German musical language.From the period 171314 onward he learned much from the styleof the Italians.[94]


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During the Baroque period, many composers only wrote the framework, and performers embellished thisframework with ornaments and other elaboration.[95] This practice varied considerably between theschools of European music; Bach notated most or all of the details of his melodic lines, leaving little forperformers to interpolate. This accounted for his control over the dense contrapuntal textures that hefavoured, and decreased leeway for spontaneous variation of musical lines. At the same time, Bach leftthe instrumentation of major works including The Art of Fugue open.[96]

Bach's devout relationship with the Christian God in the Lutheran tradition[97] and the high demand forreligious music of his times placed sacred music at the centre of his repertory. He taught Luther's SmallCatechism as the Thomascantor in Leipzig,[98] and some of his pieces represent it;[99] the Lutheranchorale hymn tune was the basis of much of his work. He wrote more cogent, tightly integrated choralepreludes than most. The large-scale structure of some of Bach's sacred works is evidence of subtle,elaborate planning. For example, the St Matthew Passion illustrates the Passion with Bible text reflectedin recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales.[100]

Bach's drive to display musical achievements was evident in his composition. He wrote much for thekeyboard and led its elevation from continuo to solo instrument with harpsichord concertos andkeyboard obbligato.[101] Virtuosity is a key element in other pieces, such as the Prelude and Fugue in Eminor, BWV 548 for organ in which virtuosic passages are mapped onto alternating flute and reed soloswithin the fugal development.[102]

Bach produced collections of movements that explored the range of artistic and technical possibilitiesinherent in various genres. The most famous example is the Well Tempered Clavier, in which each bookpresents a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key. Each fugue displays a variety ofcontrapuntal and fugal techniques.[103]

PerformancesPresent-day Bach performers usually pursue one of two traditions: so-called "authentic performancepractice", utilising historical techniques; or the use of modern instruments and playing techniques, oftenwith larger ensembles. In Bach's time orchestras and choirs were usually smaller than those of latercomposers, and even Bach's most ambitious choral works, such as his Mass in B minor and Passions,were composed for relatively modest forces. Some of Bach's important chamber music does not indicateinstrumentation, which allows for a greater variety of ensembles.

Easy listening realisations of Bach's music and their use in advertising contributed greatly to Bach'spopularisation in the second half of the twentieth century. Among these were the Swingle Singers'versions of Bach pieces that are now well-known (for instance, the Air on the G string, or the WachetAuf chorale prelude) and Wendy Carlos' 1968 Switched-On Bach, which used the Moog electronicsynthesiser. Jazz musicians have adopted Bach's music, with Jacques Loussier, Ian Anderson, Uri Caineand the Modern Jazz Quartet among those creating jazz versions of Bach works.[85]

See also


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List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian BachList of transcriptions of compositions by Johann Sebastian BachList of students of Johann Sebastian Bach

References^ German pronunciation: [johan] or [johan zebastjan bax]1.^ a b c George Stauffer, "Why Bach Moves Us", The New York Review of Books, issue of 20 February 2014,p. 24.

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^ a b Wolff (2000), p. 193.^ a b Wolff (2000), p. 464.^ a b "BACH Mass in B Minor BWV 232" (http://www.baroquemusic.org/bminormass.html).www.baroquemusic.org. Retrieved 21 February 2012.

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^ Geiringer (1966), p. 1321.^ George Staufer, "Why Bach Moves Us", The New York Review of Books, issue of 20 February 2014, p. 24.22.^ Rich (1995), p. 2723.^ In preference to Bach the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels hired the later successful opera composer JohannAugustin Kobelius, quasi rediscovered only in 2010. See Gerald Drebes, "Wiederentdeckung einesKonkurrenten von J. S. Bach, online [1] (http://www.gerald-drebes.de/4.html).

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^ Teri Noel Towe, The Portrait in Erfurt Alleged to Depict Bach, the Weimar Concertmeister, 10 August2001, published on The Face of Bach website, now defunct, but available at the Internet Archive at this(http://web.archive.org/web/20110716074347/http://www.npj.com/thefaceofbach/09w624.html) link (fromJuly 2011)

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^ a b Christoph Wolff (1995). From konzertmeister to thomaskantor: Bach's cantata production 17131723(http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Koopman-C03-1c%5BErato-3CD%5D.pdf). p. 17. Retrieved21 June 2011.

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^ John Eliot Gardiner (2010). "Cantatas for Christmas Day / Herderkirche, Weimar" (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Gardiner-P18c%5Bsdg174_gb%5D.pdf). bach-cantatas.com. p. 1. Retrieved 9December 2011.

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^ a b c Wolff, Christoph (2002). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (http://books.google.de/books?id=NHpL3cQg0_UC&pg=PA558&lpg=PA558). Oxford University Press. p. 147, 156.

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^ Some of these paintings are currently in the Musikalische Bibliothek, while others were planned to bepublished in this magazine, Musikalische Bibliothek, III.2 [1746], 353 (Source online) (http://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb10599088_00411.html), Felbick 2012, 284. In 1746, Mizlerannounced the membership of three famous members, Musikalische Bibliothek, III.2 [1746], 357 (Sourceonline) (http://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb10599088_00415.html).

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^ Hans Gunter Hoke: Neue Studien zur Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080, in: Beitrge zur Musikwissenschaft 17(1975), 95115; Hans-Eberhard Dentler: Johann Sebastian Bachs Kunst der Fuge Ein pythagoreischesWerk und seine Verwirklichung, Mainz 2004; Hans-Eberhard Dentler: Johann SebastianBachs Musicalisches Opfer Musik als Abbild der Sphrenharmonie, Mainz 2008.

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^ Mendel et al (1998), p. 18859.^ "The World-Famous Organist, Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach, Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon CourtComposer, and Music Director in Leipzig," by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Friedrich Agricola,from Mendel et al (1998), 299

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^ Mendel et al (1998), pp. 1919761.^ Mendel et al (1998), p. 29762.^ "[Bach was] mocked as pass even in his own lifetime." in Morris (2005), p. 263.^ Schenk, Erich (1959). Mozart and his times. Knopf. p. 45264.^ Kerst, Friedrich (1904). "Beethoven im eigenen Wort" (http://books.google.com/?id=M4oPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q=). Die Musik (M. Hesse.) 4: 1419

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^ Geck, Martin. "Johann Sebastian Bach: Life and Work" (http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet/DCARead?standardNo=0151006482&standardNoType=1&excerpt=true). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Retrieved 22 February 2012.

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^ "Musicology Principal Methodologies for Musicological Research Musical, Historical, Press, andHistory JRank Articles" (http://science.jrank.org/pages/10338/Musicology-Principal-Methodologies-Musicological-Research.html). Jrank Science Encyclopedia. jrank.org. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

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BibliographyBoyd, Malcolm (2000). Bach. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514222-5.Chiapusso, Jan (1968). Bach's World. Scarborough, Ontario: Indiana University Press.ISBN 0-253-10520-X.Donington, Robert (1982). Baroque music: style and performance: a handbook. New York, NY,10110: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-30052-8.Geiringer, Karl (31 December 1966). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Culmination of an Era. NewYork: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-500554-6.


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Herl, Joseph (1 July 2004). Worship Wars in Early Lutheranism: Choir, Congregation, and ThreeCenturies of Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515439-8.Jones, Richard (2007). The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach. Oxford UniversityPress. ISBN 0-19-816440-8.Kupferberg, Herbert (1985). Basically Bach: A 300th Birthday Celebration. New York:McGraw-Hill Book Company. ISBN 0-07-035646-7.Leaver, Robin A. (15 April 2007). Luther's Liturgical Music. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B.Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-3221-0.Mendel, Arthur; David, Hans T.; Wolff, Christoph, eds. (1998). The New Bach Reader. W. W.Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31956-3.Morris, Edmund (2005). Beethoven: the Universal Composer. New York: HarperCollins.ISBN 0-06-075974-7.Rich, Alan (1995). Johann Sebastian Bach: Play by Play. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-263547-6.Schulenberg, David. The Keyboard Works of J.S. Bach. CRC Press. ISBN 0-415-97400-3.Spaeth, Sigmund (1937). Stories Behind the World's Great Music (https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindthe010040mbp). New York: Whittlesey House.Schweitzer, Albert (1 June 1967). J. S. Bach (Vol 1). Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21631-4.Van Til, Marian (1 May 2007). George Frideric Handel: A Music Lover's Guide. New York, US:WordPower Publishing. ISBN 0-9794785-0-2.Williams, Peter (18 December 2003). The Life of Bach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-53374-0.Wolff, Christoph (1991). Bach: Essays on his Life and Music. Harvard University Press.ISBN 0-674-05926-3.Wolff, Christoph (1983). The New Grove: Bach Family. Macmillan Publishers.ISBN 0-333-34350-6.Wolff, Christoph (2000). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. Oxford UniversityPress. ISBN 0-19-816534-X.

Further reading

Baron, Carol K. (9 June 2006). Bach's Changing World:: Voices in the Community. University ofRochester. ISBN 1-58046-190-5.Drffel, Alfred (1882). Thematisches Verzeichnis der Instrumentalwerke von Joh. Seb. Bach, aufGrund der Gesammtausgabe von C.F. Peter. Leipzig: C.F. Peters. (German) N.B.: First publishedin 1867; superseded, for scholarly purposes, by W. Schmieder's complete thematic catalog, butuseful as a handy reference tool for only the instrumental works of J.S. Bach and as a partialalternative to Schmieder's work.Eidam, Klaus (3 July 2001). The True Life of J.S. Bach. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01861-0.Gardiner, John Eliot (2013). Music in the Castle of Heaven A Portrait of Johann SebastianBach. Allen Lane. ISBN 978-0-7139-9662-3.Geck, Martin (4 December 2006). Johann Sebastian Bach: Life and Work. Harcourt TradePublishers. ISBN 0-15-100648-2.Hofstadter, Douglas (4 February 1999). Gdel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. BasicBooks. ISBN 0-465-02656-7.Spitta, Philipp (3 July 1997). Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music ofGermany, 16851750 (Volume II). Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-27413-6.


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Stauffer, George (February 1986). J. S. Bach As Organist: His Instruments, Music, andPerformance Practices. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33181-1.Williams, Peter (5 March 2007). J.S. Bach: A Life in Music. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-87074-7.

External linksThe J.S. Bach Home Page JSBach.org (http://www.jsbach.org/), by Jan Hanfordextensiveinformation on Bach and his works; huge and growing database of user-contributed recordingsand reviewsJ.S. Bach bibliography (http://www.mu.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/bachbib/), by Yo Tomita of Queen'sBelfastespecially useful to scholarsBach-Cantatas.com (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/), by Aryeh Oroninformation on thecantatas as well as other worksBach manuscripts (http://athome.harvard.edu/programs/wolff/) video lectures by ChristophWolff on the Bach family's hidden manuscripts archiveWorks by or about Johann Sebastian Bach (http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-21425) inlibraries (WorldCat catalog)

Scores

Bach Gesellschaft Download Page (http://einam.com/bach/)the BGA volumes available fordownload in DJVU format.Free sheet music (http://cantorion.org/composers/72/Johann_Sebastian_Bach) of Johann SebastianBach from Cantorion.orgFree scores by Johann Sebastian Bach at the International Music Score Library Projectthe BGAvolumes split up into individual works (PDF files), plus other editions

Recordings

Free downloads of the complete organ works by Bach (http://www.blockmrecords.org/bach/index.htm) recorded by James Kibbie on historic German baroque organsIn the BBC Discovering Music: Listening Library (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/listeninglibrary.shtml)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johann_Sebastian_Bach&oldid=599169983"Categories: Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 births 1750 deaths 18th-century composers18th-century German people Anglican saints Bach family Baroque composersBurials at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig Classical composers of church music Composers for celloComposers for lute Composers for pipe organ Composers for violin German classical composersGerman classical organists German Lutherans Music in Leipzig Oratorio composersOrgan improvisers Organists and composers in the North German traditionPeople celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar People from EisenachPeople from Saxe-Eisenach Thomaskantors


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