Johann Sebastian Bach

Classical Music
Bell214: Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685 – July 28, 1750), German composer of the Baroque era, is the most celebrated member of a large family of northern German musicians. Although he was admired by his contemporaries primarily as an outstanding harpsichordist, organist, and expert on organ building, Bach is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time and is celebrated as the creator of the Brandenburg Concertos, The Well–Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, and numerous other masterpieces of church and instrumental music, more than 200 surviving cantatas, and similar number of organ works, including the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Appearing at a propitious moment in the history of music, Bach was able to survey and bring together the principal styles, forms, and national traditions that had developed during preceding generations and, by virtue of his synthesis, enrich them all.
(See: http://www.jsbach.org/biography.html)

Today Johann Sebastian Bach’s name and music are known virtually around the world. Amazingly, during his lifetime he never traveled more than about 200 miles from the town of Eisenstadt where he was born. Going back many generations, Bach’s family tree was filled with so many musicians, that in his native region of Thuringia by the time little Johann was born the word “Bach“ was simply used as a nickname for any “musician.“
Bach was certainly a family man. He had 20 children, the largest family of any of the great composers. Nine of his children lived to adulthood, and several became renowned composers themselves.
“Bach“ is the German word for a little stream or brook. Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven said: „His name should not be Brook, it should be Ocean.“

Major works

1. Masses: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 (1724–46) ― 4 Lutheran masses (i.e., containing only settings of the “Kyrie” and the “Gloria”).
2. Oratorios: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 (1734); Easter Oratorio (Kommt, eilet und laufet, BWV 249; 1725); Ascension Oratorio (1735).
3. Passions: Passion According to St. John, BWV 245 (1724); Passion According to St. Matthew, BWV 244 (1729).
4. Cantatas: About 200 cantatas for different Sundays in the church year (1707 to after 1735; mainly 1714–16, 1723–27), mostly for soloist(s), chorus, and orchestra.
5. Orchestral music (Concerti): Six Brandenburg Concertos (pre–1721); 2 concerti for violin and orchestra and 1 for 2 violins (1717–23); 7 for 1 harpsichord, 3 for 2 harpsichords, 2 for 3, and 1 for 4 harpsichords; 1 concerto for harpsichord, flute, and violin.
6. Chamber music
7. Organ music
a. Chorale preludes: There are 140 chorale preludes including the Orgelbüchlein (mainly 1714–16); Clavierübung, vol. 3 (1739), and Schübler Chorale Preludes (1746 or later).
b. Fugues: Eighteen preludes and fugues (1708–17, 1729–39), including the “St. Anne” in E–flat major and the “Wedge” in E minor; 5 toccatas and fugues (1700–17), including the “Dorian” in D minor; 3 fantasies and fugues; 4 other fugues.

Other works: the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (a set of 30 variations for harpsichord, first published in 1741 as the fourth in a series Bach called Clavierübung “keyboard practice“; the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form); 6 English Suites, 6 French Suites, the Partitas, the Magnificat, The Musical Offering, Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue, 1749).
(See: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/47843/Johann-Sebastian-Bach)
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Bell214: Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 is a piece of organ music composed sometime between 1703 and 1707. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, to video games, to rock music, and ring tones.


(Performed by Karl Richter (1926 – 1981), a German conductor, organist, and harpsichordist)



Note: Vanessa Mae plays a rare version of Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565), accompanied by the Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra (The Berliner Philharmonie, 1996).
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Bell214: The Brandenburg Concertos

The Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046–1051, original title: Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments) are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg–Schwedt in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era.
1. Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047
This piece was also chosen as the first to be played on the “golden record“, a phonograph record containing a broad sample of Earth’s common sounds, languages, and music sent into outer space with the two Voyager probes launched in 1977.
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048
4. Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049
5. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
6. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051

Brandenburg Concerto No.2 in F major, BWV 1047: Allegro moderato


(Performed by Freiburg Baroque Orchestra)

Brandenburg Concerto No.2 in F major, BWV 1047: Andante


(Performed by Freiburg Baroque Orchestra)

Brandenburg Concerto No.2 in F major, BWV 1047: Allegro assai


(Performed by Freiburg Baroque Orchestra)
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Bell214: The Mass in B minor, BWV 232

The Mass in B minor is a musical setting of the Latin Mass. Although parts of the Mass in B minor date to 1724, the whole was assembled in its present form in 1749, just before the composer’s death in 1750.


(Performed by L’ Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Maîtrise de Notre–Dame, conductor John Nelson, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, 2007)
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Damnation
Damnation: ARIA
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♥♥♥♥KittyCat♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥KittyCat♥♥♥♥: Another wonderful series fo dances which Bach wrote (and in fact some of my favourite music ever) are his Six Cello Suites which are absolutely wonderful.

There are so many versions of them by so many people - including period versions (on period instruments occasionally) and versions by the great Rostropovich (who didn't think he was musically ready to perform those until he reached the grand age of 64). Wonderful music.

It seems amazing to think that Bach's work was never really much appreciated in his lifetime (it was considered too dull and serious!! ) but that it took Mendelssohn in the Romantic era (19th century) to actually unearth and perform his great works.

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Bell214: This is for you, Kitty Cat.

The Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello are acclaimed as some of the greatest works ever written for solo cello. They were most likely composed during the period 1717–1723, when Bach served as a Kapellmeister in Köthen.

The suites are in six movements each, and have the following structure and order of movements.
1. Prelude
2. Allemande
3. Courante
4. Sarabande
5. Galanteries (Minuets for Suites 1 and 2, Bourrées for 3 and 4, Gavottes for 5 and 6)
6. Gigue

Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (Prelude)

(Mstislav Rostropovich, the Basilique Sainte Madeleine, Vézelay, Yvonne, France, 1991)

Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (Allemande)


Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (Sarabande)

(Mstislav Rostropovich, the Basilique Sainte Madeleine, Vézelay, Yvonne, France, 1991)

Mstislav Rostropovich (March 27, 1927 – April 27, 2007) was the great cellist, genial spirit, conductor and humanitarian. (Julian Lloyd Webber, one of the world’s most renowned solo cellists, called him “probably the greatest cellist of all time.“)
(Note: April 27 was the birth date of Sergei Prokofiev, under whom Rostropovich had studied and some of whose works he had premiered.)
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Bell214: Books about Bach

1. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician by Christoph Wolff (W. W. Norton & Company, 2001)

Finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. A landmark biography of Bach on the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, written by the leading Bach scholar of our age. This engaging new biography portrays Bach as the living, breathing, and sometimes imperfect human being; Wolff demonstrates the intimate connection between the composer’s life and his music, showing how Bach’s superb inventiveness pervaded his career as musician, composer, performer, scholar, and teacher. With this highly readable book, Wolff sets a new standard for Bach biography.
“The Learned Musician is an apt subtitle for this intellectual biography, which assesses the career of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) with the scholarly rigor one would expect from a Harvard professor. While Wolff conscientiously covers the basics of Bach’s life, including his two marriages and the musical achievements of his gifted family, the author’s primary focus is on his performing (Bach was an unrivaled organist) and composing. Wolff carefully analyzes Bach’s innovations in harmony and counterpoint, placing them in the context of European musical and social history rendered in nicely atmospheric detail. Casual readers may find this dense tome a bit daunting, but serious music lovers will relish the deeper understanding it conveys of a genius who transformed Western music.

Note: Christoph Wolff (born May 24, 1940) is a German–born musicologist, presently on the faculty of Harvard University as Professor of Music.
Christoph Wolff is best known for his works on the music, life, and times of Johan Sebastian Bach. He (re)discovered a number of works by Bach (notably the Neumeister Chorales) that were previously unknown or deemed lost. Since 2001 he is director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig.

2. The New Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents by Christoph Wolff (W. W. Norton & Company, 1999)
Through hundreds of letters, family papers, anecdotes, and records, the Bach Reader established a new approach to biography by offering original documents in impeccable translations. In The New Bach Reader, Christoph Wolff has incorporated numerous facsimiles and added many newly discovered items, reflecting the current state of scholarship about the composer’s life and music. The readings in this volume provide an accurate and vivid picture of Bach’s world and of his far–reaching influence.
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Bell214: 3. J.S. Bach: A Life in Music by Peter Williams (Cambridge University Press, 2007)

Peter Williams approaches afresh the life and music of arguably the most studied of all composers, interpreting both Bach’s life by deconstructing his original Obituary in the light of new information, and his music by evaluating his priorities and irrepressible creative energy. How, though belonging to musical families on both his parents' sides, did he come to possess so bewitching a sense of rhythm and melody, and a mastery of harmony that established nothing less than a norm in western culture? In considering that the works of a composer are his biography, the book’s title “A Life in Music“ means both a life spent making music and one revealed in the music as we know it. A distinguished scholar and performer, Williams re–examines Bach’s life as an orphan and a family man, as an extraordinarily gifted composer and player, and an energetic and ambitious artist who never suffered fools gladly.
4. Johann Sebastian Bach: Life and Work by Martin Geck (Harcourt, 2006)

Two hundred and fifty years after his death, Johann Sebastian Bach remains one of the most compelling figures in the history of classical music. In this major study of the composer’s life and work, Martin Geck follows the course of Bach’s career in rich detail ― from his humble beginnings as an organ tuner and self–taught court musician to his role as Kapellmeister and cantor of St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig. Geck explores Bach’s relations with the German aristocracy, his position with regard to the Church and contemporary theological debates, his perfectionism, and his role as the devoted head of a large family.
The focus in this comprehensive, thoroughly researched book is on the extraordinary work that came of the composer’s life. Geck carefully analyzes Bach’s innovations in harmony and counterpoint, placing them in the context of European musical and social history. Always fresh and stimulating, this definitive work reintroduces Bach’s enormous oeuvre in all its splendor.

5. The Cambridge Companion to Bach (Cambridge Companions to Music) (Cambridge University Press, 1997)

The Cambridge Companion to Bach covers cultural, social and religious contexts, surveys and analyzes Bach’s compositional style, traces his influence, and considers the performance and reception of his music through the succeeding generations. Fifteen varied essays by 11 authors provide a thoughtful, broad introduction to the music and person of Johann Sebastian Bach. The book provides valuable background material for those who may have casually encountered and enjoyed Bach’s music, and the variety of viewpoints helps readers avoid an oversimplified impression of the great composer.
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Bell214: Concerto No. 3 in D Major for harpsichord and strings (BWV 1054)



Note: Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D major (BWV 1054) is an adaptation of his own Violin Concerto in E major (BWV 1042). He made it sometime during the 1730s for performance by the Leipzig Collegium Musicum — a large ensemble made up of the city’s music enthusiasts that played in taverns and coffee shops a few times a week. Bach had been director since 1729.
Most, if not all, of Bach’s harpsichord concertos are transcriptions of concertos for other instruments, but only in a few cases have those source pieces survived. A piece like BWV 1054 provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine just how Bach went about recasting the old material into a new and very individual work for harpsichord.
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Bell214: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major (BWV 1068)



Note: Johann Sebastian Bach probably wrote his Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in D major (BWV 1068) in 1731. This was not the sort of music he normally wrote; it is lighter fare than his normally more rigorous, sacred or fugal fare. Suites for orchestra were also called overtures, and they were an all–purpose form of entertainment, featuring some pretensions of French culture, which was the most sought–after affectation among the royals of Europe in the eighteenth century. The genre was a collection of excerpts from French ballets and operas, and the arrangement of the form was an overture (the beginning of a stage work) followed by a collection of dances. Garden parties, trade fairs, and every other sort of celebration were good spots for these pieces.

Bach wrote only four of these works; it was not the sort of thing he did naturally. However, the local groups of players in Leipzig, called Collegium Musicum, required music; he had been appointed its director in 1729, on top of his normal duties at the Thomas School. His political position in Leipzig was usually tenuous because he was frequently petitioning the city council for a better wage, better teaching and conducting conditions, and more money for music in general. For this he probably needed to commit to acts of good faith, and music such this Orchestral Suite in D major would have been exactly what the city council and citizens enjoyed.

This work was most likely revived from a similar piece he wrote around 1720 in Cöthen. For someone who stood back from the world of light, entertainment music, Bach was good at writing it. Its second movement, Air, (also known as “Air on the G String“ ) centers around one of the most well known melodies he ever wrote.
Bach approaches the music with his personal instincts intact, and leans as much toward Italy as much as France in this material. The visceral, propulsive nature of Vivaldi’s concertos find their way into all these orchestral suites.
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