During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. His work represents everything significant genres of that time, except opera; he summarized the achievements musical art Baroque period. Bach is a master of polyphony. After Bach's death, his music fell out of fashion, but in the 19th century, thanks to Mendelssohn, it was rediscovered. His work had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 20th century. Bach's pedagogical works are still used for their intended purpose.
Biography
Childhood
Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many of Johann Sebastian's ancestors were professional musicians. During this period the Church local authorities and the aristocracy supported musicians, especially in Thuringia and Saxony. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. At this time the city had about 6,000 inhabitants. Johannes Ambrosius's work included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.
When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father died, having shortly before gotten married again. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian loved music very much and never missed an opportunity to practice it or study new works. The following story is known to illustrate Bach's passion for music. Johann Christoph kept a notebook in his closet with sheet music by composers famous at that time, but, despite Johann Sebastian’s requests, he did not let him read it. One day, young Bach managed to remove a notebook from his brother’s always locked closet, and within six months on moonlit nights he copied its contents for himself. When the work was already completed, the brother discovered a copy and took away the notes.
While studying in Ohrdruf under the guidance of his brother, Bach became acquainted with the work of contemporary South German composers - Pachelbel, Froberger and others. It is also possible that he became acquainted with the works of composers from Northern Germany and France. Johann Sebastian observed how the organ was cared for, and may have taken part in it himself.
At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where from 1700-1703 he studied at the singing school of St. Mikhail. During his studies, he visited Hamburg - the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music was held in high esteem) and Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the creativity of famous musicians of its time. Bach's first works for organ and clavier date back to the same years. In addition to singing in the a cappella choir, Bach probably played the school's three-manual organ and the harpsichord. Here he received his first knowledge of theology, Latin, history, geography and physics, and may also have begun to learn French and Italian. At school, Bach had the opportunity to communicate with the sons of famous North German aristocrats and famous organists, most notably Georg Böhm in Lüneburg and Reincken and Bruns in Hamburg. With their help, Johann Sebastian may have had access to the largest instruments he had ever played. During this period, Bach expanded his knowledge of the composers of the era, most notably Dietrich Buxtehude, whom he greatly respected.
Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708)
In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received the position of court musician to the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties included, but most likely this position was not related to performing activities. During his seven months of service in Weimar, his fame as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the position of organ caretaker at the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties to this oldest German city. In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work only 3 days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was maintained in good condition and was tuned according to a new system that expanded the capabilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works, including the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Family connections and an employer passionate about music could not prevent tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities that arose several years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706, Bach left without permission for several months in Lübeck, where he became acquainted with Buxtehude's playing, which displeased the authorities. In addition, the authorities accused Bach of “strange choral accompaniment” that confused the community, and of inability to manage the choir; the latter accusation apparently had some basis. Bach's first biographer, Forkel, writes that Johann Sebastian walked more than 400 km to listen outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.
In 1706, Bach decides to change his job. He was offered a more profitable and high position as an organist in the Church of St. Blasius in Mühlhausen, big city In the north of the country. The following year, Bach accepted this offer, taking the place of organist Johann Georg Ahle. His salary was increased compared to the previous one, and the standard of the singers was better. Four months later, on October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara from Arnstadt. They subsequently had seven children, three of whom died in childhood. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.
The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They without hesitation approved his expensive plan for the restoration of the church organ, and for the publication of the festive cantata “The Lord is my King,” BWV 71 (this was the only cantata printed during Bach’s lifetime), written for the inauguration of the new consul, he was given a large reward.
Weimar (1708-1717)
After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time receiving the position of court organist and concert organizer - a much higher position than his previous position in Weimar. Probably, the factors that forced him to change jobs were the high salary and a well-selected line-up of professional musicians. The Bach family moved into a house just a five-minute walk from count's palace. The following year, the first child in the family was born. At the same time, Maria Barbara's older unmarried sister moved in with the Bahamas and helped them run the household until her death in 1729. Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel were born to Bach in Weimar.
In Weimar, a long period of composing keyboard and orchestral works began, in which Bach's talent reached its peak. During this period, Bach absorbed musical trends from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach how to write dramatic introductions, from which Bach learned the art of using dynamic rhythms and decisive harmonic patterns. Bach studied the works well Italian composers, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi concertos for organ or harpsichord. He may have borrowed the idea of writing transcriptions from his employer, Duke Johann Ernst, who was a professional musician. In 1713, the Duke returned from a trip abroad and brought with him a large number of notes that he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the Duke (and, as can be seen from some works, Bach himself) was attracted by the alternation of solo (playing one instrument) and tutti (playing the entire orchestra).
In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar, Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of Bach's fugues is the Well-Tempered Clavier). While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the Organ Notebook, a collection of pieces for the teaching of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of arrangements of Lutheran chorales.
By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist. The episode with Marchand dates back to this time. In 1717, the famous French musician Louis Marchand came to Dresden. Dresden accompanist Volumier decided to invite Bach and arrange a musical competition between two famous organists, Bach and Marchand agreed. However, on the day of the competition it turned out that Marchand (who, apparently, had previously had the opportunity to listen to Bach play) hastily and secretly left the city; the competition did not take place, and Bach had to play alone.
Köthen (1717-1723)
After some time, Bach again went in search of a more suitable job. The old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717 he was even arrested for constantly asking for his resignation - but on December 2 he was released “with disgrace.” Leopold, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The Duke, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and gave him great freedom of action. However, the Duke was a Calvinist and did not encourage the use of refined music in worship, so most of Bach's Köthen works were secular. Among other things, in Köthen, Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were also written during this period.
On July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the Duke, tragedy struck: his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died, leaving four young children. The following year, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a young, highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the age difference - she was 17 years younger than Johann Sebastian - their marriage was apparently a happy one. They had 13 children.
Leipzig (1723-1750)
In 1723, his “Passion according to John” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously fulfilling the duties of a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and conducting weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Johann Sebastian's position also included teaching Latin, but he was allowed to hire an assistant to do this work for him - so Pezold taught Latin for 50 thalers a year. Bach was given the position of "musical director" of all the churches in the city: his duties included selecting performers, supervising their training and choosing music for performance. While working in Leipzig, the composer repeatedly came into conflict with the city administration.
The first six years of his life in Leipzig turned out to be very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas (two of them, in all likelihood, were lost). Most of these works were written on gospel texts, which were read in the Lutheran church every Sunday and on holidays throughout the year; many (such as "Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme" and "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants.
During the performance, Bach apparently sat at the harpsichord or stood in front of the choir in the lower gallery under the organ; on the side gallery to the right of the organ were located wind instruments and timpani, with strings on the left. The city council provided Bach with only about 8 performers, and this often became the cause of disputes between the composer and the administration: Bach had to hire up to 20 musicians himself to perform orchestral works. The composer himself usually played the organ or harpsichord; if he led the choir, then this place was occupied by a full-time organist or one of Bach's eldest sons.
Bach recruited sopranos and altos from among students, and tenors and basses - not only from school, but also from all over Leipzig. In addition to regular concerts paid for by the city authorities, Bach and his choir earned extra money by performing at weddings and funerals. Presumably, at least 6 motets were written precisely for these purposes. Part of his regular work in the church was to perform motets by composers Venetian school, as well as some Germans, for example, Schutz; When composing his motets, Bach was guided by the works of these composers.
Composing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach amassed an extensive repertoire for performance in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the Collegium Musicum, a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when it was founded by Bach's old friend Georg Philipp Telemann. At that time, in many large German cities, gifted and active university students created similar ensembles. Such associations played an increasingly important role in public life. musical life; they were often led by famous professional musicians. For most of the year, the College of Music gave two-hour concerts twice a week at Zimmerman's Coffee House, located near the market square. The owner of the coffee shop provided the musicians with Big hall and purchased several tools. Many of Bach's secular works, dating from the 1730s, 40s and 50s, were composed specifically for performance at Zimmermann's coffeehouse. Such works include, for example, the “Coffee Cantata” and the keyboard collection “Clavier-Übung”, as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.
During the same period, Bach wrote the Kyrie and Gloria parts of the famous Mass in B minor, later completing the remaining parts, the melodies of which were almost entirely borrowed from the composer’s best cantatas. Soon Bach achieved appointment to the post of court composer; Apparently, he had been seeking this high post for a long time, which was a strong argument in his disputes with the city authorities. Although the entire mass was never performed during the composer's lifetime, it is today considered by many to be one of the best choral works of all time.
In 1747, Bach visited the court of the Prussian king Frederick II, where the king offered him musical theme and asked me to immediately compose something for it. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-part fugue. Later, Johann Sebastian composed a whole cycle of variations on this theme and sent it as a gift to the king. The cycle consisted of ricercars, canons and trios, based on a theme dictated by Frederick. This cycle was called the "Musical Offering".
Another major cycle, “The Art of Fugue,” was not completed by Bach, despite the fact that it was most likely written long before his death. During his lifetime he was never published. The cycle consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on one simple theme. In this cycle, Bach used all the tools and techniques for writing polyphonic works.
Bach's last work was a chorale prelude for organ, which he dictated to his son-in-law while practically on his deathbed. The title of the prelude is “Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit” (“Here I appear before Your throne”); This work often ends the performance of the unfinished “The Art of Fugue.”
Over time, Bach's vision became worse and worse. Nevertheless, he continued to compose music, dictating it to his son-in-law Altnikkol. In 1750, the English ophthalmologist John Taylor, whom many modern researchers consider a charlatan, came to Leipzig. Taylor operated on Bach twice, but both operations were unsuccessful and Bach was left blind. On July 18, he unexpectedly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he suffered a stroke. Bach died on July 28; it is possible that the cause of death was complications after surgery. His estate was valued at more than 1,000 thalers and included 5 harpsichords, 2 lute harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, as well as 52 sacred books.
During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. In Leipzig, Bach maintained friendly relations with university professors. Particularly fruitful was the collaboration with the poet, who wrote under the pseudonym Pikander. Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena often hosted friends, family members and musicians from all over Germany in their home. Frequent guests were court musicians from Dresden, Berlin and other cities, including Telemann, godfather of Carl Philipp Emmanuel. It is interesting that George Frideric Handel, the same age as Bach from Halle, which is only 50 kilometers from Leipzig, never met Bach, although Bach tried to meet him twice in his life - in 1719 and 1729. The fates of these two composers, however, were linked by John Taylor, who operated on both shortly before their deaths.
The composer was buried near the Church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, the grave was soon lost, and only in 1894 Bach’s remains were accidentally found during construction work; then the reburial took place.
Bach studies
The first descriptions of Bach's life were his obituary and a brief chronicle of his life presented by his widow Anna Magdalena. After the death of Johann Sebatian, no attempts were made to publish his life story, until in 1802 his friend Forkel, based on his own memoirs, obituary and stories of Bach's sons and friends, published the first detailed biography. IN mid-19th century, interest in Bach's music was revived, composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philip Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French organist and researcher Albert Schweitzer published a book. In this work, in addition to the biography of Bach, description and analysis of his works, much attention is paid to the description of the era in which he worked, as well as theological issues related to his music. These books were the most authoritative until the middle of the 20th century, when, with the help of new technical means and careful research, new facts about the life and work of Bach were established, which in some places contradicted traditional ideas. For example, it was established that Bach wrote some cantatas in 1724-1725 (previously they thought that this happened in the 1740s), were found unknown works, and some previously attributed to Bach turned out to be not written by him; Some facts of his biography were established. In the second half of the 20th century, many works were written on this topic - for example, books by Christoph Wolf.
Creation
Bach wrote more than 1000 musical works. Today, each of the known works is assigned a BWV number (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both sacred and secular. Some of Bach's works are adaptations of works by other composers, and some are revised versions of their own works.
Organ creativity
By the time of Bach, organ music in Germany already had long-standing traditions that had developed thanks to Bach’s predecessors - Pachelbel, Böhm, Buxtehude and other composers, each of whom influenced him in their own way. Bach knew many of them personally.
During his life, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer organ music. He worked both in the traditional “free” genres of that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined features of different musical styles, with whom he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced by both the music of northern German composers (Georg Böhm, whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck) and the music of southern composers: Bach copied the works of many French and Italian composers for himself in order to understand their musical language; later he even transcribed several Vivaldi violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (1708-1714), Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes and fugues and toccatas and fugues, but also composed an unfinished Organ Book - a collection of 46 short choral preludes, which demonstrated various techniques and approaches to composing works on chorale themes. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for organ; nevertheless, after Weimar many famous works were written (6 trio sonatas, the collection “Clavier-Übung” and 18 Leipzig chorales). Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted on the construction of instruments, testing and tuning new organs.
Other keyboard works
Bach also wrote a number of works for the harpsichord, many of which could also be performed on the clavichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. Most of Bach's keyboard works published during his lifetime were contained in collections called "Clavier-Übung" ("clavier exercises").
* “The Well-Tempered Clavier” in two volumes, written in 1722 and 1744, is a collection, each volume of which contains 24 preludes and fugues, one for each common key. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that make it equally easy to play music in any key - primarily to the modern equal temperament system, although it is not known whether Bach used it.
* Three collections of suites: English Suites, French Suites and Partitas for Clavier. Each cycle contained 6 suites, built according to a standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional part between the last two). In English suites, the allemande is preceded by a prelude, and between the sarabande and the gigue there is exactly one movement; in French suites the number of optional parts increases, and there are no preludes. In the partitas, the standard scheme is expanded: in addition to the exquisite introductory parts, there are additional ones, and not only between the sarabande and the gigue.
* Goldberg Variations (circa 1741) - melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. The variations are built more on the tonal plan of the theme than on the melody itself.
* Various pieces such as Overture in the French Style, BWV 831, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 903, or Italian Concerto, BWV 971.
Orchestral and chamber music
Bach wrote music for both individual instruments and ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, BWV 1001-1006, 6 suites for cello, BWV 1007-1012, and partita for solo flute, BWV 1013 - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound works. In addition, Bach composed several works for solo lute. He also wrote trio sonatas, sonatas for solo flute and viola da gamba, accompanied only by a general bass, as well as a large number of canons and ricercars, mostly without specifying the instruments for performance. The most significant examples of such works are the cycles “The Art of Fugue” and “Musical Offering”.
Bach's most famous works for orchestra are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so called because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought of obtaining employment at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. Six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Other extant works by Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043, and concertos for one, two, three and even four harpsichords. Researchers believe that these harpsichord concertos were merely transcriptions of older works by Johann Sebastian, now lost. In addition to concerts, Bach composed 4 orchestral suites.
Vocal works
* Cantatas. For a long period of his life, every Sunday Bach in the Church of St. Thomas led the performance of the cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach also performed cantatas by other composers, in Leipzig he composed at least three complete annual cycle cantatas, one for each Sunday of the year and each church holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which only about 195 have survived to this day. Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are written for one voice, some for choir; some require a large orchestra to perform, and some require only a few instruments. However, the most commonly used model is this: the cantata opens with a solemn choral introduction, then alternates recitatives and arias for soloists or duets, and ends with a chorale. The same words from the Bible that are read this week according to the Lutheran canons are usually taken as recitative. The final chorale is often anticipated by a chorale prelude in one of the middle movements, and is also sometimes included in introductory part in the form of cantus firmus. The most famous of Bach's spiritual cantatas are "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (number 4), "Ein" feste Burg" (number 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (number 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" (number 147). In addition, Bach composed a number of secular cantatas, usually dedicated to some event, for example, a wedding. Among Bach's most famous secular cantatas are two Wedding cantatas and a comic Coffee Cantata.
* Passions, or passions. St. John Passion (1724) and St. Matthew Passion (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on gospel theme sufferings of Christ, intended to be performed at vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. The Passions are one of Bach's most ambitious vocal works. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have survived completely to this day.
* Oratorios and Magnificats. The most famous is the Christmas Oratorio (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas for performance during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and Magnificat are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and have a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and famous (D major, 1730).
* Masses. Bach's most famous and significant mass is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which is a complete cycle of the Ordinary. This mass, like many of the composer’s other works, included revised early works. The Mass was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime - the first time this happened only in the 19th century. In addition, this music was not performed as intended due to the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, 4 short two-movement Masses by Bach have reached us, as well as individual movements such as Sanctus and Kyrie.
Bach's remaining vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.
Execution
Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance, that is, using the instruments and methods of Bach's era, and those who perform Bach in modern instruments. In Bach's time there were no such large choirs and orchestras as, for example, in Brahms's time, and even his most ambitious works, such as the Mass in B minor and the passions, are not intended to be performed by large groups. In addition, some of Bach's chamber works do not indicate the instrumentation at all, so today very different versions of performances of the same works are known. IN organ works Bach almost never indicated the registration and change of manuals. Of the stringed keyboard instruments, Bach preferred the clavichord. He met with Silberman and discussed with him the design of his new instrument, contributing to the creation of the modern piano. Bach's music for some instruments was often arranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged the organ toccata and fugue in D minor and some other works for piano.
Numerous “lite” and modernized versions of his works contributed to the popularization of Bach’s music in the 20th century. Among them are today's well-known tunes performed by the Swingle Singers and Wendy Carlos' 1968 recording of "Switched-On Bach", which used the newly invented synthesizer. Jazz musicians such as Jacques Loussier also worked on Bach's music. Among Russian contemporary performers, Fyodor Chistyakov tried to pay tribute to the great composer in his solo album 1997 “When Bach wakes up.”
The fate of Bach's music
IN last years During Bach's life and death, his fame as a composer began to wane: his style was considered old-fashioned compared to the burgeoning classicism. He was better known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father of the younger Bachs, especially Carl Philipp Emmanuel, whose music was more famous. However, many major composers, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin, knew and loved the work of Johann Sebastian. For example, when visiting the school of St. Thomas Mozart heard one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed: “There is something to learn here!” - after which, asking for the notes, he studied them for a long time and enthusiastically. Beethoven greatly appreciated Bach's music. As a child, he played the preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and later called Bach “the true father of harmony” and said that “his name is not the Brook, but the Sea” (the word Bach in German means “stream”). Before concerts, Chopin locked himself in a room and played Bach's music. The works of Johann Sebastian influenced many composers. Some themes from Bach's works, for example, the theme of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, were reused in the music of the 20th century.
A biography written in 1802 by Johann Nikolai Forkel, who knew Bach personally, spurred public interest in his music. All more people discovered his music. For example, Goethe, who became acquainted with his works quite late in his life (in 1814 and 1815, some of his clavier and choral works), in a letter of 1827, compared the feeling of Bach's music to "eternal harmony in dialogue with itself." But the real revival of Bach's music began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn. Hegel, who attended the concert, later called Bach "a great, true Protestant, a strong and, so to speak, erudite genius, whom we have only recently learned to fully appreciate again." In subsequent years, Mendelssohn's work continued to popularize Bach's music and the composer's growing fame. In 1850, the Bach Society was founded, the purpose of which was to collect, study and disseminate the works of Bach. Over the next half century, this society carried out significant work on compiling and publishing a corpus of the composer’s works.
In the 20th century, awareness of the musical and pedagogical value of his compositions continued. Interest in Bach's music gave rise to a new movement among performers: the idea of authentic performance became widespread. Such performers, for example, use a harpsichord instead of a modern piano and smaller choirs than was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wanting to accurately recreate the music of Bach's era.
Some composers expressed their respect for Bach by including the BACH motif (B-flat - A - C - B in Latin notation) in the themes of their works. For example, Liszt wrote a prelude and fugue on the theme BACH, and Schumann wrote 6 fugues on the same theme. Bach himself used the same theme, for example, in the XIV counterpoint from The Art of Fugue. Many composers took cues from his works or used themes from them. Examples are Beethoven's Variations on a Theme Diabelli, the prototype of which is the Goldberg Variations, Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, written under the influence of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and Brahms's Cello Sonata in D major, the finale of which includes musical quotations from The Art of fugues." Bach's music, among the best creations of mankind, was recorded on the Voyager gold disc.
Bach monuments in Germany
* Monument in Leipzig, erected on April 23, 1843 by Hermann Knaur on the initiative of Mendelssohn and according to the drawings of Eduard Bendemann, Ernst Ritschel and Julius Gübner.
* Bronze statue on the Frauenplan in Eisenach, designed by Adolf von Donndorff, erected on September 28, 1884. At first I stood on Market Square near the church of St. George, on April 4, 1938, was moved to Frauenplan with a shortened pedestal.
* Bronze statue of Karl Seffner on the south side of St. Thomas in Leipzig - May 17, 1908.
* Bust by Fritz Behn in the Valhalla monument near Regensburg, 1916.
* Statue of Paul Birr at the entrance to the Church of St. George in Eisenach, installed on April 6, 1939.
* Monument to Bruno Eiermann in Weimar, first erected in 1950, then removed for two years and reopened in 1995 on Democracy Square.
* Relief by Robert Propf in Köthen, 1952.
* Wooden stele of Ed Garison on Johann Sebastian Bach Square in front of the Church of St. Vlasiya in Mühlhausen - August 17, 2001.
* Monument in Ansbach, designed by Jürgen Goertz, erected in July 2003.
Notes
1. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - genealogy of the Bach family
2. I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II
3. Bach’s manuscripts were found in Germany, confirming his studies with Boehm - RIA Novosti, 08/31/2006
4. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Bach Interrogation Protocol
5. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 7
6. I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II
7. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 27
9. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - entry in the church book, Dornheim
10. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Organ Reconstruction Project
12. I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II
14. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 51
15. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - entry in the church book, Köthen
16. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Minutes of the magistrate's meeting and other documents related to the move to Leipzig
17. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Letter to J.-S. Bach to Erdman
18. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 8
19. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Message from L. Mitzler about the Collegium Musicum concerts
20. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Quellmaltz on Bach's operations
21. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Inventory of Bach's estate
22. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 9
23. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 8
24. A. Schweitzer. I.-S. Bach - chapter 14
26. http://www.bremen.de/web/owa/p_anz_presse_mitteilung?pi_mid=76241 (German)
27. http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV244-Spering.htm (English)
28. http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html (English)
After the death of his father (his mother had died earlier), he was taken into the family of his older brother Johann Christoph, who served as a church organist at St. Michaeliskirche in Ohrdruf. In 1700-03. Studied at the church choir school in Lüneburg. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lubeck to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time, new French music. Bach's first compositional experiments - works for organ and clavier - date back to the same years.
Years of wanderings (1703-08)
After graduation, Bach was busy looking for a job that would provide his daily bread and leave time for creativity. From 1703 to 1708 he served in Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen. In 1707 he married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach. His creative interests were then focused mainly on music for organ and clavier. The most famous composition of that time is “Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother” (1704).
Weimar period (1708-17)
Having received the position of court musician from the Duke of Weimar in 1708, Bach settled in Weimar, where he spent 9 years. These years became a time of intense creativity, in which the main place belonged to works for the organ, including numerous chorale preludes, organ toccata and fugue in D minor, passacaglia in C minor. The composer wrote music for the clavier and spiritual cantatas (more than 20). Using traditional forms, he brought them to the highest perfection. In Weimar, Bach had sons, future famous composers Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel.
Service in Köthen (1717-23)
In 1717, Bach accepted an invitation to the service of Duke Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. Life in Köthen was at first the happiest time in the composer’s life: the prince, an enlightened man for his time and a good musician, appreciated Bach and did not interfere with his work, inviting him on his trips. In Köthen, three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, and six Brandenburg concertos for orchestra were written. Of particular interest is the collection “The Well-Tempered Clavier” - 24 preludes and fugues, written in all keys and in practice proving the advantages of the tempered musical system, the approval of which was hotly debated. Subsequently, Bach created the second volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, also consisting of 24 preludes and fugues in all keys. But the cloudless period of Bach's life was cut short in 1720: his wife dies, leaving four young children. In 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilken for the second time. In 1723, his “Passion according to John” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and Bach soon received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously performing the duties of a teacher at the church school (Latin and singing).
In Leipzig (1723-50)
Best of the day
Bach becomes the “musical director” of all the churches in the city, overseeing the personnel of musicians and singers, overseeing their training, assigning works required for performance, and doing much more. Unable to be cunning and skimpy and not being able to perform everything in good faith, the composer repeatedly found himself in conflict situations that darkened his life and distracted him from his work. By that time the artist had reached the heights of his skill and created magnificent examples in various genres. First of all, this is sacred music: cantatas (about two hundred have survived), “Magnificat” (1723), masses (including the immortal “High Mass” in B minor, 1733), “Matthew Passion” (1729), dozens of secular cantatas (among them the comic “Coffee Room” and “Peasant Room”), works for organ, orchestra, harpsichord (among the latter, it is necessary to highlight the cycle “Aria with 30 variations”, the so-called “Goldberg Variations”, 1742). In 1747, Bach created a cycle of plays, “Musical Offerings,” dedicated to the Prussian king Frederick II. Last job became a work called “The Art of Fugue” (1749-50) - 14 fugues and 4 canons on one theme.
The fate of the creative heritage
At the end of the 1740s, Bach's health deteriorated, and he was particularly concerned about the sudden loss of his vision. Two unsuccessful cataract surgeries resulted in complete blindness. Ten days before his death, Bach suddenly regained his sight, but then he suffered a stroke that brought him to his grave. The solemn funeral caused a huge gathering of people from different places. The composer was buried near the Church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, later a road was built through the territory of the cemetery, and the grave was lost. It was only in 1894 that Bach’s remains were accidentally found during construction work, and then the reburial took place. The fate of his legacy also turned out to be difficult. During his lifetime, Bach enjoyed fame. However, after the death of the composer, his name and music began to fall into oblivion. Genuine interest in his work arose only in the 1820s, which began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829 (organized by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). In 1850, the Bach Society was created, which sought to identify and publish all the composer’s manuscripts (46 volumes were published over half a century).
Bach is a major figure in world musical culture. His work represents one of the peaks of philosophical thought in music. Freely crossing features not only of different genres, but also of national schools, Bach created immortal masterpieces that stand above time. Being the last (along with G. F. Handel) great composer of the Baroque era, Bach at the same time paved the way for the music of modern times.
Among the continuers of Bach's quest are his sons. In total, he had 20 children: seven from his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach (1684 - 1720), and 13 from his second, Anna Magdalena Wilken (1701 - 1760), only nine of them survived their father. Four sons became composers. In addition to those mentioned above - Johann Christian (1735-82), Johann Christoph (1732-95).
On July 28, we remember Johann Sebastian Bach, an outstanding German composer and organist, who passed away forever on this summer day.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach (Saxony), in musical family. Several generations of the family were professional musicians from the very beginning of the 16th century. Bach's parents died early, and he was given to be raised by his older brother, who served as an organist at the church.
B Rath taught him the basics of music, choosing mainly classic designs. But the younger Bach knew that the elder Bach kept the notes of modern fashionable composers under lock and key. At night, when moonlight he made his way to the treasured closet and copied the precious music for himself. Imagine his disappointment when his elder brother, having learned about the night raids, took both the original and the copy from him. Bach Jr., in tears, swore that if he could not play this music, he would write another one - even better. And he did write it.
Since completing his studies, Bach has held many positions. He was a court musician in Weimar, an organ keeper in Arnstadt, and an organist in Mühlhausen. During this time he became very famous as a virtuoso organist.
In 1723, Bach moved to Leipzig, where he lived until the end of his life. The Leipzig period was the pinnacle creative path composer, these are the years of creation of his most monumental works, although very difficult years in material terms. He worked as a cantor at the Church of St. Thomas and at the school at this church, and also led the student “Music College”.
Before last days he wrote music - secular and sacred, for various instruments. His legacy includes more than 1,000 works, but during his lifetime only one was published - the festive cantata “The Lord is my King.” In the last years of his life and after Bach's death, his fame as a composer began to decline: his style was considered old-fashioned in comparison with the burgeoning classicism.
Over time, Bach's vision became worse and worse. Nevertheless, he continued to compose music, dictating it to his son-in-law Altnikkol. In 1750, the English ophthalmologist John Taylor, whom many modern researchers consider a charlatan, came to Leipzig. Taylor operated on Bach twice, but both operations were unsuccessful and Bach was left blind. On July 18, he unexpectedly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he suffered a stroke. Bach died on July 28; it is possible that the cause of death was complications after surgery.
His estate was valued at more than 1,000 thalers and included 5 harpsichords, 2 lute harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, as well as 52 sacred books.
The composer was buried near St. John's Church (German: Johanniskirche), one of two churches where he served for 27 years. However, the grave was soon lost, and only in 1894 Bach’s remains were accidentally found during construction work to expand the church, where they were reburied in 1900. After the destruction of this church during World War II, the ashes were transferred on July 28, 1949 to the Church of St. Thomas. In 1950, which was named the year of J. S. Bach, a bronze tombstone was installed over his burial place.
Johann Sebastian Bach, eminent German composer, one of the most influential composers in history, died on July 28, 1750 - to the day, exactly 9 years after the death of Antonio Vivaldi. Bach's creative baggage includes more than 1000 works, among which there are representatives of, perhaps, all genres, in addition to opera.
Biography of Johann Sebastian
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685 in the small town of Eisenach. He was the sixth child in the family of the then famous violinist Johann Ambrose Bach. This was a musically gifted family with rich traditions. Among the composer's ancestors there were organists, flutists, violinists, trumpeters, and bandmasters. On his 5th birthday, his father gave Bach his first violin, which the boy very quickly learned to play.
In addition to his talented violin playing, the young Bach was also famous for his magnificent voice, which allowed him to sing in the church choir. However, it is difficult to call his childhood happy, since at the age of nine he lost his mother, and a year later, his father. Until 1700, he lived with his older brother, but when the latter’s own family grew quite large, Sebastian was forced to move out and settle in Lunerbrurg. There he studied at the church choir school.
Bach wanted to go to university after graduating from school, but was forced to postpone this idea because he needed to earn money for food. He got a job as an organist at new church city of Arnstadt, however, due to disagreements with the local environment and authorities, he soon left the city and at the beginning of 1707 moved to Mühlhausen, where he got a job as an organist at the Church of St. Vlasiya.
Composer Bach
In 1708-1717, Bach lived in the city of Weimar, where he not only worked as a local organist, but also received the position of court musician for the Duke of Weimar. At the same time, Bach created many compositions for the organ in such genres as fugues, fantasies, preludes, and toccatas, which would later be considered the pinnacle of organ musical art.
After Weimar, Bach moved to Köthen, where he devoted a lot of time to writing music - mainly orchestral. Much attention He devoted his time to the clavier and was one of the first to compose concert works specifically for this instrument.
The last years of Bach's life
The last period of his life, from 1723 to 1750, Bach lived in Leipzig, where he served as “musical director” of all churches. His responsibilities included supervising the training and work of new musicians and singers, as well as assigning works that were allowed to be performed.
By the end of the 1740s, the composer's health had deteriorated significantly, most of all worrying about the sharp deterioration of his vision. Bach underwent two operations to remove cataracts, but both were unsuccessful and ultimately led to complete blindness. True, this did not stop Bach, and he continued to write, dictating notes to his assistant.
Literally ten days before his death, the composer unexpectedly regained his sight, but within a few hours he was struck down. Despite the titanic efforts of doctors, great composer died July 28, 1750.
Came to Bach's funeral great amount of people. He was buried near the Church of St. Tom, where he served for 27 years. In 1894, the composer’s body was reburied due to the fact that a road was built at the place of his previous burial.
German composer Johann Sebastian Bach created more than 1000 musical works during his life. He lived in the Baroque era and in his work summarized everything that was characteristic of the music of his time. Bach wrote in all genres available in the 18th century, with the exception of opera. Today, the works of this master of polyphony and virtuoso organist are listened to in a variety of situations - they are so diverse. In his music one can find simple-minded humor and deep sorrow, philosophical reflections and acute drama.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685, he was the eighth and most youngest child in family. The father of the great composer Johann Ambrosius Bach was also a musician: the Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century. At that time, music creators enjoyed special honor in Saxony and Thuringia, they were supported by the authorities, aristocrats and representatives of the church.
By the age of 10, Bach lost both his parents, and his older brother, who worked as an organist, took over his upbringing. Johann Sebastian studied at the gymnasium, and at the same time received from his brother the skills of playing the organ and clavier. At the age of 15, Bach entered a vocal school and began writing his first works. After leaving school, he briefly served as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar, and then became an organist in a church in the city of Arnstadt. It was then that the composer wrote a large number of organ works.
Soon, Bach began to have problems with the authorities: he expressed dissatisfaction with the level of training of the singers in the choir, and then went to another city for several months in order to get acquainted with the playing of the authoritative Danish-German organist Dietrich Buxtehude. Bach went to Mühlhausen, where he was invited to the same position - organist in the church. In 1707, the composer married his cousin, who bore him seven children, three of them died in infancy, and two later became famous composers.
Bach worked in Mühlhausen for only a year and moved to Weimar, where he became court organist and concert organizer. By this time he already enjoyed great recognition and received a high salary. It was in Weimar that the composer's talent reached its peak - he spent about 10 years continuously composing works for clavier, organ and orchestra.
By 1717, Bach had achieved all possible heights in Weimar and began to look for another place of work. At first his old employer did not want to let him go, and even put him under arrest for a month. However, Bach soon left him and headed to the city of Köthen. If earlier his music was largely composed for religious services, here, due to the special requirements of the employer, the composer began to write mainly secular works.
In 1720, Bach's wife suddenly died, but a year and a half later he married the young singer again.
In 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach became cantor of the choir at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and then was appointed “musical director” of all churches working in the city. Bach continued to write music until his death - even after losing his sight, he dictated it to his son-in-law. The great composer died in 1750, now his remains rest in the very Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, where he worked for 27 years.