And bang biography summary. The most famous work of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach is the greatest figure of world culture. The work of the universal musician who lived in the 18th century is all-encompassing in genre: the German composer combined and generalized the traditions of Protestant chorale with the traditions of music schools in Austria, Italy and France.

200 years after the death of the musician and composer, interest in his work and biography has not cooled, and contemporaries use Bach’s works in the twentieth century, finding relevance and depth in them. The composer's chorale prelude sounds in Solaris. The music of Johann Bach, as the best creation of mankind, was recorded on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the spacecraft launched from Earth in 1977. According to the New York Times, Johann Sebastian Bach is the first of the ten world composers who created masterpieces that stand above time.

Childhood and youth

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685 in the Thuringian city of Eisenach, located between the hills of the Hainig National Park and the Thuringian Forest. The boy became the youngest and eighth child in the family of professional musician Johann Ambrosius Bach.

There are five generations of musicians in the Bach family. Researchers counted fifty relatives of Johann Sebastian who connected their lives with music. Among them is the composer's great-great-grandfather, Faith Bach, a baker who carried a zither everywhere, a box-shaped plucked musical instrument.

The head of the family, Ambrosius Bach, played the violin in churches and organized social concerts, so he taught his youngest son his first music lessons. Johann Bach sang in the choir from an early age and delighted his father with his abilities and greed for musical knowledge.

At the age of 9, Johann Sebastian’s mother, Elisabeth Lemmerhirt, died, and a year later the boy became an orphan. The younger brother was taken into the care of the elder, Johann Christoph, a church organist and music teacher in the neighboring town of Ohrdruf. Christophe sent Sebastian to the gymnasium, where he studied theology, Latin, and history.

The older brother taught the younger brother to play the clavier and organ, but these lessons were not enough for the inquisitive boy: secretly from Christophe, he took out from the closet a notebook with works of famous composers and on moonlit nights rewrote notes. But his brother discovered Sebastian doing something illegal and took away the notes.

At the age of 15, Johann Bach became independent: he got a job in Lüneburg and brilliantly graduated from the vocal gymnasium, opening his way to university. But poverty and the need to earn a living put an end to my studies.

In Lüneburg, curiosity pushed Bach to travel: he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lübeck, where he became acquainted with the work of famous musicians Reincken and Georg Böhm.

Music

In 1703, after graduating from the gymnasium in Lüneburg, Johann Bach got a job as a court musician in the chapel of the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. Bach played the violin for six months and gained his first popularity as a performer. But soon Johann Sebastian got tired of pleasing the ears of gentlemen by playing the violin - he dreamed of developing and opening new horizons in art. Therefore, without hesitation, he agreed to take the vacant position of court organist in the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, which is 200 kilometers from Weimar.

Johann Bach worked three days a week and received a high salary. The church organ, tuned according to the new system, expanded the capabilities of the young performer and composer: in Arnstadt, Bach wrote three dozen organ works, capriccios, cantatas and suites. But tense relations with the authorities pushed Johann Bach to leave the city after three years.

The last straw that outweighed the patience of the church authorities was the long excommunication of the musician from Arnstadt. The inert clergy, who already disliked the musician for his innovative approach to the performance of cult sacred works, gave Bach a humiliating trial for his trip to Lubeck.

The famous organist Dietrich Buxtehude lived and worked in the city, whose improvisations on the organ Bach dreamed of listening to since childhood. Without money for a carriage, Johann went to Lubeck on foot in the fall of 1705. The master's performance shocked the musician: instead of the allotted month, he stayed in the city for four.

After returning to Arnstadt and arguing with his superiors, Johann Bach left his “hometown” and went to the Thuringian city of Mühlhausen, where he found work as an organist in the Church of St. Blaise.

The city authorities and church authorities favored talented musician, his earnings turned out to be higher than in Arnstadt. Johann Bach proposed an economical plan for the restoration of the old organ, approved by the authorities, and wrote a festive cantata, “The Lord is My King,” dedicated to the inauguration of the new consul.

But a year later, the wind of wanderings “removed” Johann Sebastian from his place and transferred him to the previously abandoned Weimar. In 1708, Bach took the place of court organist and settled in a house next to the ducal palace.

The “Weimar period” of Johann Bach’s biography turned out to be fruitful: the composer composed dozens of keyboard and orchestral works, became acquainted with the work of Corelli, and learned to use dynamic rhythms and harmonic patterns. Communication with his employer, Crown Duke Johann Ernst, a composer and musician, influenced Bach’s work. In 1713, the Duke brought from Italy sheet music of musical works by local composers, which opened new horizons in art for Johann Bach.

In Weimar, Johann Bach began work on the “Organ Book,” a collection of choral preludes for the organ, and composed the majestic organ “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” “Passacaglia in C minor,” and 20 spiritual cantatas.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Johann Sebastian Bach became widely famous master harpsichord and organist. In 1717, the famous French harpsichordist Louis Marchand arrived in Dresden. Concertmaster Volumier, having heard about Bach's talent, invited the musician to compete with Marchand. But on the day of the competition, Louis fled the city, afraid of failure.

The desire for change called Bach on the road in the fall of 1717. The Duke released his beloved musician “with disgrace.” The organist was hired as bandmaster by Prince Anhalt-Keten, who was well versed in music. But the prince’s commitment to Calvinism did not allow Bach to compose sophisticated music for worship, so Johann Sebastian wrote mainly secular works.

During the Köthen period, Johann Bach composed six suites for cello, the French and English keyboard suites, and three sonatas for violin solos. The famous “Brandenburg Concertos” and a cycle of works, including 48 preludes and fugues, called “The Well-Tempered Clavier” appeared in Köthen. At the same time, Bach wrote two- and three-voice inventions, which he called “symphonies.”

In 1723, Johann Bach took a job as cantor of the St. Thomas choir in the Leipzig church. In the same year, the public heard the composer’s work “St. John’s Passion.” Soon Bach took the position of “musical director” of all the city churches. During the 6 years of the “Leipzig period”, Johann Bach wrote 5 annual cycles of cantatas, two of which are lost.

The city council gave the composer 8 choral performers, but this number was extremely small, so Bach hired up to 20 musicians himself, which caused frequent clashes with the authorities.

In the 1720s, Johann Bach composed mainly cantatas for performance in the churches of Leipzig. Wanting to expand his repertoire, the composer wrote secular works. In the spring of 1729, the musician was appointed head of the College of Music, a secular ensemble founded by Bach's friend Georg Philipp Telemann. The ensemble performed two-hour concerts twice a week for a year at Zimmerman's Coffee House near the market square.

Most of the secular works composed by the composer from 1730 to 1750 were written by Johann Bach to be performed in coffee houses.

These include the humorous “Coffee Cantata”, the comic “Peasant Cantata”, keyboard pieces and concertos for cello and harpsichord. During these years, the famous “Mass in B minor” was written, which is called the best choral work of all time.

For spiritual performance, Bach created the High Mass in B minor and the St. Matthew Passion, receiving from the court the title of Royal Polish and Saxon court composer as a reward for his creativity.

In 1747, Johann Bach visited the court of King Frederick II of Prussia. The nobleman offered the composer musical theme and asked me to write an improvisation. Bach, a master of improvisation, immediately composed a three-part fugue. He soon supplemented it with a cycle of variations on this theme, called it a “Musical Offering” and sent it as a gift to Frederick II.

Another large cycle, called “The Art of Fugue,” was not completed by Johann Bach. The sons published the series after their father's death.

IN last decade the composer's glory faded: classicism flourished, contemporaries considered Bach's style old-fashioned. But young composers, brought up on the works of Johann Bach, revered him. The work of the great organist was also loved.

A surge of interest in the music of Johann Bach and a revival of the composer's fame began in 1829. In March, pianist and composer Felix Mendelssohn organized a concert in Berlin, where the work “St. Matthew Passion” was performed. An unexpectedly loud response followed, and the performance attracted thousands of spectators. Mendelssohn went with concerts to Dresden, Koenigsberg and Frankfurt.

Johann Bach’s work “A Musical Joke” is still one of the favorites of thousands of performers around the world. Playful, melodic, gentle music sounds in different variations, adapted for playing modern instruments.

Bach's music is popularized by Western and Russian musicians. The vocal ensemble The Swingle Singers released their debut album Jazz Sebastian Bach, which brought the group of eight vocalists world fame and a Grammy Award.

The music of Johann Bach was also arranged by jazz musicians Jacques Lussier and Joel Spiegelman. I tried to pay tribute to the genius Russian performer.

Personal life

In October 1707, Johann Sebastian Bach married his young cousin from Arnstadt, Maria Barbara. The couple had seven children, but three died in infancy. Three sons - Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Emmanuel and Johann Christian - followed in their father's footsteps and became famous musicians and composers.

In the summer of 1720, when Johann Bach and the Prince of Anhalt-Köthen were abroad, Maria Barbara died, leaving four children.

The composer’s personal life improved a year later: at the Duke’s court, Bach met the young beauty and talented singer Anna Magdalena Wilke. Johann married Anna in December 1721. They had 13 children, but 9 outlived their father.

In his old age, family turned out to be the only consolation for the composer. For his wife and children, Johann Bach composed vocal ensembles and organized chamber concerts, enjoying the songs of his wife (Anna Bach had a beautiful soprano) and the playing of his grown-up sons.

The fate of Johann Bach's wife and youngest daughter was sad. Anna Magdalena died ten years later in a house of contempt for the poor, and the youngest daughter Regina eked out a semi-beggarly existence. In the last years of her life, Ludwig van Beethoven helped the woman.

Death

In the last 5 years, Johann Bach's vision rapidly deteriorated, but the composer composed music, dictating works to his son-in-law.

In 1750, British ophthalmologist John Taylor arrived in Leipzig. The doctor’s reputation can hardly be called impeccable, but Bach grasped at straws and took a chance. After the operation, the musician’s vision did not return. Taylor operated on the composer a second time, but after a short-term return of vision, deterioration occurred. On July 18, 1750, there was a stroke, and on July 28, 65-year-old Johann Bach died.

The composer was buried in Leipzig in a church cemetery. The lost grave and remains were found in 1894 and reburied in a stone sarcophagus in the Church of St. John, where the musician served for 27 years. The temple was destroyed by bombing during World War II, but the ashes of Johann Bach were found and transferred in 1949, buried at the altar of the Church of St. Thomas.

In 1907, a museum was opened in Eisenach, where the composer was born, and in 1985 a museum appeared in Leipzig.

• Johann Bach's favorite pastime was visiting provincial churches dressed as a poor teacher.
• Thanks to the composer, both men and women sing in church choirs. Johann Bach's wife became the first church choir member.
• Johann Bach did not take money for private lessons.
• The surname Bach is translated from German as “stream”.

• Johann Bach spent a month in prison for constantly asking for resignation.
• George Frideric Handel is a contemporary of Bach, but the composers did not meet. The fates of the two musicians are similar: both went blind as a result of an unsuccessful operation performed by the quack doctor Taylor.
• A complete catalog of Johann Bach's works was published 200 years after his death.
• A German nobleman ordered the composer to write a piece, after listening to which he would be able to fall into a deep sleep. Johann Bach fulfilled the request: the famous Goldberg Variations are still a good “sleeping pill”.

Aphorisms of Bach

• “To get a good night's sleep, you should go to bed on a different day than you need to wake up.”
• “Playing the keyboard is easy: you just need to know which keys to press.”
• “The purpose of music is to touch hearts.”

Discography

• "Ave Maria"
• "English Suite N3"
• "Brandenburg Concert N3"
• "Italian Influence"
• "Concert N5 F-Minor"
• "Concert N1"
• "Concerto for cello and orchestra D-Minor"
• "Concerto for flute, cello and harp"
• "Sonata N2"
• "Sonata N4"
• "Sonata N1"
• "Suite N2 B-Minor"
• "Suite N2"
• "Suite for Orchestra N3 D-Major"
• "Toccata and Fugue D-Minor"

Johann Sebastian Bach(German Johann Sebastian Bach; March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach - July 28, 1750 [NS], Leipzig, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire) - German composer, virtuoso organist, bandmaster, music teacher.

Bach is the author of more than 1000 musical works in all significant genres of his time (except opera). Bach's creative heritage is interpreted as a generalization of the musical art of the Baroque. A staunch Protestant, Bach wrote a lot of sacred music. His St. Matthew Passion, Mass in b-minor, cantatas, instrumental arrangements of Protestant chorales are recognized masterpieces of the world musical classics. Bach is known as a great master of polyphony; Baroque polyphony reached its peak in his work.

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest, eighth 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 and relatives 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. 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. 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.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where from 1700-1703 he studied at the St. Michael's vocal school. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where french music) and Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time. Bach's first works for organ and clavier date back to the same years. In addition to singing in the 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 in Hamburg. With their help, Johann Sebastian may have gained access to the most big instruments of all the ones he's 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 1703, Bach took up the post of organist of the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt. He had to work three 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.

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. Bach's first biographer Forkel writes that Johann Sebastian walked 50 km to listen outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.

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.

In 1706, Bach decides to change his job. He was offered a more lucrative and higher position as organist at the Church of St. Blaise in Mühlhausen, a large 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. Two of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann 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 settled in a house just a five-minute walk from the Ducal 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 1704, Bach met the violinist von Westhof, who had a great influence on Bach's work. Von Westhof's works inspired Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin.

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 of Italian composers well, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi concertos for organ or harpsichord. He may have borrowed the idea of ​​writing transcriptions from the son of his employer, Hereditary Duke Johann Ernst, a composer and musician. In 1713, the Crown Duke returned from a trip abroad and brought with him large number notes that he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the Crown 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. While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the “Organ Book,” a collection of organ chorale preludes, possibly 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 and harpsichordist. The episode with Marchand dates back to this time. In 1717, the famous French musician Louis Marchand arrived in Dresden. Dresden accompanist Volumier decided to invite Bach and arrange a musical competition between two famous harpsichordists, 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.”

Palace and gardens in Köthen, engraving from the book "Topography" Matthaus Merian, 1650

At the end of 1717, Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The prince - himself a musician - appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and provided him with great freedom of action. However, the prince was a Calvinist and did not welcome 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. Also during this period, The Well-Tempered Clavier (the first volume of the cycle) and the Brandenburg Concertos were written.

Violin Sonata in G minor(BWV 1001), Bach manuscript

On July 7, 1720, while Bach and the prince were abroad in Carlsbad, his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died at the age of 35, leaving four young children. J. S. Bach learned about her funeral upon his return to Köthen. He actually expressed his feelings in connection with the death of his wife in musical form in the chaconne from the partita in D minor for solo violin, which later became one of his most recognizable works.

The following year, 1721, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young twenty-year-old highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721, and subsequently had 13 children (of whom 7 died in childhood).

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723, the performance of his “St. John Passion” took place in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the post of cantor of the St. Thomas Choir and at the same time performed the duties of a teacher at the church school, 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 received the position of “musical director” (German: Musikdirektor) 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" or "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants - Lutheran chorales.

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 there were 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 boys 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 the performance of motets by composers of the 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 College of Music ( Collegium Musicum) - a secular ensemble that has 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 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 to the 1750s, were composed specifically for performance at Zimmermann's coffee house. Such works include, for example, “Coffee Cantata” and, possibly, keyboard pieces from the collections "Clavier-Übung", as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

During the same period, Bach wrote parts Kyrie And Gloria the famous Mass in B minor (the rest of the Mass was written much later). 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 a musical theme and asked him to immediately compose something on it. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-part fugue. Later he 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 (according to modern research- until 1741). 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 his rich experience in writing polyphonic works. After Bach's death, The Art of Fugue was published by his sons, along with the chorale prelude BWV 668, which is often erroneously described as Bach's last work - in fact it exists in at least two versions and is a reworking of an earlier prelude to the same melody, BWV 641 .

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.

Tomb of Johann Sebastian Bach in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, Germany. August 9, 2011.

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 Christian Friedrich Henrici, who wrote under the pseudonym Picander. Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena often hosted friends, family members and musicians from all over Germany in their home. Frequent guests there 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, 50 km 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 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.

Bach studies

The first description of Bach's life and work was a work published in 1802 by Johann Forkel. Forkel's biography of Bach is based on an obituary and stories from Bach's sons and friends. In the mid-19th century, the general public's interest in Bach's music increased, and composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. Honored promoter of Bach's works, Robert Franz, has published several books about the composer's work. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philip Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German 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 it was believed that this happened in the 1740s), unknown works were found, 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. There is also a work called a 20th-century hoax, “The Chronicle of the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, Compiled by His Widow Anna Magdalena Bach,” written by the English writer Esther Meinel on behalf of the composer’s widow.

Creation

Bach wrote more than a thousand musical works in almost all genres known at that time. Bach did not work only in the opera genre.

Today, each of the famous works is assigned a number BWV (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 lifetime, 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, passacaglia, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined features of different musical styles with which he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced both by the music of North German composers (Georg Böhm, whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck) and by the music of South German composers. In addition, Bach copied the works of French and Italian composers in order to better understand their technique; he later transcribed several of Vivaldi's violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (1708-1714), Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes, toccatas and fugues, but also the "Orgelbüchlein" - a collection of 46 preludes, which demonstrated various methods and techniques instrumental arrangement of Protestant chorales. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for organ; However, many famous works were written after Weimar, including 6 trio sonatas, the third part of the collection "Clavier-Übung" and 18 Leipzig chorales. Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted in the construction of instruments, examined new organs and was well versed in the peculiarities of their tuning.

Keyboard creativity

Bach also wrote many works for the harpsichord, many of which could also be played on the clavichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. The most famous:

• “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 perform music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament system. “The Well-Tempered Clavier” laid the foundation for a cycle of movements sounding in all keys. It is also a unique example of a “cycle within a cycle” - each prelude and fugue are thematically and figuratively linked to each other and form a single cycle, which is always performed together.
• 15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions are small works, arranged in increasing order of key characters. They were intended (and are still used to this day) for teaching how to play keyboard instruments.
• English Suites and French Suites. Each collection contains 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.
• The first and second parts of the collection “Clavier-Übung” (lit. “exercises for the clavier”). The first part (1731) included six partitas, the second (1735) included an Overture in the French style (BWV 831) and an Italian concerto (BWV 971).
• Goldberg Variations (published in 1741 as the fourth part of the Clavier-Übung) - a 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.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music for both individual instruments and ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 3 sonatas and 3 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 wrote many works for orchestra and solo instruments. Some of the most famous 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. These six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Bach's orchestral masterpieces include two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and 1042), a concerto for 2 violins in D minor BWV 1043, the so-called "triple" concerto in A minor (for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings and basso continuo) BWV 1044 and concertos for claviers and chamber orchestra: seven for one clavier (BWV 1052-1058), three for two (BWV 1060-1062), two for three (BWV 1063 and 1064) and one - in A minor BWV 1065 - for four harpsichords. Nowadays, these concertos with orchestra are often performed on the piano, which is why they are sometimes called Bach's "piano" concertos, but it is worth remembering that in Bach's time there was no piano. In addition to the concertos, Bach composed four orchestral suites (BWV 1066-1069), individual parts of which are widely popular today, especially the last part of the Second Suite (the so-called “Joke” - an overly literal translation of the genre Scherzo) and II part of the Third Suite (“Aria”).

German postage stamp dedicated to J. S. Bach, 1961, 20 pfennigs (Scott 829)

Vocal works

• Cantatas. For a long period of his life, every Sunday in the Church of St. Thomas, Bach led the performance of a cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to the Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach also performed cantatas by other composers, in Leipzig he composed at least three complete annual cycles of 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 about 200 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 the opening movement in the form of a cantus firmus. Popular church cantatas include "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (BWV 4), "Ein' feste Burg" (BWV 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" ( BWV 147). In addition, Bach also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually timed to coincide with some event, for example, a wedding. Popular secular cantatas include "Coffee" (BWV 211) and "Peasant" (BWV 212).
• Passions, or passions. St. John Passion (1724) and St. Matthew Passion (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on gospel theme of the Passion of Christ, intended to be performed at Vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. The St. Matthew Passion (along with the Mass in b minor) is Bach's most ambitious work.
• Oratorios and Magnificat. 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 the Magnificat (1730; first edition 1723) are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and have a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions.
• 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 its inconsistency with the Lutheran canon (which included only Kyrie And Gloria), and also because of the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, Bach wrote 4 short two-part masses ( Kyrie And Gloria), as well as individual parts ( Sanctus And Kyrie).

Bach's other vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Features of the performance of Bach's works

Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance (or "historically oriented performance"), that is, using the instruments and methods of Bach's era, and those who perform Bach on modern instruments. In Bach's time there were no such large choirs and orchestras as, for example, in the time of Brahms, 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; Nowadays, the harpsichord or piano are more often used to perform his music. Bach met with I.G. Zilberman and discussed with him the structure of his new instrument, making a contribution to the creation of the modern piano. Bach's music for some instruments was often arranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged some organ works for piano (chorales and others). A very important milestone in pianistic and musicological practice is his popular edition of The Well-Tempered Clavier - perhaps the most widely used edition of this work today.

Numerous "lite" and "modern" 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. The New Age arrangement of the Goldberg Variations was performed by Joel Spiegelman. Among Russian contemporary performers Fyodor Chistyakov tried to pay tribute to Bach in his 1997 solo album “When Bach Wake Up.”

The fate of Bach's music

Contrary to popular myth, Bach was not forgotten after his death. True, this concerned works for the clavier: his works were performed and published, and were used for didactic purposes. Bach's works for organ continued to be played in the church, and organ harmonizations of chorales were in constant use. Bach's cantata-oratorio works were rarely performed (although the notes were carefully preserved in the Church of St. Thomas), as a rule, on the initiative of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach.

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. 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 and Beethoven, knew and loved the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. They were brought up on the works of Bach from childhood. One day, while 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 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” (word Bach in German it means "stream"). Bach's influence can be noted both at the level of ideas, choice of genres, and in some polyphonic fragments of Beethoven's works.

In 1800, the Berlin Singing Academy (German) was organized by Karl Friedrich Zelter ( Singakademie), the main purpose of which was precisely the promotion of Bach's singing heritage. A biography written in 1802 by Johann Nikolaus Forkel stimulated general public interest in his music. More and 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 on March 11, 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn, a student of Zelter. The performance gained a powerful public response. Even the rehearsals conducted by Mendelssohn became an event - they were attended by many music lovers. The performance was such a success that the concert was repeated on Bach's birthday. “The St. Matthew Passion” was also performed in other cities - Frankfurt, Dresden, Königsberg. 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 to popularize Bach's music and the composer's growing fame continued.

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 Russia early XIX centuries, as experts and performers of Bach's music, Filda's student Maria Shimanovskaya and Alexander Griboyedov especially stand out.

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 homage to Bach by including the BACH motif (B-flat - A - C - B in German alphabetic 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. Among the works of contemporary composers on the same theme, one can name “Variations on a Theme BACH” by Roman Ledenev. It is worth especially noting that Bach himself often used this same theme, for example, in the XIV counterpoint from The Art of Fugue.

Composers often used themes from Bach's works. For example, Brahms' Cello Sonata in D major uses musical quotations from The Art of Fugue in the finale.

Many composers have successfully used the genres developed by Bach. For example, Beethoven's variations on a theme by Diabelli, the prototype of which is the Goldberg Variations. “The Well-Tempered Clavier” was the founder of the genre of a cycle of movements written in all keys. There are many examples of this genre, for example, 24 preludes and fugues by Shostakovich, two cycles of 24 etudes by Chopin, partly Ludus tonalis Paul Hindemith .

The chorale prelude “Ich ruf’ zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ” (BWV 639) from Bach’s Organ Book performed by Leonid Roizman is heard in Andrei Tarkovsky’s film “Solaris” (1972).

Bach's music, among the best creations of mankind, was recorded on the Voyager gold disc.

According to version The New York Times Johann Sebastian Bach topped the top ten greatest composers of all time.

Bach monuments in Germany

Monument to J. S. Bach at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig.

• Monument in Leipzig, erected on April 23, 1843 by Hermann Knaur on the initiative of Felix Mendelssohn according to the drawings of Eduard Bendemann, Ernst Ritschel and Julius Hübner.
• Bronze statue in the square Frauenplan in Eisenach, designed by Adolf von Donndorff, installed on September 28, 1884. At first it stood on the Market Square near the Church of St. George; April 4, 1938 was moved to Frauenplan with a short pedestal.
• Monument on Bach Square in Köthen, erected on March 21, 1885. Sculptor - Heinrich Pohlmann
• Bronze statue by Karl Seffner on the south side of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig - 17 May 1908.
• Bust by Fritz Behn in the Valhalla monument near Regensburg, 1916.
• Statue by Paul Birr at the entrance to St. George's Church in Eisenach, erected on April 6, 1939.
• Monument to the arch. Bruno Eiermann in Weimar, first installed in 1950, then removed for two years and reopened in 1995 on Democracy Square.
• Relief in Köthen (1952). Sculptor - Robert Propf.
• The monument near the Arnstadt market was erected on March 21, 1985. Author - Bernd Goebel
• Wooden stele by Ed Garison on Johann Sebastian Bach Square in front of St. Blaise Church in Mühlhausen - August 17, 2001.
• The Ansbach monument, designed by Jürgen Goertz, was erected in July 2003.

Films about J. S. Bach

• Bach: Struggle for Freedom(1995, dir. S. Gillard, feature)
• Johann Bach and Anna Magdalena (“Il etait une fois Jean-Sebastien Bach”)(2003, dir. Jean-Louis Guillermou, feature)
• Johann Sebastian Bach(series " Famous composers", documentary)
• Johann Sebastian Bach(series “German Composers”, documentary)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: life and work, in two parts (TV channel “Culture”, Yu. Nagibin, documentary)
• The competition continues(1971, dir. N. Khrobko, teleplay)
• My name is Bach(2003, dir. Dominique de Rivaz, feature)
• Silence before Bach(2007, dir. Pere Portabella, feature)
• Johann Sebastian Bach's futile journey to fame(1980, dir. V. Vikas, feature)
• Possible meeting(1992, directed by V. Dolgachev, S. Satyrenko, teleplay based on the play of the same name; starring: O. Efremov, I. Smoktunovsky, S. Lyubshin)
• Dinner for four hands(1999, directed by M. Kozakov, television feature; in the role of Bach - Evgeny Steblov).
• Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach(1968, dir. Daniel Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub, feature, G. Leonhardt)
• Bach Cello Suite #6: Six Gestures(1997, dir. Patricia Rozema, feature)
• Friedemann Bach(1941, dir. Traugott Müller, Gustaf Gründgens, feature)
• Anton Ivanovich is angry(1941, dir. Alexander Ivanovsky, feature)
• Great Composers (BBC TV series)- The life and work of J. S. Bach, documentary (English), in 8 parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8
• Johann Sebastian Bach(1985, dir. Lothar Bellag, television series, in the title role Ulrich Thain) (German)
• Johann Sebastian Bach - Der liebe Gott der Musik(series “Die Geschichte Mitteldeutschlands”, season 6, episode 3, dir. Lew Hohmann, documentary) (German)
• The Cantor of St Thomas's(1984, dir. Colin Nears, feature) (English)
• The Joy of Bach(1980, documentary) (English)

Bach Johann Sebastian, whose biography is of interest to many music lovers, became one of the greatest composers in its entire history. In addition, he was a performer, a virtuoso organist, and a talented teacher. In this article we will look at the life of Johann Sebastian Bach and also introduce his work. The composer's works are often performed in concert halls around the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31 (21 - Old Style) 1685 - July 28, 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque era. He enriched the musical style created in Germany thanks to his mastery of counterpoint and harmony, and adapted foreign rhythms and forms, borrowed, in particular, from Italy and France. Bach's works are the Goldberg Variations, the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B Minor, more than 300 cantatas, of which 190 have survived, and many other works. His music is considered very technically complex, full of artistic beauty and intellectual depth.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Brief biography

Bach was born in Eisenach into a family of hereditary musicians. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the founder of the city music concerts, and all his uncles were professional performers. The composer's father taught his son to play the violin and harpsichord, and his brother, Johann Christoph, taught him to play the clavichord, and also introduced Johann Sebastian to modern music. Partly according own initiative Bach attended St. Michael's vocal school in Lüneburg for 2 years. After certification, he held several musical positions in Germany, in particular, court musician to Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar, caretaker of the organ in the church of St. Boniface, located in Arnstadt.

In 1749, Bach's eyesight and overall health deteriorated, and he died in 1750, on July 28. Modern historians believe that the cause of his death was a combination of stroke and pneumonia. Johann Sebastian's fame as an excellent organist spread throughout Europe during Bach's lifetime, although he was not yet so popular as a composer. He became famous as a composer a little later, in the first half of the 19th century, when interest in his music was revived. Currently, Bach Johann Sebastian, whose biography is presented in full below, is considered one of the greatest musical creators in history.

Childhood (1685 - 1703)

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685, on March 21 according to the old style (new style - on the 31st of the same month). He was the son of Johann Ambrosius and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The composer became the eighth child in the family (the eldest son was 14 years older than him at the time of Bach’s birth). The future composer's mother died in 1694, and his father eight months later. Bach was 10 years old at that time, and he went to live with Johann Christoph, his older brother (1671 - 1731). There he studied, performed and transcribed music, including his brother's compositions, despite the ban on doing so. From Johann Christoph he adopted a lot of knowledge in the field of music. At the same time, Bach studied theology, Latin, Greek, French, Italian at the local gymnasium. As Johann Sebastian Bach later admitted, the classics inspired and amazed him from the very beginning.

Arnstadt, Weimar and Mühlhausen (1703 - 1717)

In 1703, after finishing his studies at St. Michael's School in Lüneburg, the composer was appointed court musician to the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst III in Weimar. During his seven-month stay there, Bach's reputation as an excellent keyboard player was established, and he was invited to a new position as caretaker of the organ at the church of St. Boniface, located in Arnstadt, 30 km southwest of Weimar. Despite good family connections and his own musical enthusiasm, tensions with his superiors arose after several years of service. In 1706, Bach was offered the post of organist at the Church of St. Blaise (Mühlhausen), which he took the following year. The new position paid much higher, included much best conditions labor, as well as a more professional choir with which Bach had to work. Four months later, Johann Sebastian's wedding to Maria Barbara took place. They had seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood, including Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel, who later became famous composers.

In 1708, Bach Johann Sebastian, whose biography took a new direction, left Mühlhausen and returned to Weimar, this time as an organist, and from 1714 as a concert organizer, and had the opportunity to work with more professional musicians. In this city, the composer continues to play and compose works for the organ. He also began writing preludes and fugues, which were later included in his monumental work The Well-Tempered Clavier, consisting of two volumes. Each of them includes preludes and fugues, written in all possible minor and major keys. Also in Weimar, composer Johann Sebastian Bach began working on the work “Organ Book,” containing Lutheran chorales, a collection of choral preludes for organ. In 1717 he fell out of favor in Weimar, was arrested for almost a month and subsequently removed from office.

Köthen (1717 - 1723)

Leopold (an important person - the Prince of Anhalt-Köthen) offered Bach the job of bandmaster in 1717. Prince Leopold, being a musician himself, admired Johann Sebastian's talent, paid him well and gave him considerable freedom in composition and performance. The prince was a Calvinist, and they do not use complex and refined music in worship, accordingly, the work of Johann Sebastian Bach of that period was secular and included orchestral suites, suites for solo cello, for clavier, as well as the famous “Brandenburg Concertos”. In 1720, on July 7, his wife Maria Barbara, who bore him seven children, dies. The composer meets his second wife the following year. Johann Sebastian Bach, whose works were gradually beginning to gain popularity, married a girl named Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a soprano singer, in 1721, December 3.

Leipzig (1723 - 1750)

In 1723, Bach received a new position, beginning to work as cantor of the St. Thomas Choir. This was a prestigious service in Saxony, which the composer carried out for 27 years, until his death. Bach's duties included teaching students to sing and writing church music for the main churches of Leipzig. Johann Sebastian was also supposed to give Latin lessons, but had the opportunity to hire a special person in his place. During Sunday services, as well as on holidays, cantatas were required for church services, and the composer usually performed his own compositions, most of which appeared in the first 3 years of his stay in Leipzig.

Johann Sebastian Bach, whose classics are now well known to many people, expanded his compositional and performing capabilities in March 1729 by taking over the leadership of the College of Music, a secular assembly under the direction of the composer Georg Philipp Telemann. The college was one of dozens of private societies popular at that time in large German cities, created on the initiative of students musical institutions. These associations played an important role in German musical life, being led for the most part by outstanding specialists. Many of Bach's works from the 1730s-1740s. were written and performed at the Music College. Johann Sebastian's last major work was “Mass in B Minor” (1748-1749), which was recognized as his most global church work. Although the entire “Mass” was never performed during the author’s lifetime, it is considered one of the composer’s most outstanding creations.

Death of Bach (1750)

In 1749, the composer's health deteriorated. Bach Johann Sebastian, whose biography ends in 1750, suddenly began to lose his sight and turned for help to the English ophthalmologist John Taylor, who performed 2 operations in March-April 1750. However, both were unsuccessful. The composer's vision never returned. On July 28, at the age of 65, Johann Sebastian died. Contemporary newspapers wrote that "death occurred as a result of unsuccessful eye surgery." Currently, historians consider the cause of the composer’s death to be a stroke complicated by pneumonia.

Carl Philipp Emmanuel, son of Johann Sebastian, and his student Johann Friedrich Agricola wrote an obituary. It was published in 1754 by Lorenz Christoph Mizler in a music magazine. Johann Sebastian Bach, whose brief biography is presented above, was originally buried in Leipzig, near the Church of St. John. The grave remained untouched for 150 years. Later, in 1894, the remains were transferred to a special repository in the Church of St. John, and in 1950 - to the Church of St. Thomas, where the composer still rests.

Organ creativity

During his lifetime, Bach was best known as an organist and composer of organ music, which he wrote in all traditional German genres (preludes, fantasies). Johann Sebastian Bach's favorite genres were toccata, fugue, and chorale preludes. His organ creativity very diverse. At a young age, Johann Sebastian Bach (we have already briefly touched upon his biography) earned a reputation as a highly creative composer, capable of adapting many foreign styles to the requirements of organ music. He was greatly influenced by the traditions of Northern Germany, in particular Georg Böhm, whom the composer met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude, whom Johann Sebastian visited in 1704 during a long vacation. Around this time, Bach rewrote the works of many Italian and French composers, and later Vivaldi's violin concertos, in order to breathe new life into them as works for organ performance. During his most productive creative period (from 1708 to 1714), Johann Sebastian Bach wrote fugues and tocattas, several dozen pairs of preludes and fugues, and the “Organ Book,” an unfinished collection of 46 chorale preludes. After leaving Weimar, the composer wrote less organ music, although he created a number of famous works.

Other works for clavier

Bach wrote a lot of music for the harpsichord, some of which can be performed on the clavichord. Many of these works are encyclopedic, incorporating theoretical methods and techniques that Johann Sebastian Bach loved to use. The works (list) are presented below:

• "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is a two-volume work. Each volume contains preludes and fugues in all common 24 major and minor keys, arranged in chromatic order.
• Inventions and overtures. These two- and three-voice works are arranged in the same order as the Well-Tempered Clavier, with the exception of some rare keys. They were created by Bach for educational purposes.
• 3 collections of dance suites, "French Suites", "English Suites" and partitas for clavier.
• "Goldberg Variations".
• Various pieces such as "Overture in French style", "Italian concerto".

Orchestral and chamber music

Johann Sebastian also wrote works for individual instruments, duets and small ensembles. Many of them, such as partitas and sonatas for solo violin, six different suites for solo cello, partita for solo flute, are considered among the most outstanding in the composer's repertoire. Bach Johann Sebastian wrote symphonies, and also created several compositions for solo lute. He also created trio sonatas, solo sonatas for flute and viola da gamba, and a large number of ricercars and canons. For example, the cycles “The Art of Fugue”, “Musical Offering”. Bach's most famous orchestral work is the Brandenburg Concertos, so named because Johann Sebastian presented it in hopes of obtaining work from Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Swedish in 1721. His attempt, however, was unsuccessful. The genre of this work is concerto grosso. Other surviving works by Bach for orchestra: 2 violin concertos, a concerto written for two violins (key "D minor"), concertos for clavier and chamber orchestra (from one to four instruments).

Vocal and choral works

• Cantatas. Beginning in 1723, Bach worked in the Church of St. Thomas, and every Sunday, as well as on holidays, he led the performance of cantatas. Although he sometimes staged cantatas by other composers, Johann Sebastian wrote at least 3 cycles of his works in Leipzig, not counting those composed in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, more than 300 cantatas devoted to spiritual themes were created, of which approximately 200 have survived.
• Motets. Motets, authored by Johann Sebastian Bach, are works on spiritual themes for choir and basso continuo. Some of them were composed for funeral ceremonies.
• Passions, or passions, oratorios and magnificata. Bach's major works for choir and orchestra are the St. John Passion, the St. Matthew Passion (both written for Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas) and the Christmas Oratorio (a cycle of 6 cantatas intended for the Christmas service ). Shorter works are "Easter Oratorio" and "Magnificat".
• "Mass in B Minor". Bach created his last major work, the Mass in B Minor, between 1748 and 1749. The "Mass" was never staged in its entirety during the composer's lifetime.

Musical style

Bach's musical style was shaped by his talent for counterpoint, his ability to lead a tune, his flair for improvisation, his interest in the music of Northern and Southern Germany, Italy and France, and his devotion to the Lutheran tradition. Thanks to the fact that Johann Sebastian had access to many instruments and works in his childhood and youth, and thanks to his ever-increasing talent for writing dense music with stunning sonority, the features of Bach's work were filled with eclecticism and energy, in which foreign influences were skillfully combined with already existing advanced German music school. During the Baroque period, many composers composed mainly only frame works, and the performers themselves supplemented them with their own melodic embellishments and developments. This practice varies considerably among European schools. However, Bach composed most or all of his songs himself. melodic lines and details, leaving little room for interpretation. This feature reflects the density of contrapuntal textures to which the composer gravitated, limiting the freedom to spontaneously change musical lines. For some reason, some sources mention the works of other authors, which were allegedly written by Johann Sebastian Bach. "Moonlight Sonata", for example. You and I, of course, remember that Beethoven created this work.

Execution

Modern performers of Bach's works usually follow one of two traditions: the so-called authentic (historically oriented performance) or modern (using modern instruments, often in large ensembles). In Bach's time, orchestras and choirs were much more modest than they are today, and even his most ambitious works - the passions and the Mass in B minor - were written for far fewer performers. In addition, today you can hear very different versions of the sound of the same music, since in some of Johann Sebastian’s chamber works there was initially no instrumentation at all. Modern "lite" versions of Bach's works have made a great contribution to the popularization of his music in the 20th century. Among them are famous tunes performed by the Swinger Singers and Wendy Carlos' 1968 recording of Switched-On-Bach, using the newly invented synthesizer. Jazz musicians, such as Jacques Loussier, also showed interest in Bach's music. Joel Spiegelman performed an adaptation of his famous “Goldberg Variations”, creating his own work in the New Age style.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) - German composer and organist. During his lifetime he was famous as an organist and harpsichordist; his composer's work was perceived by his contemporaries in connection with practical activities , which took place in a typical manner for a musician of the 17th–18th centuries. the setting of the church, courtyard and city. He spent his childhood in Eisenach and studied in Ohrdruf and Lineburg from 1695 to 1702. At the age of 17, he played the organ, clavier, violin, viola, sang in the choir, and was an assistant cantor. In 1703–07, the organist Neykirche in Arnstadt, in 1707–08 organist Blaziuskirskh in Mühlhausen, in 1708–17 a court organist, a mushroom chamber, from 1714 a court concertmaster in Weimar, in 1717–23 a court dropmer of a Clevberry, in 1723–50 Kantor Kantor Cantor Cantor Cantor Cantor Cantor Cantor Thomaskirche and city music director in Leipzig (1729–41 head of the Collegium musicum). Bach is one of the greatest representatives of world humanistic culture. The work of Bach, a universal musician, distinguished by its inclusiveness of genres (except opera), summarized the achievements of musical art of several centuries on the verge of Baroque and Classicism. A distinctly national artist, Bach combined the traditions of the Protestant chorale with the traditions of the Austrian, Italian, and French musical schools. Bach, an unsurpassed master of polyphony, is characterized by the unity of polyphonic and homophonic, vocal and instrumental thinking, which explains the deep interpenetration of various genres and styles in his work. The leading genre in Bach's vocal and instrumental work is the spiritual cantata. Bach created 5 annual cycles of cantatas, which differ in their belonging to the church calendar, in text sources (psalms, chorale stanzas, “free” poetry), in the role of the chorale, etc. Of the secular cantatas, the most famous are “Peasant” and “Coffee” . The dramaturgy and principles developed in the cantata were implemented in the masses and the “Passion”. The “High” Mass in h-minor, “St. John’s Passion,” and “Matthew’s Passion” became the culmination of the centuries-long history of these genres. Organ music occupies a central place in Bach's instrumental work. Synthesizing the experience of organ improvisation inherited from his predecessors (D. Buxtehude, J. Pachelbel, G. Böhm, I. A. Reincken), various variational and polyphonic composition techniques and contemporary principles of concertoing, Bach rethought and updated the traditional genres of organ music - toccata , fantasy, passacaglia, chorale prelude. A virtuoso performer and one of the greatest experts on keyboard instruments of his time, Bach created an extensive literature for the clavier. Among the keyboard works, the most important place is occupied by the “Well-Tempered Clavier” - the first experience in the history of music of artistic application developed at the turn of the 17th–18th centuries. tempered system. The greatest polyphonist, in the fugues of HTC Bach created unsurpassed examples, a kind of school of contrapuntal mastery, which was continued and completed in the “Art of Fugue”, on which Bach worked during the last 10 years of his life. Bach is the author of one of the first keyboard concertos - the Italian Concerto (without orchestra), which completely established independent meaning clavier as a concert instrument. Bach's music for violin, cello, flute, oboe, instrumental ensemble, orchestra - sonatas, suites, partitas, concertos - marks a significant expansion of the expressive and technical capabilities of instruments, reveals a deep knowledge of instruments and universalism in their interpretation. The 6 Brandenburg Concertos for various instrumental compositions, which implemented the genre and compositional principles of the concerto grosso, were an important step on the path to the classical symphony. During Bach's lifetime, a small part of his works was published. The true scale of Bach’s genius, which had a strong influence on the subsequent development of European musical culture, began to be realized only half a century after his death. Among the first connoisseurs are the founder of Bach studies I. N. Forkel (published an essay on the life and work of Bach in 1802), K. F. Zelter, whose activities in preserving and promoting Bach’s heritage led to the performance of the St. Matthew Passion under the baton of F. Mendelssohn in 1829. This performance, which had historical significance, provided the impetus for the revival of Bach's work in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1850, the Bach Society was formed in Leipzig.

Essays: For soloists, choir And orchestra - St. John's Passion (1724), St. Matthew's Passion (1727 or 1729; final edition 1736), Magnificat (1723), High Mass (h-minor, circa 1747–49; 1st edition 1733), 4 short masses (1730– e years), oratorios (Rozhdestvenskaya, Easter, around 1735), cantatas (about 200 sacred ones have survived, over 20 secular ones); For orchestra - 6 Brandenburg Concertos (1711–20), 5 Overtures (suites, 1721–30); concerts For tools With orchestra - for 1, 2, 3, 4 claviers, 2 for violins, for 2 violins; intimate-instrumental ensembles - 6 sonatas for violin and clavier, 3 sonatas for flute and clavier, 3 sonatas for cello and clavier, trio sonatas; For organ - 6 organ concertos (1708–17), preludes and fugues, fantasies and fugues, toccatas and fugues, passacaglia in C minor, chorale preludes; For clavier - 6 English Suites, 6 French Suites, 6 Partitas, Well-Tempered Clavier (Volume 1 - 1722, Volume 2 - 1744), Italian Concerto (1734), Goldberg Variations (1742); For violins - 3 sonatas, 3 partitas; 6 suites for cello; spiritual songs, arias; essays without instructions performing composition - Musical Offering (1747), The Art of Fugue (1740–50), etc.

Johann Sebastian was born into a family that is considered the largest musical dynasty in Germany. Of Bach's ancestors, Veit Bach, a baker who played the zither, and Johannes Bach, a city musician in Erfurt, were especially famous. The descendants of the latter became so famous that in some medieval German dialects the surname “Bach” became a common noun and acquired the meaning “city musician”.

Bach's father is Johann of Ambroy, a city musician.

Johann Sebastian's uncle, Johann Christoph, served as an organist in the city. Naturally, the future greatest representative of the dynasty began to study music from a very early age.

1693 - the younger Bach enters a church school. The boy has a good soprano voice and is making progress

1695 - Johann Sebastian loses both parents in two years. He is taken in by his older brother, who served as a musician in Ordfur.

1695 – 1700 – Ohrdruf. Bach studies at school and studies music under the guidance of his brother. At the same time, as a teenager, Johann Bach severely lost his sight - at night, in the light of the moon, he copied notes from his brother.

The school teacher recommends that Bach go to Luneburg, to the famous school at the Church of St. Michael. Johann Sebastian walks 300 kilometers from Central to Northern Germany. In Lüneburg, Bach lives on full board and even receives a small stipend. Master organist Georg Böhm becomes one of the mentors of the future composer in Lüneburg.

1702 - after graduating from school, Bach has the right to go to university, but cannot afford it, since he needs to earn a living. After spending some time in Lüneburg, the future composer goes back to Thuringia. Here he manages to serve as a violinist in the private chapel of Prince Johann Ernest of Saxony. Then Bach stops in Arnstadt, where he spends 4 years.

1703 – 1707 – Arnstadt. Bach serves as a church organist, while never ceasing to study the music and performance style of famous musicians of that time.

1707 - Bach accepts an invitation to serve in Mühlhausen, as an organist in the Church of St. Blaise. Here he begins to write cantatas and works part-time as an organ repairman. Bach spends a year in Mühlhausen.

1708 - Johann Sebastian Bach marries his cousin, also orphan Maria Barbara. Maria Barbara gave birth to Bach 7 children, four of whom survived.

The same year - moving to Weimar. Johann Bach finally stays in the city for a long time, he is a court organist and composer. This time is considered to be the beginning creative path Bach as a composer of music. Many pieces for organ and harpsichord were written in Weimar.

1717 – 1723 – Köten. Bach receives the position of court conductor at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Keten. Johann Sebastian's responsibilities included: accompanying the prince's singing (according to contemporaries, he had a good voice), accompanying his playing of the harpsichord and gamba, and also leading a chapel of 18 musicians. Here he wrote “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (1st volume), sonatas and suites for solo violin and cello, six Brandenburg concertos

Bach's appearance as court conductor was preceded by an event in Dresden: there was to be a performance by the “world star” of that time, L. Marchand. The musicians met on the eve of the concert, they even managed to play together, after which Marchand left Dresden, unable to withstand the competition and recognizing Bach as a better musician than himself.

June 1720 - Maria Barbara dies suddenly. Bach becomes a widower.

1721 - Johann Bach marries for the second time the daughter of a court musician from Weissenfeld, Anna Magdalene Wilcken. She also represents a musical dynasty and has a beautiful voice and good hearing. Helping her husband, Anna Magdalena rewrote many of his works. The second marriage becomes much more successful for the composer than the first. For his beloved Anna Magdalene, Bach creates the “Anna Magdalene Bach Music Book.” In this marriage, Bach has 13 children, but six of them survive.

1722 - Tired of secular music, Bach applies for a cantor vacancy that opens in Leipzig. A year later he gets this position.

1723 – 1750 – Leipzig.

1723 - in Leipzig, the music director of the city and the cantor of the church choir at the school of St. Thomas are waiting for the already famous musician. It is here that Johann Sebastian begins work as the head of the choir school. Teaching is a burden for the composer, taking time away from creativity. In addition, the choir school is poorly maintained; Johann Sebastian's students are constantly hungry and poorly dressed. And the school authorities care little about the quality of boys’ singing abilities.

At the same time, the composer accepts live participation in the activities of the “Music College” of Leipzig.

In Leipzig, three sons of Johann Sebastian Bach were born: Wilhelm Friedemann, Philip Emmanuel, John Christian. They all turned out to be gifted musicians.

Leipzig period of creativity - Bach writes “St. Matthew Passion”, “St. John Passion”, “High Mass”, “Glorious Oratorio”, Mass in B minor, “Christmas Oratorio”, etc. The authorities are dissatisfied with the works of Johann Sebastian - they are “not churchly” , they lack the appropriate severity, but there is an abundance of the colorfulness of earthly music. Mutual dissatisfaction between the composer and his superiors ultimately results in open conflict.

1740 - Bach, formally remaining in the service, actually goes into his own work. He writes instrumental music and is trying to publish some of his works.

1747 - trip to Berlin. Philip Emmanuel, son of Bach, serves under Frederick II. He provides his father with a performance at the royal court. Bach plays for Frederick and his entourage, improvising on a theme given by the king. Returning to Leipzig, Bach uses this improvisation as the basis for his work “Musical Offering” and dedicates it to Frederick II of Prussia.

In the last years of his life, Bach was seriously ill, due to eye strain suffered in his youth. Shortly before his death, the composer decided to have an operation, but after it he only became completely blind. This did not stop the composer - now he dictated his works.