Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March, 1685 – 28 July 1750){{an|birthanddeath}} was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and keyboard drew together almost all of the pre-existing strands of the baroque style and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new musical forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust and dazzling contrapuntal technique, a seemingly effortless control of harmonic and motivic organisation from the smallest to the largest scales, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France. His forceful suavity and vast output have earnt him wide acknowledgement as one of the greatest composers in the Western tonal tradition. Revered for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, his works include the Brandenburg Concertos, the keyboard suites and partitas, the Mass in B Minor, the St Matthew Passion, A Musical Offering, The Art of Fugue and about 240 church cantatas. An example of a chorus from a cantata movement appears below: Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe from the Christmas Oratorio, written in 1734 during his mature period.

Works

Style

Bach?s inventive and unique melodies combine the finest of Italian, French and German styles while remaining full and contrapuntal; however, his melodies often imply emotion rather than convey it?something that many people today have trouble understanding.

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Bach?s counterpoint is among the most careful and precise ever conceived; the complexity of it is captivating to composers and non-composers alike, and contains as many as five melodies all harmonizing with each other at once. This combination of original melodic style and masterful counterpoint forged a powerful influence on later composers. Several notable composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Mendelssohn increased their attention to harmony and wrote more complex works after being introduced to Bach. Nowadays, his styles and melodies are the basis for music ranging from hymns and religious music to pop and rock music. Many of Bach?s themes?particularly the theme from Toccata and Fugue in D minor?have been used in rock songs repeatedly and have received notable popularity.

Related Topics:
Counterpoint - Mozart - Beethoven - Schumann - Mendelssohn - Toccata and Fugue in D minor

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Although the works of Bach generally influence other composers, one would do well to remember that in Bach's era, greatness was decided by the ability to master a technique, not by inventiveness. His musical style reflects the customs and conventions of his day, and was affected by the works of Couperin and Domenico Scarlatti. Vivaldi also inspired Bach a great deal as can be seen by Bach's transcriptions of Vivaldi's violin concerti into harpsichord works.

Related Topics:
Couperin - Domenico Scarlatti - Vivaldi - Violin - Harpsichord

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The BWV numbering system

:Main article: BWV

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Johann Sebastian Bach's works are indexed with BWV numbers, an initialism for Bach Werke Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue). The catalogue, published in 1950, was compiled by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue is organised thematically, rather than chronologically: BWV 1–224 are cantatas, BWV 225–48 the large-scale choral works, BWV 250–524 chorales and sacred songs, BWV 525–748 organ works, BWV 772–994 other keyboard works, BWV 995–1000 lute music, BWV 1001–40 chamber music, BWV 1041–71 orchestral music, and BWV 1072–1126 canons and fugues. In compiling the catalogue, Schmieder largely followed the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe, a comprehensive edition of the composer's works that was produced between 1850 and 1905. For a list of works catalogued by BWV number, see List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Related Topics:
Initialism - 1950 - Wolfgang Schmieder - Cantata - Chorale - Organ - Lute - Chamber music - Canon - Fugue - 1850 - 1905 - List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach

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Organ works

Bach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ works both in the traditional German free genres such as preludes, fantasias, and toccatas, and stricter forms such as chorale preludes and fugues. He established a reputation at a young age for his great creativity and ability to integrate aspects of several different national styles into his organ works. A decidedly North German influence was exerted by Georg Böhm, whom Bach came in contact with in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck, whom the young organist visited in 1704 on an extended leave of absence from his job in Arnstadt. Around this time Bach also copied the works of numerous French and Italian composers in order to gain insights into their compositional languages, and later even arranged several violin concertos by Vivaldi and others for organ. His most productive period (1708–14) saw not only the composition of several pairs of preludes and fugues and toccatas and fugues, but also the writing of the Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book"), an unfinished collection of 49 short chorale preludes intended to demonstrate various compositional techniques that could be used in setting chorale tunes. After he left Weimar, Bach's output for organ fell off, although his most well-known works (the six trio sonatas, the Clavierübung III of 1739, and the "Great Eighteen" chorales, revised very late in his life) were all composed after this time. Bach was also extensively engaged later in his life in consulting on various organ projects, testing newly-built organs, and dedicating organs in afternoon recitals.

Related Topics:
Prelude - Fantasia - Toccata - Chorale prelude - Fugue - Georg Böhm - Lüneburg - Dietrich Buxtehude - Lübeck - Arnstadt - Vivaldi - Chorale - Sonatas

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Other keyboard works

Bach wrote many works for "clavier," usually understood to mean an unspecified keyboard. Although the piano ("Klavier" in German) was invented in Bach's lifetime, most scholars doubt he had one or intended any of his music for it. His keyboard works may have been intended for harpsichord or clavichord instead.

Related Topics:
Piano - Harpsichord - Clavichord

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The Two-part inventions and Three-part inventions (or "sinfonias") were probably intended for instructional purposes rather than concert use. He also wrote a set of English suites and a set of French suites, complex and difficult music based loosely on dance forms. He also wrote a number of other solo dances, suites, partitas, and the like. Among the best-known of these is The Well-Tempered Clavier, a set of preludes and fugues in each of the twelve major and minor keys. The word "well-tempered" refers to the temperament in which the keyboard is tuned; tuning systems before Bach's time were not flexible enough to allow compositions in all keys to be played without retuning. It is, however, uncertain what temperament he meant. Another famous work is The Goldberg Variations; while somewhat cerebral, their emotional content and range is increasingly being appreciated.

Related Topics:
Two-part inventions - Three-part inventions - English suites - French suites - The Well-Tempered Clavier - Keys - Temperament - The Goldberg Variations

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Chamber music

Bach wrote music for single instruments, duets, and other small ensembles. For unaccompanied solo violin he composed a set of six sonatas and partitas, and he also produced a similar set for cello and another for lute. He wrote trio sonatas, solo sonatas (accompanied by continuo) for the flute and for the viola da gamba, and a large number of canons and ricercare, mostly for unspecified instrumentation. The most significant examples of the latter are contained in The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering.

Related Topics:
Trio sonata - Sonatas - Continuo - Flute - Viola da gamba - Canon - Ricercar - The Art of Fugue - The Musical Offering

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Orchestral works

Bach's best-known orchestral works are the Brandenburg concertos, so named because he submitted them as a job audition for the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721 (he did not get the job). These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre. Other surviving works in the concerto form include two violin concertos, a concerto for two violins (often referred to as Bach's "double" concerto), and concertos for one, two, three, and even four harpsichords. It is widely accepted that many of the harpsichord concertos were not original works but arrangements of now lost concertos for other instruments. A number of violin, oboe, and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these. In addition to concertos, Bach also wrote four orchestral suites, a series of stylized dances for orchestra. The work now known as the Air on a G String is an excerpt from Orchestral Suite #3.

Related Topics:
Brandenburg concertos - Margrave - Brandenburg - Concerto grosso - Concerto - Orchestral suite - Air on a G String

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Vocal and choral works

Cantatas

Bach performed a cantata every Sunday at the Thomaskirche, on a theme corresponding to the lectionary readings of the week. Although he performed cantatas by other composers, he also composed at least three entire sets of cantatas, one for each Sunday and holiday of the church year, at Leipzig, in addition to those composed at Mühlhausen and Weimar. In total he wrote over 300 cantatas, of which only 195 survive.

Related Topics:
Cantata - Thomaskirche - Lectionary - Mühlhausen

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His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are only for a solo singer; some are single choruses; some are for grand orchestras, some only a few instruments. A very common format, however, includes a large opening chorus followed by one or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets), and a concluding chorale. The recitative is part of the corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The concluding chorale often also appears as a chorale prelude in a central movement, and occasionally as a cantus firmus in the opening chorus as well. The best known of these cantatas are Cantata No. 4 ("Christ lag in Todesbanden"), Cantata No. 80 ("Ein feste Burg"), Cantata No. 140 ("Wachet auf") and Cantata No. 147 ("Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben").

Related Topics:
Chorale - Chorale prelude - Cantus firmus - Cantata No. 4 - Cantata No. 80 - Cantata No. 140 - Cantata No. 147

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In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as weddings. The Coffee Cantata, concerning a girl whose father will not let her marry until she gives up her coffee addiction, is the best known of these.

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Motets

As part of Bach's regular church work, he copied and performed motets by many other composers (indeed, he usually began each Sunday service with one). These motets were mostly double-choir motets of the Venetian school, or more contemporary imitations of the style.

Related Topics:
Motet - Double-choir - Venetian school

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Bach wrote several motets himself, and they are also mostly for double choir, though the largest of them, Jesu, meine Freude, is written for a single, five-voice choir. Exactly how many motets is a matter of dispute; there are six undoubted motets by Bach, a couple others of doubtful authorship, and some works classified in the BWV as cantatas but considered by some scholars to be motets. It is not certain for what occasion Bach wrote these works, but it is thought that most were for funerals.

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There are no instrumental parts for these motets (except Lobet den Herrn, which has a continuo part), but it was typical of performance practice of the time to double vocal works with instruments and accompany them with continuo, so this method is often followed for modern performances; other performers do them a cappella.

Related Topics:
Lobet den Herrn - Performance practice

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Large works

Bach's large choral-orchestral works include the famous St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion, both written for Holy Week services at the Thomaskirche, the Christmas Oratorio (a set of six cantatas for use in the Liturgical season of Christmas), a Magnificat in two versions, one in D major for a substantial orchestra with trumpets and timpani, and one for a smaller orchestra in E-flat major, with extra movements interpolated among the movements of the Magnificat text.

Related Topics:
St. Matthew Passion - St. John Passion - Thomaskirche - Christmas Oratorio - Liturgical season - Magnificat

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Bach's other large work, the Mass in B minor, was assembled by Bach near the end of his life, mostly from pieces composed earlier (such as Cantata 191 and Cantata 12). It was never performed in Bach's lifetime, or even after his death until the 19th century.

Related Topics:
Mass in B minor - Cantata 191 - Cantata 12

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All these works, unlike the motets, have substantial solo parts as well as choruses.

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Performances

In Bach's time musical ensembles were generally not as large as, say, in Brahms's. Few of his works were composed for more than a dozen musicians. This leaves the question as to whether present-day performers should adhere to authentic performance, or choose larger, modern orchestrations to which many of his works have been adopted. Some of his more important chamber musics do not indicate preferred instruments, leaving even larger space for arrangements.

Related Topics:
Brahms - Authentic performance

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Highly influential interpreters of Bach include Glenn Gould and Edwin Fischer (piano), Helmut Walcha and E. Power Biggs (organ), Pablo Casals and Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Nathan Milstein (violin), Karl Richter (chorus and orchestra), Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt (cantatas, authentic performance), Joshua Rifkin and Andrew Parrott (choral works, one per part).

Related Topics:
Glenn Gould - Edwin Fischer - Helmut Walcha - E. Power Biggs - Pablo Casals - Yo-Yo Ma - Nathan Milstein - Karl Richter - Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Gustav Leonhardt - Joshua Rifkin - Andrew Parrott

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Transcriptions

Bach's music has inspired many composers to create music based on his themes, or transcribe his works for other instruments. His complete works for harpsichord have been edited or transcribed by Busoni, and Liszt wrote both a praeludium and fugue on the BACH motif. Another familiar transcription is the Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, based on the first prelude of the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Related Topics:
Transcribe - Busoni - Liszt - BACH motif - Ave Maria - Charles Gounod - Well-Tempered Clavier

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