What Johann Sebastian Bach wrote. Biography of Johann Sebastian Bach

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During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. His work represents all the significant genres of that time, except opera; he summarized the achievements of musical art of the Baroque period. Bach is a master of polyphony. Contrary to popular myth, Bach was not forgotten after his death. True, this primarily 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 harmonizations of chorales were in constant use. Bach's cantata-oratorio opuses were rarely heard (although the notes were carefully preserved in the Church of St. Thomas), usually on the initiative of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, but already in 1800 the Berlin Singakademie was organized by Carl Friedrich Zelter, the main purpose of which was precisely the promotion of Bach's singing heritage. The performance of Zelter's disciple, twenty-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, on March 11, 1829 in Berlin, of the St. Matthew Passion, gained great public attention. 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. Bach's work had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 21st century. Without exaggeration, Bach created the foundations of all music of modern and modern times - the history of music is rightly divided into pre-Bach and post-Bach. Bach's pedagogical works are still used for their intended purpose.

Biography

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 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.

While studying in Ohrdruf under the guidance of his brother, Bach became acquainted with the work of contemporary South German composers - Pachelbel, Froberger and others. It is also possible that he became acquainted with the works of composers from Northern Germany and France. Johann Sebastian observed how the organ was cared for and, perhaps, took part in this himself [source not specified 316 days].

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 was held in high esteem) 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 acapella 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 had access to the largest instruments he had ever played. During this period, Bach expanded his knowledge of the composers of the era, most notably Dietrich Buxtehude, whom he greatly respected.

Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708)

In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received the position of court musician to the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties included, but most likely this position was not related to performing activities. During his seven months of service in Weimar, his fame as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the position of organ caretaker at the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties to this oldest German city. In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work only 3 days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was maintained in good condition and was tuned according to a new system that expanded the capabilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works.

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 more than 40 km to listen to the 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. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

Weimar (1708-1717)

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time taking 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 well Italian composers, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi concertos for organ or harpsichord. He may have borrowed the idea of writing transcriptions from his employer, Duke Johann Ernst, a composer and musician. In 1713, the Duke returned from a trip abroad and brought with him a large number of sheet music, which he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the Duke (and, as can be seen from some works, Bach himself) was attracted by the alternation of solo (playing one instrument) and tutti (playing the entire orchestra).

In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar, Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of Bach's fugues is the Well-Tempered Clavier). While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the “Organ Book,” a collection of organ chorale preludes, possibly for the teaching of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of arrangements of Lutheran chorales.

Köthen (1717-1723)

After some time, Bach again went in search of more suitable job. The old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717 he was even arrested for constantly asking for his resignation - but on December 2 he was released “with disgrace.” Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The prince, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and gave him 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. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were also written during this period.

On July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the prince, his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died, leaving four young children. The following year, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a young, highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the age difference - she was 17 years younger than Johann Sebastian - their marriage, apparently, was happy [source not specified 316 days]. They had 13 children.

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723, his “St. John’s Passion” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the post of cantor of this church while simultaneously fulfilling the duties of a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and conducting weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Johann Sebastian's position also included teaching Latin, but he was allowed to hire an assistant to do this work for him, so Pezold taught Latin for 50 thalers a year. Bach was given the position of “musical director” of all the churches in the city: his duties included selecting performers, supervising their training and choosing music for performance. While working in Leipzig, the composer repeatedly came into conflict with the city administration.

The first six years of his life in Leipzig turned out to be very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas (two of them, in all likelihood, were lost). Most of these works were written on gospel texts, which were read in the Lutheran church every Sunday and on holidays throughout the year; many (such as "Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme" or "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants - Lutheran chorales.

Composing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach collected an extensive repertoire for performance in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the Collegium Musicum, a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when he founded it old friend Bach 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, 1740s and 1750s, were composed specifically for performance at Zimmermann's coffee house. Such works include, for example, the “Coffee Cantata” and, possibly, keyboard pieces from the “Clavier-Ubung” collections, as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

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, Johann Sebastian composed a whole cycle of variations on this theme and sent it as a gift to the king. The cycle consisted of ricercars, canons and trios, based on a theme dictated by Frederick. This cycle was called the "Musical Offering".

Another major cycle, “The Art of Fugue,” was not completed by Bach, despite the fact that it was most likely written long before his death (according to modern research, before 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.

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 were court musicians from Dresden, Berlin and other cities, including Telemann, godfather of Carl Philipp Emmanuel. It is interesting that George Frideric Handel, the same age as Bach from Halle, which is only 50 kilometers from Leipzig, never met Bach, although Bach tried to meet him twice in his life - in 1719 and 1729. The fates of these two composers, however, were linked by John Taylor, who operated on both shortly before their deaths.

The composer was buried near 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 were established about the life and work of Bach, which in some places conflicted with 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 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the known works is assigned a BWV number (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both sacred and secular. Some of Bach's works are adaptations of works by other composers, and some are revised versions of their own works.

Other keyboard works

Bach also wrote a number of works for the harpsichord, many of which could also be performed on the clavichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. Most of Bach's keyboard works published during his lifetime were contained in collections called "Clavier-Ubung" ("clavier exercises").
* “The Well-Tempered Clavier” in two volumes, written in 1722 and 1744, is a collection, each volume of which contains 24 preludes and fugues, one for each common key. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that make it equally easy to perform music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament system.
* 15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions - small works, arranged in order of increasing number of signs in the key. They were intended (and are still used to this day) for teaching how to play keyboard instruments.
* Three collections of suites: English Suites, French Suites and Partitas for Clavier. Each cycle contained 6 suites, built according to a standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional part between the last two). In English suites, the allemande is preceded by a prelude, and between the sarabande and the gigue there is exactly one movement; in French suites the number of optional parts increases, and there are no preludes. In the partitas, the standard scheme is expanded: in addition to the exquisite introductory parts, there are additional ones, and not only between the sarabande and the gigue.
* Goldberg Variations (circa 1741) - melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. The variations are built more on the tonal plan of the theme than on the melody itself.
* Various pieces such as Overture in the French Style, BWV 831, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 903, or Italian Concerto, BWV 971.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music for both individual instruments and ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, BWV 1001-1006, 6 suites for cello, BWV 1007-1012, and partita for solo flute, BWV 1013 - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound works. In addition, Bach composed several works for solo lute. He also wrote trio sonatas, sonatas for solo flute and viola da gamba, accompanied only by a general bass, as well as a large number of canons and ricercars, mostly without specifying the instruments for performance. Most significant examples such works are the cycles “The Art of Fugue” and “Musical Offering”.

Bach's most famous works for orchestra are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so called because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought of obtaining employment at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. Six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Other extant works by Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043, and concertos for one, two, three and even four harpsichords. Researchers believe that these harpsichord concertos were merely transcriptions of older works by Johann Sebastian, now lost [source not specified 649 days]. In addition to concerts, Bach composed 4 orchestral suites.

Among the chamber works, special mention should be made of the second partita for violin, in particular the last part - chaconne. [source not specified 316 days]

Vocal works

* Cantatas. For a long period of his life, every Sunday Bach led the performance of a cantata in the Church of St. Thomas, 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 religious holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which only 200 have survived to this day (the last one in the form of a single fragment). 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. The most famous of Bach's spiritual cantatas are "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (number 4), "Ein' feste Burg" (number 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (number 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" (number 147). In addition, Bach also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually dedicated to some event, for example, a wedding. Among Bach's most famous secular cantatas are two Wedding cantatas and the humorous Coffee Cantata.
* Passions, or passions. The St. John Passion (1724) and the St. Matthew Passion (c. 1727) are works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended for performance at vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. The Passions are one of Bach's most ambitious vocal works. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have survived completely to this day.
* Oratorios and Magnificats. The most famous is the Christmas Oratorio (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas for performance during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and Magnificat are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and have a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and famous (D major, 1730).
* Masses. Bach's most famous and significant mass is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which represents full cycle 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 (it included only Kyrie and Gloria), as well as due to the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, 4 short two-movement masses by Bach (Kyrie and Gloria), as well as individual movements like Sanctus and Kyrie, have reached us.

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

Execution

Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance (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 Brahms's time, and even his most ambitious works, such as the Mass in B minor and the passions, are not intended to be performed by large groups. In addition, in some of Bach's chamber works the instrumentation is not indicated at all, so today very different versions performances of the same works. In organ works, Bach almost never indicated the registration and change of manuals. Of the stringed keyboard instruments, Bach preferred the clavichord. He met with Silberman and discussed with him the design of his new instrument, contributing to the creation of the modern piano. Bach's music for some instruments was often arranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged the organ toccata and fugue in D minor and some other works for piano.

Numerous "lite" and "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 the great composer in his 1997 solo album “When Bach Wake Up.”

The fate of Bach's music

IN last years During Bach's life and after his death, his fame as a composer began to decline: his style was considered old-fashioned in comparison with the blossoming 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. In Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, Filda's student Maria Shimanovskaya and Alexander Griboyedov especially stood out as experts and performers of Bach's music. For example, 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 the preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and later called Bach “the true father of harmony” and said that “his name is not the Brook, but the Sea” (the word Bach in German means “stream”). The works of Johann Sebastian influenced many composers. Some themes from Bach's works, for example, the theme of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, were reused in the music of the 20th century.

A biography written in 1802 by Johann 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 keyboard and choral works were performed in Bad Berka), in a letter of 1827 compared the feeling of Bach’s music with “eternal harmony in dialogue with itself." But the real revival of Bach's music began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn. Hegel, who attended the concert, later called Bach "a great, true Protestant, a strong and, so to speak, erudite genius, whom we have only recently learned to fully appreciate again." In subsequent years, Mendelssohn's work 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 the 20th century, awareness of the musical and pedagogical value of his compositions continued. Interest in Bach's music gave rise to a new movement among performers: the idea of authentic performance became widespread. Such performers, for example, use a harpsichord instead of a modern piano and smaller choirs than was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wanting to accurately recreate the music of Bach's era.

Some composers expressed their respect for Bach by including the BACH motif (B-flat - A - C - B in Latin notation) in the themes of their works. For example, Liszt wrote a prelude and fugue on the theme BACH, and Schumann wrote 6 fugues on the same theme. Bach himself used the same theme, for example, in the XIV counterpoint from The Art of Fugue. Many composers took cues from his works or used themes from them. Examples are Beethoven's Variations on a Theme Diabelli, the prototype of which is the Goldberg Variations, Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, written under the influence of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and Brahms's Cello Sonata in D major, the finale of which includes musical quotations from The Art of fugues." The chorale prelude “Ich ruf’ zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ” performed by Harry Grodberg is heard in the film Solaris (1972). Bach's music, among the best creations of mankind, was recorded on the Voyager gold disc.

Bach monuments in Germany

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

Literature

* Documents of the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach (Collection, translation from German, compiled by Hans Joachim Schulze). M.: Music, 1980. (Book on www.geocities.com (web archive))
* I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of Johann Sebastian Bach. M.: Music, 1987. (Book on early-music.narod.ru, Book in djvu format on www.libclassicmusic.ru)
* F. Wolfrum. Johann Sebastian Bach. M.: 1912.
* A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach. M.: Music, 1965 (with cuts; book on ldn-knigi.lib.ru, Book in djvu format); M.: Classics-XXI, 2002.
* M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach. M.: Music, 1982. (Book in djvu format)
* M. S. Druskin. Passions and Masses of Johann Sebastian Bach. M.: Muzyka, 1976.
* A. Milka, G. Shabalina. Entertaining bahiana. Issues 1, 2. St. Petersburg: Composer, 2001.
* S. A. Morozov. Bach. (Biography of J. S. Bach in the ZhZL series), M.: Young Guard, 1975. (djvu book, Book on www.lib.ru)
* M. A. Saponov. Bach's masterpieces in Russian. M.: Classics-XXI, 2005. ISBN 5-89817-091-X
* Ph. Spitta. Johann Sebastian Bach (two volumes). Leipzig: 1880. (German)
* K. Wolff. Johann Sebastian Bach: the learned musician (New York: Norton, 2000) ISBN 0-393-04825-X (hbk.); (New York: Norton, 2001) ISBN 0-393-32256-4 (pbk.) (English)

Notes

* 1. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - chapter 1. The origins of Bach's art
* 2. S. A. Morozov. Bach. (Biography of J. S. Bach in the ZhZL series), M.: Young Guard, 1975. (Book on www.lib.ru)
* 3. Eisenach 1685-1695, J. S. Bach Archive and Bibliography
* 4. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - genealogy of the Bach family (web archive)
* 5. Bach’s manuscripts were found in Germany, confirming his studies with Boehm - RIA Novosti, 08/31/2006
* 6. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Protocol of interrogation of Bach (web archive)
* 7. 1 2 I. N. Forkel. On the life, art and works of J. S. Bach, chapter II
* 8. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 27
* 9. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 7
* 10. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Record in the file, Arnstadt, June 29, 1707 (web archive)
* 11. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - entry in the church book, Dornheim (web archive)
* 12. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Organ reconstruction project (web archive)
* 13. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Entry on file, Mühlhausen, June 26, 1708 (web archive)
* 14. Yu. V. Keldysh. Musical encyclopedia. Volume 1. - Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1973. - P. 761. - 1070 p.
* 15. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Entry on file, Weimar, December 2, 1717 (web archive)
* 16. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 51
* 17. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - entry in the church book, Köthen (web archive)
* 18. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Minutes of the magistrate’s meeting and other documents related to the move to Leipzig (web archive)
* 19. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Letter from J. S. Bach to Erdman (web archive)
* 20. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 8
* 21. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Message from L. Mitzler about the Collegium Musicum concerts (web archive)
* 22. Peter Williams. The Organ Music of J. S. Bach, p. 382-386.
* 23. Russell Stinson. J. S. Bach's Great Eighteen Organ Chorales, p. 34-38.
* 24. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Quellmaltz about Bach’s operations (web archive)
* 25. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Inventory of Bach’s inheritance (web archive)
* 26. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chapter 9
* 27. City of music - Johann Sebastian Bach, Leipzig Tourist Office
* 28. Leipzig Church of St. Thomas (Thomaskirche)
* 29. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 8
* 30. A. Schweitzer. J. S. Bach - chapter 14
* 31. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Rochlitz about this event, November 21, 1798 (web archive)
* 32. Pressemitteilungen (German)
* 33. Matthaus-Passion BWV 244 - conducted by Christoph Spering (English)
* 34. “Solaris”, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky. "Mosfilm", 1972
* 35. Voyager - Music From Earth (English)

Biography

Childhood and youth.

Weimar (1685–1717).

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, a small Thuringian town in Germany, where his father Johann Ambrosius served as the city musician and his uncle Johann Christoph as organist. The boy began to study music early. Apparently, his father taught him to play the violin, his uncle taught him the organ, and thanks to his good soprano voice he was accepted into the church choir, which performed motets and cantatas. At the age of 8, the boy entered a church school, where he made great progress.

A happy childhood ended for him at the age of nine, when he lost his mother, and a year later his father. The orphan was taken into his modest home by his elder brother, an organist in nearby Ohrdruf; there the boy went back to school and continued his music studies with his brother. Johann Sebastian spent 5 years in Ohrdruf.

When he turned fifteen, on the recommendation of his school teacher, he was given the opportunity to continue his education at the school at St. Michael in Lüneburg in northern Germany. To get there, he had to walk three hundred kilometers. There he lived on full board, received a small scholarship, studied and sang in the school choir, which enjoyed a high reputation (the so-called morning choir, Mettenchor). This was a very important stage in the education of Johann Sebastian. Here he became acquainted with the best examples of choral literature, struck up a relationship with the famous organ master Georg Böhm (his influence is obvious in Bach's early organ compositions), and gained an idea of French music, which he had the opportunity to hear at the court of neighboring Celle, where French culture was held in high esteem ; in addition, he often traveled to Hamburg to listen to the virtuoso playing of Johann Adam Reincken, the largest representative of the North German organ school.

In 1702, at the age of 17, Bach returned to Thuringia and, after serving briefly as a "footman and violinist" at the Weimar court, received a position as organist of the New Church in Arnstadt, a city where the Bachs served both before and after him, until 1739. Thanks to his brilliant test performance, he was immediately given a salary that was much higher than what his relatives were paid. He remained in Arnstadt until 1707, leaving the city in 1705 to attend the famous "evening concerts" given in Lübeck, in the north of the country, by the brilliant organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude. Apparently Lübeck was so interesting that Bach spent four months there instead of the four weeks he had asked for as leave. The ensuing troubles in the service, as well as dissatisfaction with the weak and untrained Arnstadt church choir, which he was obliged to lead, forced Bach to look for a new place.

In 1707 he accepted an invitation to the position of organist in the famous church of St. Blasius in Thuringian Mühlhausen. While still in Arnstadt, the 23-year-old Bach married his cousin Maria Barbara, an orphan daughter of the organist Johann Michael Bach from Göhren. In Mühlhausen, Bach quickly gained fame as the author of cantatas (one of them was even printed at the expense of the city) and a specialist in the repair and reconstruction of organs. But a year later he left Mühlhausen and moved to a more attractive place at the ducal court in Weimar: there he served as organist, and from 1714 - bandmaster. Here, his artistic development was influenced by his acquaintance with the works of outstanding Italian masters, especially Antonio Vivaldi, whose orchestral concertos Bach arranged for keyboard instruments: such work helped him master the art of expressive melody, improve harmonic writing, and develop a sense of form.

In Weimar, Bach reached the heights of his skill as a virtuoso organist and composer, and thanks to numerous trips to Germany, his fame spread far beyond the borders of the Duchy of Weimar. His reputation was furthered by the outcome of a competition organized in Dresden with the French organist Louis Marchand. Contemporaries say that Marchand did not dare to speak in front of the public, who was eagerly awaiting the competition, and hastily left the city, recognizing the superiority of his opponent. In 1717, Bach became bandmaster for the Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, who offered him more honorable and favorable conditions. The former owner at first did not want to let him go and even put him under arrest for “too persistent requests for dismissal,” but then he finally allowed Bach to leave Weimar.

Köthen, 1717–1723.

During the 6 years spent at the Calvinist court of Köthen, Bach, as a devout Lutheran, was not obliged to write church music: he had to compose for court music. Therefore, the composer focused on instrumental genres: during the Köthen period such masterpieces as the Well-Tempered Clavier (1st volume), sonatas and suites for solo violin and cello, as well as six Brandenburg Concertos (dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg) appeared. The Prince of Köthen, himself an excellent musician, highly valued his conductor, and the time spent in this city is one of the happiest periods in Bach's life. But in June 1720, when the composer accompanied the prince on a trip, Maria Barbara died suddenly. The following December, the 36-year-old widower married 21-year-old Anna Magdalena Wilcken, a singer who, like Bach himself, came from a famous musical dynasty. Anna Magdalena became an excellent assistant to her husband; Many of his scores were rewritten by her hand. She bore Bach 13 children, six of whom lived to adulthood (in total, Johann Sebastian had 20 children in two marriages, ten of them died in infancy). In 1722, a lucrative position as a cantor opened up at the famous school of St. Thomas in Leipzig. Bach, who again wanted to return to church genres, submitted a corresponding petition. After a competition in which two other candidates participated, he became the Leipzig cantor. This happened in April 1723. Leipzig, 1723–1750. Bach's duties as a cantor were of two kinds. He was a “music director”, i.e. was responsible for the musical part of the services in all Leipzig Protestant churches, including St. Thomas (Thomaskirche) and St. Nicholas, where quite complex works were performed. In addition to this, he became a teacher at a very respectable school at the Thomaskirche (founded in 1212), where he was supposed to teach boys the basics of musical art and prepare them to participate in church services. Bach diligently performed the duties of “music director”; As for teaching, it rather bothered the composer, who was deeply immersed in the world of his own creativity. Most of the sacred music that sounded in Leipzig at that time belonged to his pen: such masterpieces as the St. John Passion, the Mass in B minor, and the Christmas Oratorio were created here. Bach's attitude towards official matters displeased the city fathers; in turn, the composer accused the “strange and insufficiently devoted management to music” of creating an atmosphere of persecution and envy. An acute conflict with the school director increased tensions, and after 1740 Bach began to neglect his official duties - he began to write more instrumental music than vocal music, and tried to publish a number of works. The triumph of the last decade of the composer’s life was the trip to the Prussian king Frederick II in Berlin, which Bach made in 1747: one of the sons of Johann Sebastian, Philip Emanuel, served at the court of the king, a passionate lover of music. The Leipzig cantor played the superb royal harpsichords and demonstrated to his admiring listeners his unsurpassed skill as an improviser: without any preparation he improvised a fugue on a theme given by the king, and on his return to Leipzig he used the same theme as the basis for a grandiose polyphonic cycle in a strict style and published this work entitled Musical Offering (Musikalisches Opfer) with a dedication to Frederick II of Prussia. Soon, Bach's vision, which he had been complaining about for a long time, began to rapidly deteriorate. Having almost gone blind, he decided to undergo surgery with a well-known English ophthalmologist at that time. Two operations performed by the charlatan did not bring relief to Bach, and the medications he had to take completely ruined his health. On July 18, 1750, his sight suddenly returned, but just a few hours later he suffered a stroke. On July 28, 1750, Bach died.

ESSAYS

Bach's work represents all the main genres of the late Baroque era with the exception of opera. His legacy includes works for soloists and choirs with instruments, organ compositions, keyboard and orchestral music. His powerful creative imagination brought to life an extraordinary wealth of forms: for example, in numerous Bach cantatas it is impossible to find two fugues of the same structure. However, there is a structural principle that is very characteristic of Bach: it is a symmetrical concentric form. Continuing a centuries-old tradition, Bach uses polyphony as his main means of expression, but at the same time, his most complex contrapuntal constructions are based on a clear harmonic basis - this was undoubtedly the spirit of the new era. In general, the “horizontal” (polyphonic) and “vertical” (harmonic) principles in Bach are balanced and form a magnificent unity.

Cantatas.

Most of Bach's vocal and instrumental music consists of sacred cantatas: he created five cycles of such cantatas for every Sunday and for the holidays of the church year. About two hundred of these works have reached us. The early cantatas (before 1712) were written in the style of Bach's predecessors, such as Johann Pachelbel and Dietrich Buxtehude. The texts are taken from the Bible or from Lutheran church hymns - chorales; the composition consists of several relatively short sections, usually contrasting in melody, tonality, tempo, and performing composition. A striking example of Bach's early cantata style is the beautiful Tragic Cantata (Actus Tragicus) No. 106 (God's time is the best time, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit). After 1712, Bach turned to another form of spiritual cantata, which was introduced into Lutheran use by Pastor E. Neumeister: it uses not quotations from Scripture and Protestant hymns, but paraphrases of biblical fragments or chorales. In this type of cantata, the sections are more clearly separated from one another, and between them solo recitatives are introduced with the accompaniment of an organ and a general bass. Sometimes such cantatas have two parts: during the service, a sermon was preached between the parts. Most of Bach's cantatas belong to this type, including No. 65 They will all come from Sava (Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen), on the day of the Archangel Michael No. 19 And there was a battle in heaven (Es erhub sich ein Streit), on the Feast of the Reformation No. 80 Our God is a strong stronghold (Ein" feste Burg), No. 140 Arise from sleep (Wachet auf). A special case is cantata No. 4 Christ lay in the chains of death (Christ lag in Todesbanden): it uses 7 stanzas of the chorale of the same name by Martin Luther, Moreover, in each stanza the chorale theme is treated in its own way, and in the finale it sounds in simple harmonization. In most cantatas, solo and choral sections alternate, replacing each other, but there are also entirely solo cantatas in Bach’s legacy - for example, a touching cantata for bass and orchestra. No. 82 I have had enough (Ich habe genug) or a brilliant cantata for soprano and orchestra No. 51 Let every breath praise the Lord (Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen).

Several secular Bach cantatas have also survived: they were composed for birthdays, name days, wedding ceremonies of high-ranking officials and other special occasions. The well-known comic Coffee Cantata (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht) No. 211, the text of which ridicules the German obsession with the overseas drink. In this work, as in Peasant Cantata No. 217, Bach's style approaches the style of the comic opera of his era.

Motets.

6 Bach motets based on German texts have reached us. They enjoyed particular fame and for a long period after the composer’s death were the only ones of his vocal and instrumental compositions that were still performed. Like the cantata, the motet uses biblical and chorale texts, but does not contain arias or duets; orchestral accompaniment is not necessary (if it is present, it simply duplicates the choral parts). Among the works of this genre we can mention the motets Jesus is my joy (Jesu meine Freude) and Sing to the Lord (Singet dem Herrn). Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio. Among Bach's major vocal and instrumental works, two Christmas cycles attract special attention. The Magnificat for five-voice choir, soloists and orchestra was written in 1723, the second edition in 1730. The entire text, except the final Gloria, is the Song of Our Lady My soul magnifies the Lord (Luke 1:46-55) in the Latin translation (Vulgate). The Magnificat is one of Bach's most integral compositions: its laconic parts are clearly grouped into three sections, each of which begins with an aria and ends with an ensemble; It is framed by powerful choral parts – Magnificat and Gloria. Despite the brevity of the parts, each has its own emotional appearance. The Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium), which appeared in 1734, consists of 6 cantatas intended for performance on Christmas Eve, two days of Christmas, January 1, the following Sunday and the feast of Epiphany. The texts are taken from the gospels (Luke, Matthew) and Protestant hymns. The narrator - Evangelist (tenor) - sets out the Gospel narrative in recitatives, while the lines of the characters in the Christmas story are given to the soloists or choir groups. The narrative is interrupted by lyrical episodes - arias and chorales, which should serve as instructions for the flock. 11 of the 64 numbers of the oratorio were originally composed by Bach for secular cantatas, but then perfectly adapted to sacred texts.

Passions.

Of the 5 cycles of passions that are known from Bach’s biography, only two have reached us: the Johannes Passion, on which the composer began working in 1723, and the Matthew Passion, completed in 1729. (Luke Passion, published in the Complete Works apparently belong to a different author.) Each of the passions consists of two parts: one sounds before the sermon, the other after it. Each cycle has a narrator - the Evangelist; the parts of specific participants in the drama, including Christ, are performed by solo singers; the chorus depicts the crowd's reaction to what is happening, and the inserted recitatives, arias and chorales depict the community's response to the unfolding drama. However, the St. John's Passion and the St. Matthew Passion are markedly different from each other. In the first cycle, the image of a raging crowd is given more clearly; it is opposed by the Savior, from whom emanates sublime peace and detachment from the world. The Matthew Passion radiates love and tenderness. There is no impassable gap between the divine and the human here: the Lord, through his suffering, draws closer to humanity, and humanity suffers with him. If in the Passion according to John the part of Christ consists of recitatives with organ accompaniment, then in the Passion according to Matthew it is surrounded, like a halo, by the soulful sound of a string quartet. The St. Matthew Passion is the highest achievement in Bach's music written for the Protestant Church. A very large performing cast is used here, including two orchestras, two mixed choirs with soloists and a boys' choir, which performs the melody of the chorale in the number that opens the passion. The opening chorus is the most compositionally complex section of the work: two choirs confront each other - excited questions and sad answers are heard against the backdrop of orchestral figurations depicting streams of tears. Above this element of boundless human sorrow hovers the crystal clear and serene melody of the chorale, evoking thoughts of human weakness and divine strength. The conduction of chorale melodies is done here with exceptional skill: one of Bach’s most beloved themes – O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden – appears no less than five times with different text, and each time its harmonization is done differently, depending on the content of the given episode.

Mass in B minor.

In addition to 4 short masses consisting of two parts - Kyrie and Gloria, Bach also created a complete cycle of the Catholic Mass (its Ordinary - i.e. permanent, unchangeable parts of the service), the Mass in B minor (usually called the High Mass). It was apparently composed between 1724 and 1733 and consists of 4 sections: the first, including parts Kyrie and Gloria, designated by Bach as the “Mass” proper; the second, Credo, is called the “Nicene Creed”; third - Sanctus; the fourth included the remaining parts - Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Dona nobis pacem. The Mass in B minor is a sublime and majestic composition; it contains such masterpieces of composition as the piercingly mournful Crucifixus - thirteen variations on a constant bass (like a passacaglia) and Credo - a grandiose fugue on the theme of Gregorian chant. In the last part of the cycle, Dona nobis, which is a prayer for peace, Bach uses the same music as in the chorus Gratias agimus tibi (We thank You), and this may have a symbolic meaning: Bach apparently expresses the conviction that a true believer does not has the need to ask the Lord for peace, but must thank the Creator for this gift.

The colossal scale of the Mass in B minor does not allow its use for church services. This composition should be performed in a concert hall, which, under the influence of the awe-inspiring grandeur of this music, turns into a temple open to every listener capable of religious experience.

Works for organ.

Bach wrote music for organ throughout his life. His last essay became an organ chorale to the melody Before Your Throne I Present (Vor deinem Thron tret" ich hiemit), dictated by a blind composer to his student. Here we can name only a few of Bach’s many magnificent organ works: the well-known brilliantly virtuosic Toccata and Fugue in D minor composed in Arnstadt (her numerous orchestral arrangements are also popular); a cycle of 12 variations on a theme constantly running in the bass and a final fugue, appeared in Weimar; minor and B minor are works from the Leipzig period (between 1730 and 1740). Special attention deserve chorale arrangements. 46 of them (intended for different holidays of the church year) are presented in a collection called the Organ Book (Orgelbchlein): it appeared at the end of the Weimar period (possibly during his stay in prison). In each of these arrangements, Bach embodies the inner content, the mood of the text, in the freely developed three lower voices, while the chorale theme is heard in the upper, soprano voice. In 1739 he published 21 choral arrangements in a collection called the Third Part of the Clavier Exercises (the cycle is also known as the German Organ Mass). Here the spiritual hymns follow the order corresponding to Luther's Catechism, with each chorale presented in two versions - difficult for experts and simple for amateurs. Between 1747 and 1750, Bach prepared for publication another 18 “large” organ chorale arrangements (the so-called Schubler chorales), which are characterized by somewhat less complex counterpoint and refined melodic ornamentation. Among them, the cycle of choral variations “Adorn yourself, blessed soul” (Schmcke dich, o liebe Seele) especially stands out, in which the composer builds a magnificent saraband from the initial motive of the hymn.

Keyboard works.

Most of Bach's keyboard works were created in adulthood and owe their appearance to his deep interest in musical education. These pieces were written primarily for the teaching of his own sons and other gifted students, but under Bach's hand the exercises turn into musical gems. In this sense, a true masterpiece of ingenuity is represented by 15 two-voice inventions and the same number of three-part inventions-sinphonies, which demonstrate different types contrapuntal writing and different types of melody corresponding to certain images. Bach's most famous keyboard work is the Well-Tempered Clavier (Das Wohltemperierte Clavier), a cycle containing 48 preludes and fugues, two for each minor and major key. The expression "well-tempered" refers to a new principle of tuning keyboard instruments, in which the octave is divided into 12 acoustically equal parts - semitones. The success of the first volume of this collection (24 preludes and fugues in all keys) prompted the composer to create a second volume of the same kind. Bach also wrote cycles of keyboard pieces, composed according to models of common dances of that era - 6 English and 6 French suites; 6 more partitas were published between 1726 and 1731 under the title Clavier Exercises (Clavierbung). The second part of the Exercises includes another partita and a brilliant Italian Concerto, which combines the stylistic features of the keyboard genres and the genre of concerto for clavier and orchestra. The series of keyboard exercises is completed by the Goldberg Variations, which appeared in 1742 - Aria and Thirty Variations, written for Bach's student I. G. Goldberg. More precisely, the cycle was written for one of Bach’s admirers, Count Keyserling, the Russian ambassador in Dresden: Keyserling was seriously ill, suffered from insomnia and often asked Goldberg to play Bach’s pieces for him at night.

Works for solo violin and cello. In his 3 partitas and 3 sonatas for solo violin Great master polyphony sets itself the almost impossible task of writing a four-voice fugue for a solo string instrument, neglecting all the technical limitations imposed by the very nature of the instrument. The pinnacle of Bach’s greatness, the wonderful fruit of his inspiration, is the famous chaconne (from Partita No. 2), a cycle of variations for violin, which Bach’s biographer F. Spitta characterizes as “the triumph of spirit over matter.” Equally magnificent are the 6th suites for solo cello.

Orchestral works.

Among Bach's orchestral music, it is worth highlighting the concertos for violin and string orchestra and the Double Concerto for two violins and orchestra. In addition, Bach creates new uniform– keyboard concerto, using the solo violin part of previously written violin concertos: it is performed on the keyboard right hand, whereas left hand accompanies and doubles the bass voice.

The six Brandenburg Concertos are of a different type. The second, third and fourth follow the Italian concerto grosso form, in which a small group of solo ("concerting") instruments "compete" with a full orchestra. The fifth concerto contains a large cadenza for solo keyboard, and this work is, in fact, the first keyboard concerto in history. In the first, third and sixth concerts, the orchestra is divided into several well-balanced groups, which are opposed to one another, with thematic material moving from group to group and solo instruments only occasionally taking the initiative. Although there are a lot of polyphonic tricks in the Brandenburg Concertos, they are easily perceived by an unprepared listener. These works radiate joy and seem to reflect the fun and luxury of the princely court in which Bach then worked. The inspired melodies, bright colors, and technical brilliance of the concerts make them a unique achievement even for Bach.

The 4 orchestral suites are equally brilliant and virtuosic; each of them includes a French-style overture (slow introduction - fast fugue - slow conclusion) and a string of charming dance movements. Suite No. 2 in B minor for flute and string orchestra contains such a virtuoso solo part that it can well be called a flute concerto.

In the last years of his life, Bach reached the highest heights of contrapuntal mastery. After writing the Musical Offering for the Prussian king, which presented all possible types of canonical variations, the composer began work on the cycle The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), which remained unfinished. Here Bach uses various types of fugue, up to the grandiose quadruple (it ends at bar 239). It is not known exactly what instrument the cycle was intended for; in different editions, this music is addressed to the clavier, organ, string quartet or orchestra: in all versions, The Art of Fugue sounds excellent and captivates listeners with the grandeur of its design, solemnity and amazing skill with which Bach solves the most complex polyphonic problems.

Exploring Bach's legacy.

Bach's works remained almost completely forgotten for half a century. Only in a narrow circle of the great cantor’s students was his memory preserved, and from time to time, textbooks provided examples of his contrapuntal research. During this time, not a single work by Bach was published, except for the four-voice chorales published by the composer's son Philippe Emanuel. The story told by F. Rochlitz is very indicative in this sense: when Mozart visited Leipzig in 1789, Bach’s motet Sing to the Lord (Singet dem Herrn) was performed for him in the Thomasschule: “Mozart knew Bach more by hearsay than from his works... Barely the choir sang a few bars when he jumped up; a few more bars - and he cried out: what is this? And from that moment on, everyone became aware. When the singing ended, he exclaimed in delight: you can really learn from this! He was told that the school... kept a complete collection of Bach's motets. There were no scores for these works, so he demanded to bring the written parts. In silence, those present watched with pleasure how enthusiastically Mozart arranged these voices around him - on his knees, on the nearest chairs. Forgetting everything in the world, he did not get up from his seat until he had carefully looked through everything that was available from Bach’s works. He begged for a copy of the motet and valued it very much.” The situation changed by 1800, when, under the influence of the then spreading romanticism, they began to pay closer attention to the history of German art. In 1802, the first biography of Bach was published; its author, I.N. Forkel, managed to obtain valuable information about Bach from his sons. Thanks to this book, many music lovers gained an idea of the scope and significance of Bach's work. German and Swiss musicians began to study Bach's music; in England, the pioneer in this field was the organist S. Wesley (1766–1837), nephew religious figure John Wesley. Instrumental compositions were the first to be appreciated. The great Goethe’s statement about Bach’s organ music very eloquently testifies to the mood of that time: “Bach’s music is a conversation of eternal harmony with itself, it is similar to Divine thought before the creation of the world.” After the historic performance of the St. Matthew Passion under the direction of F. Mendelssohn (this happened in Berlin in 1829, exactly on the hundredth anniversary of the first performance of the Passion), the composer’s vocal works also began to be heard. In 1850, the Bach Society was created with the goal of publishing the complete works of Bach. It took half a century to complete this task. The new Bach Society was created immediately after the dissolution of the previous one: its task was to disseminate Bach's legacy through publications for a wide range of musicians and amateurs, as well as organize high-quality performances of his works, including at special Bach festivals. The popularization of Bach's work was, of course, not only in Germany. In 1900, the Bach Festivals were organized in the USA (in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), and their founder I. F. Walle did a lot to recognize the genius of Bach in America. Similar festivals were also held in California (Carmel) and Florida (Rollins College), and at a fairly high level.

An important role in the scientific understanding of Bach's legacy was played by the monumental work of the above-mentioned F. Spitta; it still retains its significance. The next stage was marked by the publication of A. Schweitzer’s book in 1905: the author proposed a new method for analyzing the composer’s musical language - by identifying symbolic, as well as “visual”, “picturesque” motifs in it. Schweitzer's ideas have had a strong influence on modern researchers, who emphasize the important role of symbolism in Bach's music. In the 20th century An important contribution to Bach studies was also made by the Englishman C. S. Terry, who introduced many new biographical materials into scientific use, translated the most important Bach texts into English and published a serious study on the composer’s orchestral writing. A. Schering (Germany) is the author of a fundamental work that illuminates the musical life of Leipzig and the role that Bach played in it. Serious research has appeared on the reflection of the ideas of Protestantism in the composer’s work. One of the outstanding Bach scholars, F. Smend, managed to find some secular cantatas of Bach that were considered lost. Researchers have also actively studied other musicians from Bach’s family, primarily his sons, and then his ancestors.

After the Complete Works was completed in 1900, it turned out that there were many gaps and errors in it. In 1950, the Bach Institute was founded in Göttingen and Leipzig with the aim of revising all existing materials and creating a new Complete Collection. By 1967, approximately half of the expected 84 volumes of the New Collected Works of Bach (Neue Bach-Ausgabe) had been published.

SONS OF BACH

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784). Four of Bach's sons were exceptionally musically gifted. The eldest of them, Wilhelm Friedemann, an outstanding organist, was not inferior to his father as a virtuoso. For 13 years, Wilhelm Friedemann served as organist at St. Sofia in Dresden; in 1746 he became a cantor in Halle and held this position for 18 years. Then he left Halle and subsequently often changed his place of residence, supporting his existence with lessons. What remains of Friedemann is about two dozen church cantatas and quite a lot of instrumental music, including 8 concerts, 9 symphonies, works of various genres for organ and clavier, and chamber ensembles. His graceful polonaises for clavier and sonatas for two flutes deserve special mention. As a composer, Friedemann was strongly influenced by his father and teacher; he also tried to find a compromise between the Baroque style and the expressive language of the new era. The result was a highly individual style, which in some respects anticipates subsequent developments in musical art. However, to many contemporaries, Friedemann's works seemed too complex.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788). The second son of Johann Sebastian achieved great success both in his personal life and in his professional activities. He is usually called the “Berlin” or “Hamburg” Bach, since he first served for 24 years as court harpsichordist for the Prussian king Frederick II, and then took the honorable position of cantor in Hamburg. This, apparently the most prominent representative of sentimentalism in music, gravitated towards the expression of strong feelings, not constrained by rules. Philippe Emanuel brought drama and emotional richness to instrumental genres (especially keyboards), previously found only in vocal music, and had a decisive influence on the artistic ideals of J. Haydn. Even Beethoven learned from the works of Philippe Emanuel. Philippe Emanuel enjoyed a reputation as an outstanding teacher, and his textbook Experience of the correct way to play the clavier (Versuch ber die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen) became an important stage in the development of modern pianistic technique. The influence of Philippe Emanuel's work on the musicians of his era was facilitated by the wide distribution of his works, most of which were published during the composer's lifetime. Although keyboard music occupied the main place in his work, he also worked in various vocal and instrumental genres, with the exception of opera. Philippe Emanuel's enormous legacy includes 19 symphonies, 50 piano concertos, 9 concerts for other instruments, about 400 works for solo clavier, 60 duets, 65 trios, quartets and quintets, 290 songs, about fifty choirs, as well as cantatas and oratorios.

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732–1795), son of Johann Sebastian from his second marriage, served all his life in one position - concertmaster and director of music (kapellmeister) at the court in Bückeburg. He was an excellent harpsichordist and successfully composed and published many of his works. Among them are 12 keyboard sonatas, approximately 17 duets and trios for various instruments, 12 string (or flute) quartets, a sextet, a septet, 6 keyboard concertos, 14 symphonies, 55 songs and 13 larger vocal compositions. Early creativity Johann Christoph was marked by the influence of Italian music that reigned at the Bückeburg court; Later, the composer’s style acquires features that bring him closer to the style of Johann Christoph’s great contemporary, J. Haydn.

Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782). Johann's youngest son Sebastian is usually called the "Milanese" or "London" Bach. After the death of his father, 15-year-old Johann Christian continued his studies in Berlin with his half-brother Philipp Emanuel, and made great progress in playing the clavier. But he was especially attracted to opera, and he went to Italy, the classical country of opera, where he soon received a position as an organist in the Milan Cathedral and achieved recognition as an opera composer. His fame spread beyond the borders of Italy, and in 1761 he was invited to the English court. There he spent the rest of his life, composing operas and teaching music and singing to the queen and representatives of aristocratic families, as well as conducting concert series with great success.

Christian's fame, which at times surpassed that of his brother Philip Emanuel, did not last as long. The tragedy for Christian was his weakness of character: he could not stand the test of success and stopped quite early in his artistic development. He continued to work in the old style, not paying attention to new trends in art; and so it happened that the darlings of London high society were gradually eclipsed by new luminaries on the musical horizon. Christian died at the age of 47, a disappointed man. And yet his influence on the music of the 18th century. was significant. Christian gave lessons to nine-year-old Mozart. In essence, Christian Bach gave no less to Mozart than Philippe Emanuel gave to Haydn. Thus, two of Bach's sons actively contributed to the birth of the Viennese classical style.

There is a lot of beauty, liveliness, and invention in Christian’s music, and although his compositions belong to a “light”, entertaining style, they still attract with warmth and tenderness, which sets Christian apart from the mass of fashionable authors of that era. He worked in all genres, with equal success in vocal and instrumental. His legacy includes about 90 symphonies and other works for orchestra, 35 concertos, 120 chamber instrumental works, more than 35 keyboard sonatas, 70 opuses of church music, 90 songs, arias, cantatas and 11 operas.

Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach (born March 21, 1685 Eisenach, Germany - died July 28, 1750 Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque era. One of the greatest composers in the history of music.

During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. His work represents all the significant genres of that time, except opera; he summarized the achievements of musical art of the Baroque period. Bach is a master of polyphony. After Bach's death, his music went out of fashion, but in the 19th century, thanks to Mendelssohn, it was rediscovered. His work had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 20th century. Bach's pedagogical works are still used for their intended purpose.

Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many of Johann Sebastian's ancestors were professional musicians. During this period, the Church, local authorities and the aristocracy supported musicians, especially in Thuringia and Saxony. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. At this time the city had about 6,000 inhabitants. Johannes Ambrosius's work included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father died, having managed to get married again shortly before. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian loved music very much and never missed an opportunity to practice it or study new works. Known next story, illustrating Bach's passion for music. Johann Christoph kept a notebook in his closet with sheet music by composers famous at that time, but, despite Johann Sebastian’s requests, he did not let him read it. One day, young Bach managed to remove a notebook from his brother’s always locked closet, and for six months, on moonlit nights, he copied its contents for himself. When the work was already completed, the brother discovered a copy and took away the notes.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where from 1700-1703 he studied at the singing school of St. Mikhail. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music was held in high esteem) and Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the 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 a cappella choir, Bach probably played the school's three-manual organ and the harpsichord. Here he received his first knowledge of theology, Latin, history, geography and physics, and may also have begun to learn French and Italian. At school, Bach had the opportunity to communicate with the sons of famous North German aristocrats and famous organists, most notably Georg Böhm in Lüneburg and Reincken and Bruns in Hamburg. With their help, Johann Sebastian may have had access to the largest instruments he had ever played. During this period, Bach expanded his knowledge of the composers of the era, most notably Dietrich Buxtehude, whom he greatly respected.

Family connections and an employer passionate about music could not prevent tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities that arose several years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706, Bach left without permission for several months in Lübeck, where he became acquainted with Buxtehude's playing, which displeased the authorities. In addition, the authorities accused Bach of “strange choral accompaniment” that confused the community, and of inability to manage the choir; the latter accusation apparently had some basis. Bach's first biographer, Forkel, writes that Johann Sebastian walked more than 40 km to listen to the outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.

In 1706, Bach decides to change his job. He was offered a more profitable and high position as an organist in the Church of St. Vlasia 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. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They without hesitation approved his expensive plan for the restoration of the church organ, and for the publication of the festive cantata “The Lord is my King,” BWV 71 (this was the only cantata printed during Bach’s lifetime), written for the inauguration of the new consul, he was given a large reward.

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time taking 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 count's palace. The following year, the first child in the family was born. At the same time, Maria Barbara's older unmarried sister moved in with the Bahamas and helped them run the household until her death in 1729. Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel were born to Bach in Weimar.

In Weimar, a long period of composing keyboard and orchestral works began, in which Bach's talent reached its peak. During this period, Bach absorbed musical trends from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach how to write dramatic introductions, from which Bach learned the art of using dynamic rhythms and decisive harmonic patterns. Bach studied the works of Italian composers well, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi concertos for organ or harpsichord. He may have borrowed the idea of writing transcriptions from his employer, Duke Johann Ernst, who was a professional musician. In 1713, the Duke returned from a trip abroad and brought with him a large number of sheet music, which he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the Duke (and, as can be seen from some works, Bach himself) was attracted by the alternation of solo (playing one instrument) and tutti (playing the entire orchestra).

In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar, Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of Bach's fugues is the Well-Tempered Clavier). While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the Organ Notebook, a collection of pieces for the teaching of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of arrangements of Lutheran chorales.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist 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.

After some time, Bach again went in search of a more suitable job. The old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717 he was even arrested for constantly asking for his resignation - but on December 2 he was released “with disgrace.” Leopold, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The Duke, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and gave him great freedom of action. However, the Duke was a Calvinist and did not encourage the use of refined music in worship, so most of Bach's Köthen works were secular. Among other things, in Köthen, Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were also written during this period.

On July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the Duke, tragedy struck: his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died, leaving four young children. The following year, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a young, highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the age difference - she was 17 years younger than Johann Sebastian - their marriage was apparently a happy one. They had 13 children.

In 1723, his “Passion according to John” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously fulfilling the duties of a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and conducting weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Johann Sebastian's position also included teaching Latin, but he was allowed to hire an assistant to do this work for him - so Pezold taught Latin for 50 thalers a year. Bach was given the position of “musical director” of all the churches in the city: his duties included selecting performers, supervising their training and choosing music for performance. While working in Leipzig, the composer repeatedly came into conflict with the city administration.

The first six years of his life in Leipzig turned out to be very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas (two of them, in all likelihood, were lost). Most of these works were written on gospel texts, which were read in the Lutheran church every Sunday and on holidays throughout the year; many (such as "Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme" and "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants.

During the performance, Bach apparently sat at the harpsichord or stood in front of the choir in the lower gallery under the organ; on the side gallery to the right of the organ there were wind instruments and timpani, and to the left there were string instruments. The city council provided Bach with only about 8 performers, and this often became the cause of disputes between the composer and the administration: Bach had to hire up to 20 musicians himself to perform orchestral works. The composer himself usually played the organ or harpsichord; if he led the choir, then this place was occupied by a full-time organist or one of Bach's eldest sons.

Bach recruited sopranos and altos from among students, and tenors and basses - not only from school, but also from all over Leipzig. In addition to regular concerts paid for by the city authorities, Bach and his choir earned extra money by performing at weddings and funerals. Presumably, at least 6 motets were written precisely for these purposes. Part of his regular work in the church was 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.

Zimmermann's Coffee House, where Bach often gave concerts Writing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach collected an extensive repertoire for performance in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the Collegium Musicum, a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when it was founded by Bach's old friend Georg Philipp Telemann. At that time, in many large German cities, gifted and active university students created similar ensembles. Such associations played an increasingly important role in public 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 a large hall and purchased several instruments. Many of Bach's secular works, dating from the 1730s, 40s and 50s, were composed specifically for performance at Zimmermann's coffeehouse. Such works include, for example, the “Coffee Cantata” and the keyboard collection “Clavier-Ubung,” as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

During the same period, Bach wrote the Kyrie and Gloria parts of the famous Mass in B minor, later completing the remaining parts, the melodies of which were almost entirely borrowed from the composer’s best cantatas. Soon Bach achieved appointment to the post of court composer; Apparently, he sought 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.

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest, sixth child in the family of a musician Johanna Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. Genus Bakhov known for his musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many ancestors and relatives Johann Sebastian were professional musicians. During this period, the Church, local authorities and the aristocracy supported musicians, especially in Thuringia and Saxony. Father Bach 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 passed away. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christophe, who served as organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian He loved music very much and never missed an opportunity to practice it or study new works.

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 was held in high esteem) 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 acapella 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, primarily with Georg Böhm in Luneburg and Reincken in Hamburg. With their help Johann Sebastian, may have had access to the largest instruments he has 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. With this oldest German city the family Bakhov there were long-standing connections. In August Bach took the post of organist of the church. 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. In this period Bach created many organ works.

Family ties and a music-loving employer could not prevent tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities, which arose a few years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706 Bach he left without permission to Lübeck for several months, where he became acquainted with Buxtehude's game, which displeased the authorities. First biographer Bach Forkel writes that Johann Sebastian walked 50 km to listen to the outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.

In addition, the authorities presented Bahu accusations 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 jobs. 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. Next year Bach accepted this offer, taking the place of organist Johanna Georg Ale. His salary was increased compared to the previous one, and the standard of the singers was better. Four months later, 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 plan for the restoration of the church organ, which required large expenses, and for the publication of the festive cantata “The Lord is my King”, BWV 71 (this was the only one printed during his lifetime Bach cantata), 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. Family Bach 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 to Baham Maria Barbara's older unmarried sister moved in and helped them run the household until her death in 1729. In Weimar Bach Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel were born. In 1704 Bach met the violinist von Westhof, who had a great influence on the activities Bach. Von Westhof's works inspired Bach to create his sonatas and partitas for solo violin.

A long period of composing keyboard and orchestral works began in Weimar, in which talent Bach reached its peak. In this period Bach absorbs musical trends from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach write dramatic introductions, of 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 could 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 a large number of sheet music, which he showed Johann Sebastian. In the Italian music of the crown duke (and, as can be seen from some works, the Bach) was attracted by the alternation of solo (playing one instrument) and tutti (playing the entire orchestra).

In Weimar Bach there was the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of fugues Bach is "The Well-Tempered Clavier"). While serving in Weimar Bach began work on the “Organ Book” - a collection of organ chorale preludes, possibly for the training of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of arrangements of Lutheran chorales.

Towards the end of his service in Weimar Bach was already a well-known organist and harpsichord master. 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 Bahu I had to play alone.

Köthen (1717-1723)

Over time Bach I went back 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 constant requests for resignation, but on December 2 he was released “with disgrace.” Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach for the position of bandmaster. The prince, himself a musician, appreciated talent Bach, paid him well and gave him great freedom of action. However, the prince was a Calvinist and did not welcome the use of sophisticated music in worship services, so most of the Köthen works Bach were secular. Among other things, in Köthen Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were also written during this period.

July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the prince, his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died, leaving four young children. Next year Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a young highly gifted singer (soprano), who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721.

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723, his Passion for John was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1 Bach received the position of cantor of the St. Thomas choir while simultaneously performing the duties of a teacher at the church school, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. In charge Bach included teaching singing and holding weekly concerts in the two main churches of Leipzig, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Job title Johann Sebastian also provided for the teaching of 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” of all 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 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 execution Bach, apparently, sat at the harpsichord or stood in front of the choir on the lower gallery under the organ; on the side gallery to the right of the organ there were wind instruments and timpani, and to the left there were string instruments. The city council made available Bach only about 8 performers, and this often became the cause of disputes between the composer and the administration: Bahu he 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 the staff organist or one of the eldest sons Bach.

Sopranos and altos Bach recruited from among the 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 with their choir they 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; while composing his motets Bach focused on the works of these composers.

Writing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach collected an extensive repertoire for performance in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729 Johann Sebastian became the head of the Collegium Musicum, a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when it was founded by an old friend Bach 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 a large hall and purchased several instruments. Many of the secular works Bach, dating from the 1730s to the 1750s, were composed specifically for performance in Zimmermann's coffee house. Such works include, for example, the “Coffee Cantata” and, possibly, keyboard pieces from the “Clavier-Übung” collections, as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

During the same period Bach wrote parts Kyrie and Gloria of the famous Mass in B minor, later completing the remaining parts, the melodies of which were almost entirely borrowed from the composer’s best cantatas. Soon Bach achieved appointment to the position of court composer; Apparently, he sought 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 Bach, despite the fact that it was most likely written long before his death (according to modern research - before 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 death Bach The Art of Fugue was published by his sons, together with the chorale prelude BWV 668, which is often mistakenly called the last work Bach- in fact it exists in at least two versions and is a reworking of an earlier prelude to the same tune, BWV 641.

Over time, vision Bach It was getting 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 twice Bach, but both operations were unsuccessful, Bach remained blind. On July 18, he unexpectedly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he suffered a stroke. Bach died July 28; it is possible that the cause of death was complications after surgery. His estate was valued at more than 1,000 thalers and included 5 harpsichords, 2 lute harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, as well as 52 sacred books.

During 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 were court musicians from Dresden, Berlin and other cities, including Telemann, godfather of Carl Philipp Emmanuel. Interestingly, George Frideric Handel, the same age Bach from Halle, 50 km from Leipzig, have never met Bach, Although Bach twice in his life he tried to meet him - 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 the remains Bach 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 J. S. Bach, a bronze tombstone was installed above his burial place.

Bach studies

The first description of life and creativity Bach became a work published in 1802 Johann Forkel. Biography compiled by Forkel Bach based on obituary and stories from sons and friends Bach. In the mid-19th century, the general public's interest in music Bach increased, composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. Honored Promoter of Works Bach Robert Franz has published several books about the composer's work. The next major work Bache became a 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 Bach, descriptions and analysis of his works, much attention is paid to the description of the era in which he worked, as well as the 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 life and work were established Bach, which in some places conflicted with traditional ideas. For example, it was found that Bach wrote some cantatas in 1724-1725 (it was previously believed that this happened in the 1740s), unknown works have been found, and some previously attributed Bahu 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 hoax of the 20th century, “Chronicle of Life 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 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the famous works is assigned a BWV number (abbreviated from Bach Werke Verzeichnis - catalog of works Bach). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both sacred and secular. Some works Bach are adaptations of works by other composers, and some are revised versions of their own works.

Organ creativity

Organ music in Germany by the time Bach and already had long-standing traditions that had developed thanks to its predecessors Bach- Pachelbel, Böhm, Buxtehude and other composers, each of whom influenced him in their own way. With many of them Bach was personally acquainted.

During life Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in “free” genres traditional for 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 by the music of North German composers (Georg Böhm, with whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck), and the music of southern composers: Bach copied the works of many French and Italian composers for himself in order to understand them musical language; later he even transcribed several Vivaldi violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (1708-1714) Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes, toccatas and fugues, but also composed an unfinished Organ Book - a collection of 46 short choral preludes, which demonstrated various techniques and approaches to composing works on choral themes. After leaving Weimar Bach began to write less for the organ; nevertheless, after Weimar many famous works were written (6 trio sonatas, the collection “Clavier-Übung” and 18 Leipzig chorales). All life Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted in the construction of instruments, testing and tuning new organs.

Other keyboard works

Bach He also wrote a number of works for the harpsichord, many of which could also be performed on the clavichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. Most keyboard works Bach, published during his lifetime, were contained in collections called "Clavier-Übung" ("clavier exercises").

“The Well-Tempered Clavier” in two volumes, written in 1722 and 1744, is a collection, each volume of which contains 24 preludes and fugues, one for each common key. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that make it equally easy to perform music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament system.
15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions are small works, arranged in order of increasing number of signs in the key. They were intended (and are still used to this day) for teaching how to play keyboard instruments.
Three collections of suites: English Suites, French Suites and Partitas for Clavier. Each cycle contained 6 suites, built according to a standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional part between the last two). In English suites, the allemande is preceded by a prelude, and between the sarabande and the gigue there is exactly one movement; in French suites the number of optional parts increases, and there are no preludes. In the partitas, the standard scheme is expanded: in addition to the exquisite introductory parts, there are additional ones, and not only between the sarabande and the gigue.
Goldberg Variations (circa 1741) - melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. The variations are built more on the tonal plan of the theme than on the melody itself.
A variety of pieces such as Overture in the French Style, BWV 831, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 903, or Italian Concerto, BWV 971.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music both for individual instruments and for ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 3 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, BWV 1001-1006, 6 suites for cello, BWV 1007-1012, and partita for solo flute, BWV 1013 - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound works. Besides, 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 named because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought to get work at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. These six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Orchestral masterpieces Bach includes two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and 1042), a concerto for 2 violins in D minor BWV 1043, the so-called “triple” A minor concerto (for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings and continuous (digital) bass) 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, so they can be called piano concertos Bach, but do not forget that in times Bach there was no piano. In addition to concerts, Bach composed 4 orchestral suites (BWV 1066-1069), some individual parts of which are especially widely popular in our time and have popular arrangements, namely: the so-called “Bach joke” - the last part, the badinerie of the second suite and the second part of the third suite - aria.

Vocal works

Cantatas.

For a long period of my life, every Sunday Bach in the Church of St. Thomas he led the performance of a cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to the Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach He 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. Total Bach More than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes were written, of which only 200 have survived to this day (the last one in the form of a single fragment). Cantatas Bach 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. The most famous of the spiritual cantatas Bach are "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (number 4), "Ein' feste Burg" (number 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (number 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" (number 147) . Besides, Bach He also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually timed to coincide with some event, for example, a wedding. Among the most famous secular cantatas Bach- two Wedding cantatas and a comic Coffee Cantata and a Peasant Cantata.

Passions, or passions.

Passion for John(1724) and the St. Matthew Passion (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended for performance at vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Passions are one of the largest vocal works Bach. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have fully survived to this day.

Oratorios and Magnificats.

The most famous is the Christmas Oratorio (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas for performance during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and Magnificat are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and have a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and famous (D major, 1730).

Masses.

The most famous and significant mass Bach- Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), representing 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 his lifetime Bach- for 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 (it included only Kyrie and Gloria), as well as due to the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, 4 short two-part Masses have reached us Bach(Kyrie and Gloria), as well as individual parts like Sanctus and Kyrie.
Bach's remaining vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Execution

Today's music performers Bach divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance (or "historically oriented performance"), that is, using the tools and methods of the era Bach, and performing Bach on modern instruments. During times Bach 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, in some chamber works Bach the instrumentation is not indicated at all, so today very different versions of performances of the same works are known. In organ works Bach almost never indicated registration and change of manuals. From stringed keyboard instruments Bach I preferred the clavichord. He met with Silberman and discussed with him the design of his new instrument, contributing to the creation of the modern piano. Music Bach for some instruments it was often arranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged the organ toccata and fugue in D minor and some other works for piano.

To popularize music Bach in the 20th century, numerous “lightened” and “modernized” versions of his works contributed. 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. Processed music Bach and jazz musicians such as Jacques Loussier. The New Age arrangement of the Goldberg Variations was performed by Joel Spiegelman. Among Russian contemporary performers, Fyodor Chistyakov tried to pay tribute to the great composer in his 1997 solo album “When he wakes up.” Bach».

The fate of Bach's music

Contrary to popular myth, Bach after death he was not forgotten. True, this concerned works for the clavier: his works were performed and published, and were used for didactic purposes.

In the last years of life and after death Bach his fame as a composer began to wane: his style was considered old-fashioned compared to the burgeoning classicism.

He was better known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father Bakhov-younger, primarily Carl Philip Emmanuel, whose music was more famous. However, many major composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven, knew and loved the work Johann Sebastian.

Works continued to be played in the church Bach for organ, harmonizations of chorales were in constant use.

Cantata-oratorio compositions Bach were rarely played (although the notes were carefully preserved in the Church of St. Thomas), as a rule, on the initiative of Karl Philip Emmanuel Bach, however, already in 1800, the Berlin Singing Academy (German) Russian was organized by Karl Friedrich Zelter. (Singakademie), the main goal of which was precisely the promotion of Bach's singing heritage.

The performance of Zelter's disciple, twenty-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, on March 11, 1829 in Berlin, of the St. Matthew Passion, gained great public attention. 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 his birthday. Bach. “The St. Matthew Passion” was also performed in other cities - Frankfurt, Dresden, Königsberg. Creation Bach had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 21st century.

In Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, both music experts and performers Bach Filda's student Maria Shimanovskaya and Alexander Griboyedov especially stand out. For example, while visiting the St. Thomas School, 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 valued music very much Bach. As a child he played the preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, and later called Bach“the true father of harmony” and said that “his name is not the Brook, but the Sea” (the word Bach in German means “stream”). Works Johann Sebastian influenced many composers. Some themes from the works Bach, for example, the theme of the toccata and fugue in D minor, were repeatedly used in the music of the 20th century.

Biography written in 1802 Johann Nikolaus Forkel, spurred the interest of the general public 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 keyboard and choral works were performed in Bad Berka), in a letter of 1827 compared the feeling of music Bach with “eternal harmony in dialogue with oneself.” But the real revival of music Bach began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn. Hegel, who attended the concert, later called Bach“a great, true Protestant, a strong and, so to speak, erudite genius, whom we have only recently learned to fully appreciate again.” In subsequent years, Mendelssohn's work to popularize music continued Bach and the rise of the composer's fame.

Founded in 1850 Bakhovskoe society whose purpose was the collection, study and dissemination of works Bach. Over the next half century, this society carried out significant work on compiling and publishing a corpus of the composer’s works.

In the 20th century, awareness of the musical and pedagogical value of his compositions continued. Interest in music Bach gave birth to a new movement among performers: the idea of authentic performance became widespread. Such performers, for example, use a harpsichord instead of a modern piano and smaller choirs than was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wanting to accurately recreate the music of Bach's era.

Some composers expressed their respect Bahu, including the BACH motif (B-flat - A - C - B in Latin notation) in the themes of his 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. I used the same theme myself Bach, for example, in the XIV counterpoint from The Art of Fugue.

Many composers took their cue from the works Bach or used themes from them. Examples are Beethoven's Variations on a Theme Diabelli, the prototype of which is the Goldberg Variations, Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, written under the influence of The Well-Tempered Clavier, and Brahms's Cello Sonata in D major, the finale of which includes musical quotations from The Art of fugues."

The chorale prelude “Ich ruf’ zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ” (BWV 177) performed by Leonid Roizman is heard in the film “Solaris” (1972).

Music Bach among the best creations of mankind, recorded on the Voyager gold disc.

Johann Sebastian Bach Topped the top ten greatest composers of all time (New York Times).

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 on the Frauenplan in Eisenach, designed by Adolf von Donndorff, erected on September 28, 1884. At first it stood on the Market Square near the Church of St. George; On April 4, 1938 it was moved to Frauenplan with a shortened 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.

Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Johann Sebastian Bach; March 21, 1685, Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach - July 28, 1750, Leipzig, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire) - a great German composer of the 18th century. More than two hundred and fifty years have passed since Bach's death, and interest in his music is growing. During his lifetime, the composer did not receive the recognition he deserved.

Interest in Bach's music arose almost a hundred years after his death: in 1829, Bach's greatest work, the St. Matthew Passion, was publicly performed under the direction of the German composer. For the first time - in Germany - a complete collection of Bach's works was published. And musicians all over the world play Bach’s music, marveling at its beauty and inspiration, skill and perfection. " Not a stream! - The sea should be his name", the great said about Bach.

Bach's ancestors have long been famous for their musicality. It is known that the composer’s great-great-grandfather, a baker by profession, played the zither. Flutists, trumpeters, organists, and violinists came from the Bach family. Eventually, every musician in Germany began to be called Bach and every Bach a musician.

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in the small German town of Eisenach. Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest, eighth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. He received his first violin skills from his father, a violinist and city musician. The boy had an excellent voice (soprano) and sang in the city school choir. No one doubted his future profession: little Bach was to become a musician. The nine-year-old child was left an orphan. His elder brother, who served as a church organist in the city of Ohrdruf, became his teacher. The brother sent the boy to the gymnasium and continued to teach music.

But he was an insensitive musician. Classes were monotonous and boring. For an inquisitive ten-year-old boy, it was painful. Therefore, he strived for self-education. Having learned that his brother kept a notebook with works of famous composers in a locked closet, the boy secretly took out this notebook at night and copied notes in the moonlight. This tedious work lasted for six months and severely damaged the future composer’s vision. And imagine the child’s disappointment when his brother caught him one day doing this and took away the already copied notes.

CONTINUED BELOW

The beginning of the time of wandering

At the age of fifteen, Johann Sebastian decided to start independent life and moved to Luneburg. In 1703, he graduated from high school and received the right to enter the university. But Bach did not have to use this right, since he needed to earn a living.

During his life, Bach moved from city to city several times, changing his place of work. Almost every time the reason turned out to be the same - unsatisfactory working conditions, a humiliating, dependent position. But no matter how unfavorable the situation was, the desire for new knowledge and improvement never left him. With tireless energy he constantly studied the music of not only German, but also Italian and French composers. Bach did not miss the opportunity to personally meet outstanding musicians and study the manner of their performance. One day, having no money for the trip, young Bach went to another city on foot to listen to the famous organist Buxtehude play.

The composer also unswervingly defended his attitude to creativity, his views on music. Contrary to the admiration of court society for foreign music, Bach studied with special love and widely used German folk songs and dances in his works. Having an excellent knowledge of the music of composers from other countries, he did not blindly imitate them. Extensive and deep knowledge helped him improve and polish his compositional skills.

Sebastian Bach's talent was not limited to this area. He was the best organ and harpsichord player among his contemporaries. And if Bach did not receive recognition as a composer during his lifetime, his skill in improvisations at the organ was unsurpassed. Even his rivals were forced to admit this.

They say that Bach was invited to Dresden to participate in a competition with the then famous French organist and harpsichordist. The day before, a preliminary acquaintance of the musicians took place; both of them played the harpsichord. That same night, Marchand hastily left, thereby recognizing Bach's undeniable superiority. Another time, in the city of Kassel, Bach amazed his listeners by performing a solo on the organ pedal. Such success did not go to Bach’s head; he always remained a very modest and hardworking person. When asked how he achieved such perfection, the composer replied: " I had to work hard, whoever works just as hard will achieve the same".

Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708)

In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received the position of court musician to the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties included, but most likely this position was not related to performing activities. During his seven months of service in Weimar, his fame as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the position of organ caretaker at the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties to this oldest German city. In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work 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.

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 six children, three of whom died in childhood. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

Return to Weimar (1708-1717)

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, returning to Weimar, but 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 could 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 a large number of sheet music, which 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).

Köthen period

In 1717, Bach and his family moved to Köthen. There was no organ at the court of the Prince of Köthen, where he was invited. The old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717 he was even arrested for constant requests for resignation, but on December 2 he was released " with displeasure" Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The prince, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and gave him 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.

Bach wrote mainly keyboard and orchestral music. The composer's duties included leading a small orchestra, accompanying the prince's singing and entertaining him by playing the harpsichord. Coping with his responsibilities without difficulty, Bach devoted all his free time to creativity. The works for clavier created at this time represent the second peak in his work after organ works. In Köthen, two- and three-voice inventions were written (Bach called three-voice inventions " symphonies". The composer intended these plays for classes with his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann. Pedagogical goals guided Bach when creating the suites - "French" and "English". In Köthen, Bach also completed 24 preludes and fugues, which made up the first volume of a large work entitled " A well-tempered clavier." During the same period, the famous "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue" in D minor was written.

In our time, Bach's inventions and suites have become mandatory pieces in the programs of music schools, and the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier - in schools and conservatories. Intended by the composer for pedagogical purposes, these works are also of interest to mature musicians. Therefore, Bach's pieces for the clavier, from the relatively simple inventions to the most complex "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", can be heard at concerts and on the radio performed by the best pianists in the world.

Last years in Leipzig

From Köthen in 1723, Bach moved to Leipzig, where he remained until the end of his life. Here he took the position of cantor (choir director) of the singing school at the Church of St. Thomas. Bach was obliged to serve the main churches of the city with the help of the school and be responsible for the condition and quality of church music. He had to accept embarrassing conditions for himself. Along with the responsibilities of a teacher, educator and composer, there were also the following instructions: " Do not leave the city without the permission of the mayor"As before, his creative possibilities were limited. Bach had to compose music for the church that would " was not too long, and also... opera-like, but to arouse awe in the listeners"But Bach, as always, sacrificing a lot, never compromised on the main thing - his artistic convictions. Throughout his life, he created works that were amazing in their deep content and inner richness.

So it was this time. In Leipzig, Bach created his best vocal and instrumental compositions: most of the cantatas (in total, Bach wrote about 250 cantatas), “John Passion”, “Matthew Passion”, Mass in B minor. "Passion" or "passions"; according to John and Matthew - this is the story of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ as described by the evangelists John and Matthew. The Mass is close in content to the Passion. In the past, both the Mass and the “passion” were choral chants in catholic church. For Bach, these works go far beyond the scope of church services. Bach's Mass and Passion are monumental works of a concert nature. They are performed by soloists, choir, orchestra, and organ. In terms of their artistic significance, the cantatas, "Passion" and Mass represent the third, highest peak of the composer's work.

The church authorities were clearly dissatisfied with Bach's music. As in previous years, they found her too bright, colorful, and humane. And indeed, Bach’s music did not respond to, but rather contradicted, the strict church environment, the mood of detachment from everything earthly. Along with major vocal and instrumental works, Bach continued to write music for the clavier. Almost at the same time as the Mass, the famous “Italian Concerto” was written. Later, Bach completed the second volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, which included 24 new preludes and fugues.

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".

In addition to his enormous creative work and service in the church school, Bach took an active part in the activities of the “Musical College” of the city. It was a society of music lovers that organized concerts of secular rather than church music for city residents. Bach performed with great success in concerts of the Musical College as a soloist and conductor. He wrote many orchestral, clavier and vocal works of a secular nature especially for the society’s concerts. But Bach's main job - the head of a school of singers - brought him nothing but grief and trouble. The funds allocated by the church for the school were negligible, and the singing boys were hungry and poorly dressed. The level of their musical abilities was also low. Singers were often recruited without regard for Bach's opinion. The school orchestra was more than modest: four trumpets and four violins!

All requests for help for the school, submitted by Bach to the city authorities, remained unheeded. The cantor had to answer for everything.

The only joy was still creativity and family. The grown-up sons - Wilhelm Friedemann, Philip Emmanuel, Johann Christian - turned out to be talented musicians. During their father's lifetime they became famous composers. Anna Magdalena Bach, the composer's second wife, was distinguished by her great musicality. She had excellent hearing and a beautiful, strong soprano voice. Bach's eldest daughter also sang well. For his family, Bach composed vocal and instrumental ensembles.

Bach's death went almost unnoticed by the music community. They soon forgot about him. The fate of Bach's wife and youngest daughter was sad. Anna Magdalena died ten years later in a poor house. The youngest daughter Regina eked out a miserable existence. In the last years of her difficult life, he helped her.

Photos of Bach by Johann Sebastian

The embodiment of divine beauty

Today we will go to visit Johann Sebastian Bach himself. Each generation discovers something new in Bach's music, in tune with its time. Perhaps you too will rediscover this composer and his music. We will listen to you best works J. S. Bach.

The music that will sound at the beginning of our meeting creates an atmosphere of sublimity, expectation of a miracle and anticipation of the holiday. But in this work J. S. Bach only plays the accompaniment part. Could the composer have foreseen that the 19th century French composer Charles Gounod would compose a vocal melody based on his prelude?

Inspired by Bach's divine harmony, C. Gounod wrote variations for violin and piano. After adding the words of the Latin prayer “Ave Maria” to the melody, this work becomes another masterpiece of musical art.

C. Gounod – J. S. Bach “Ave Maria”

I suggest listening to the original prelude by Bach. Please note that the entire melodic sphere is dispersed in chords that replace each other continuously. Bach managed to create an incredible image of the Annunciation, touching the strings of our soul, reviving the good, the eternal, the beautiful.

J. S. Bach “Prelude and Fugue in C major”

The purpose of music is to touch hearts!
J. S. Bach

J. S. Bach, a German composer, the greatest genius in the history of music, lived and worked in the Baroque era. Musical heritage Bach is included in the golden fund of world culture, and his immortal masterpieces are timeless. Bach's music is the history of humanity expressed in sounds. His talent was multifaceted - composer, unsurpassed master of polyphony, organist, harpsichordist, violinist, teacher. Bach's work belongs to intellectual music, in a word - it is an eternal and beautiful art!

The most musical family in history

J. S. Bach was born in 1685 in Eisenach, a small Thuringian town in Germany. He was the eighth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach. His father taught him to play the violin. Young Bach had a beautiful voice and sang in the church choir. Music filled his whole life, and his father had high hopes for his youngest son.

By the way, if ever there was a family in which reverence for music was inherited from generation to generation, it was the Bach family. The composer himself compiled a pedigree of his family, and researchers counted fifty relatives of Johann Sebastian who connected their lives with music.

Musical biography of I.S. Bach

A happy childhood ended when he lost his mother, and a year later his father.
After the death of his parents at the age of ten, Johann was taken in by his older brother Johann Christoph. The elder brother taught the future composer to play the clavier, organ, and the basics of music.

At the age of 15, Johann continued his musical education at the vocal school of Lüneburg. Here he gets acquainted with the work of composers and receives a comprehensive education. During the same period, J. S. Bach wrote his first works. Thus begins the musical biography of the great composer and organist.

Having brilliantly graduated from the vocal gymnasium, he receives the right to enter the university. But due to lack of funds, he is unable to continue his studies. He is invited to the position of court musician at the Weimar court, but dissatisfaction with his dependent position forces him to seek new job. So he gets a position as organist at the New Church in Arnstadt.

Organ virtuoso

J. S. Bach writes many musical works, but his fame primarily spreads as a virtuoso performer. He was a big fan of keyboard instruments and played the harpsichord and clavichord. But it was the organ that allowed him to fully reveal his talent as a composer. Johann Sebastian Bach mastered it perfectly, his skill was unsurpassed. Even his rivals recognized this fact.

Plunging into this vast ocean of sounds, we are distracted from the everyday hustle and bustle and remain alone with the divine. The bright sounds of this organ prelude give us a feeling of silence, peace and tranquility. This music was performed in A. Tarkovsky’s film “Solaris”.

J. S. Bach “Organ Chorale Prelude in F minor”

There is a holy silence in music,
Heartbreaking, like faith in the Almighty,
And this silence is embodied
In the night prayers of a sinful musician.
The silence of the night chills the soul,
The glow of the stars sways slightly,
Among the stars in the night the most pure face burns,
The prayer lasts and is heard in prayer...
Oh God, I'm sorry...

From a young age, J. S. Bach became acquainted with the work of various musicians. But he thoroughly studies the work of Italian composers, processing their music. Thus, the author of the following work is Alessandro Marcello, a composer of Italy during the Baroque era. Although he was an amateur composer, his works were very popular. The most famous of them was “Adagio” arranged by J. S. Bach. Sounding in a new way, it captivates us with the power and depth of feeling.

A. Marcello, J. S. Bach “Adagio”

“Great Bach, you are the music of the Universe...”

Very often the composer’s music is compared to space. Why do you think? After all, Bach lived long before the space age. After watching the video and hearing the sound of the organ, you will be able to answer this question. I think that J. S. Bach was allowed to hear the music of the celestial spheres. Is it because the divine harmony of the composer and the piercing power of the organ, falling upon us, excite our souls and create truly stellar and cosmic associations?

Many musicians believe that if we could hear the sounds of the universe, they would be similar to the music of Bach.

J. S. Bach “Toccata in D minor”

Great Bach, you - music of the universe,
Having curbed the breathing of the organ,
And in the 21st century modern
You will be in people's hearts.
A powerful sound flows like a stream
In the last triumphant chord,
And man is a particle of the universe -
Feel the delight of immortality.

Bach's Message to Extraterrestrial Civilizations

In 1977, an unusual golden disc was released with a message on behalf of the inhabitants of our planet to extraterrestrial civilizations. This golden disc contains not only the sounds of the Earth, but also music, including the music of J. S. Bach. This disk, placed on board the Voyager spacecraft, is already at a distance of about 20 billion kilometers from Earth, that is, outside the Solar System.

Model family

I would like to note that Johann Sebastian was an exemplary family man, and family life was as dear to him as music. The house was filled with music; concerts were often held here, in which Bach’s children took part. He taught his gifted children himself. Four of Bach's children later became famous composers: Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel from his first marriage, Johann Christoph Friedrich and Johann Christian from his second.

Bach suffered severe trials when he lost his first wife and children. Under the difficult impressions of his wife’s death, “Siciliana” was written - music permeated with grief and deep sadness.

J. S. Bach "Siciliana"

Soon he fell in love again. This time his chosen one was the very young Anna Magdalena. She managed the house well and became a caring stepmother for the children. But the most important thing is that she was sincerely interested in her husband’s successes, helped rewrite notes, and was keenly interested in music.

The Bach family began to grow again. Anna gave her husband 13 children. The new family also often got together in the evenings, organizing concerts. The house was filled with happiness again.

“A Musical Joke” by J. S. Bach embodies everything that the composer wanted to give to children. Like the bright smile of a father watching the carefree fun of his children, it captivates us with its light, gentle sound of the flute and the silvery ringing of string instruments in different variations.

J. S. Bach “Musical Joke” (Suite No. 2 for flute and orchestra)

Oh! How sweet the taste of coffee is!

This amazing story about coffee and music began when the owner of a coffee house ordered a piece of music to be written about coffee in the cantata genre. The composer was Johann Sebastian, the lyrics were written by H. F. Henricki.

In those distant times, coffee was a little-known drink, many treated it with distrust. To draw attention to this drink, J. S. Bach wrote a cantata in a humorous manner.

“Coffee Cantata” is especially pleasant to listen to when enjoying the magical taste of coffee. I am sure that every time you pour yourself a cup of aromatic drink, you will remember the music of Bach!

J. S. Bach “Coffee Cantata”

Quite a lot of secular cantatas and music of other genres were written to order, because they helped to earn additional income. But at the same time, the composer unswervingly defended his views on music. It is known that J. S. Bach was a deeply religious man and was convinced that music is an expression of the divine. He said: “All my music belongs to God, and all my abilities are intended for Him.”

From the abyss of troubles I call to you

Through music, he reflects on the most important, eternal issues of human life. And these reflections are most often associated with religious themes, because Bach served in the church for most of his life. He wrote many cantatas based on spiritual texts. The composer knew the Holy Scriptures very well, and Jesus was the main character and ideal in music. He even decorated his scores with inscriptions: “Glory to God alone!”, “Jesus, help!”

J. S. Bach “Jesus remains my joy”

Bach also has truly tragic works. But don't be scared by this word. Find strength and listen to one of the most grandiose, sublime and majestic works. This is the scene of the last farewell to Christ. “Sleep well. Away, rather away from earthly sorrows...” The door to eternity is open.

Indescribable and exciting, it awakens the greatest feelings in the soul
human. I had the opportunity to visit a concert in Leipzig that was dedicated to the work of Bach, and I must say that even the men who were stingy with emotions could not hold back their tears during the sound of the final choir.

J. S. Bach “St. Matthew Passion”. Final chorus "We sit with tears"

But again I rise to heaven,
Carried by the vibration of the Father's love,
Where God is, where the light of home is
The path of ascent illuminates for us
To the source of existence, to the divine feet.

In 1723, Bach moved his family to Leipzig. Here his sons were able to receive a good education and start a music career. The composer himself received the position of cantor of the main churches of the city. He worked a lot, his creative list of works expanded significantly.

But in the last years of his life, Bach’s health deteriorated sharply, due to eye strain suffered in his youth. As a result unsuccessful operation Bach went blind. But he continues to compose music, dictating his works to his son-in-law. After some time, he decides to undergo a second operation, which only worsens his condition. July 28, 1759 J. S. Bach dies.

The composer was buried in Leipzig in a church cemetery. But during the Second World War the temple was destroyed. In 1949, the composer's ashes were transferred and buried at the altar of the Church of St. Thomas.

After the composer's death, his name was forgotten. And only the chance discovery of an old clavier of the St. Matthew Passion resurrected the undeserved forgotten name. The triumphal march of Bach's music around the world began with the St. Matthew Passion, performed in 1829 in Berlin. Conducted
performance of the oratorio by the young composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Moreover, a biography of Bach was published in one of the popular newspapers. It further stimulated interest in the composer’s work among the general public. People discovered Bach's music. The complete collection of the composer's works was published, catalogs were compiled, and concerts were held. And in order to pay tribute to the genius, musicians, music copyists, and members of the Bach Society worked for free. A monument to the great composer was made with the money of Felix Mendelssohn.

During his entire life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works in all genres except opera. Bach's work is the pinnacle of the universe and once again proves that man is capable of creating magical objects of art and beauty.

Did you know that:

One day, having no money for the trip, young Bach went to another city on foot. He traveled 350 km to hear organist Dietrich Buxtehude play;
in Dresden there was to be a performance by the “world star” of that time, L. Marchand. He and Bach 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 the best musician;
Bach sometimes disguised himself as a poor schoolteacher and asked permission to play the church organ in the church of some small town. His playing always did this strong impression on the parishioners that they could not believe that in front of them was a simple teacher;
It is known that J. S. Bach was an excellent teacher. But he never charged for his private lessons;
Bach had a unique ear. He could perform a piece he had heard once without a single mistake;
Bach music festivals are held all over the world, and in Leipzig, one of the largest organ competitions in the world, named after J. S. Bach, is held every 4 years;
“I loved the long autumn and winter evenings when the children went to bed. Sebastian and I sat down to do our usual activity - copying music. Two candles stood between us. So quietly and joyfully we worked side by side, maintaining deep silence. Inspiration often descended on him, he took a blank sheet of music from the stack that I always put next to him, and sketched out what was born in his soul - this inexhaustible source of music.” (From the memoirs of Anna Magdalena).

The great musician and composer left us not only his creations - he left us the whole world of his music - the world of Bach. This is the height at which human genius can dwell. This is the height at which man is equal to God.

Szadkowska Lilia

I thank Liliya for the story about J. S. Bach, about his musical geniuses. We have all heard something about him, because he was an extraordinary person, but still, every time you are anew surprised by the facts from his life - both professional and personal. She was so full of music, love, piety that it cannot but arouse respect and admiration, like all his great works.

Articles about music and musicians

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 a notebook with works of famous composers from the closet and copied the notes on moonlit nights. 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 What outweighed the patience of the church authorities was the long excommunication of the musician from Arnstadt. The inert churchmen, 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 Lübeck 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 had become a well-known harpsichordist 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 a musical theme and asked him 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 the last decade, the composer's fame faded: classicism flourished, and 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. Perky, melodic, gentle music sounds in different variations, adapted for playing modern instruments.

Western and Russian musicians popularize Bach's music. 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 a 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 church choirs Both men and women sing. 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"