Johann Sebastian Bach - a short biography of the composer. List of main works and

Johann Sebastian Bach is a German composer and musician of the Baroque era, who collected and combined in his work the traditions and most significant achievements of European musical art, and also enriched all this with a masterly use of counterpoint and a subtle sense of perfect harmony. Bach is the greatest classic who left a huge legacy that has become the golden fund of world culture. He is a versatile musician whose work has covered almost all known genres. Creating immortal masterpieces, he turned every beat of his compositions into small works, then combining them into priceless creations of perfect beauty and expressiveness that vividly reflected the diversity spiritual world person.

Read a short biography of Johann Sebastian Bach and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

short biography Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in the German town of Eisenach into the fifth generation of a family of musicians on March 21, 1685. It should be noted that musical dynasties were quite common in Germany at that time, and talented parents sought to develop appropriate talents in their children. The boy's father, Johann Ambrosius, was an organist in the church of Eisenach and a court accompanist. It is obvious that it was he who gave the first lessons in playing the violin And harpsichord little son.

From Bach's biography we learn that at the age of 10 the boy lost his parents, but was not left without a roof over his head, because he was the eighth and youngest child in the family. The little orphan was taken care of by Ohrdruf's respected organist Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Sebastian's older brother. Among his other students, Johann Christoph taught his brother to play the clavier, but the strict teacher kept the manuscripts of modern composers safely under lock and key, so as not to spoil the taste of the young performers. However, the castle did not prevent little Bach from getting acquainted with forbidden works.

Luneburg

At the age of 15, Bach entered the prestigious Luneburg School of Church Choristers, which was located at the Church of St. Michael, and at the same time, thanks to his beautiful voice, young Bach was able to earn a little extra money in a church choir. In addition, in Luneburg the young man met Georg Böhm, a famous organist, whose communication influenced the early work of the composer. He also traveled to Hamburg several times to listen to the playing of the largest representative of the German organ school, A. Reincken. Bach's first works for clavier and organ date back to the same period. After successfully completing school, Johann Sebastian receives the right to enter the university, but due to lack of funds he was not able to continue his education.

Weimar and Arnstadt

My labor activity Johann began in Weimar, where he was accepted into the court chapel of Duke Johann Ernst of Saxony as a violinist. However, this did not last long, since such work did not satisfy the creative impulses of the young musician. In 1703, Bach, without hesitation, agreed to move to Arnstadt, where he was in the church of St. Boniface was initially offered the position of organ keeper, and then the post of organist. A decent salary, work only three days a week, a good modernized instrument tuned to the latest system, all this created conditions for expanding the creative capabilities of the musician not only as a performer, but also as a composer.

During this period, he created a large number of organ works, as well as capriccios, cantatas and suites. Here Johann becomes a true organ expert and a brilliant virtuoso, whose playing aroused unbridled delight among listeners. It was in Arnstadt that his gift of improvisation was revealed, which the church leadership really did not like. Bach always strived for perfection and did not miss the opportunity to meet famous musicians, for example, with organist Dietrich Buxtehude, who served in Lübeck. Having received a four-week vacation, Bach went to listen to the great musician, whose playing impressed Johann so much that he, forgetting about his duties, stayed in Lübeck for four months. Upon returning to Arndstadt, the indignant management gave Bach a humiliating trial, after which he had to leave the city and look for a new place of work.

Mühlhausen

The next city on life path Bach was Mühlhausen. Here in 1706 he won a competition for the position of organist in the Church of St. Vlasiya. He was accepted with a good salary, but also with certain conditions: musical accompaniment chorales should be strict, without any kind of “decoration”. The city authorities subsequently treated the new organist with respect: they approved a plan for the reconstruction of the church organ, and also paid a good reward for the festive cantata “The Lord is My King” composed by Bach, which was dedicated to the inauguration ceremony of the new consul. Bach's stay in Mühlhausen was marked by a happy event: he married his beloved cousin Maria Barbara, who later gave him seven children.

Weimar

In 1708, Duke Ernst of Saxe-Weimar heard the magnificent performance of the Mühlhausen organist. Impressed by what he heard, the noble nobleman immediately offered Bach the positions of court musician and city organist with a salary significantly higher than before. Johann Sebastian began the Weimar period, which is characterized as one of the most fruitful in creative life composer. At this time, he created a large number of compositions for clavier and organ, including a collection of choral preludes, “Passacaglia in c minor”, ​​the famous “ Toccata and fugue d minor ", "Fantasy and Fugue in C major" and many other great works. It should also be noted that the composition of more than two dozen spiritual cantatas dates back to this period. Such effectiveness in Bach's compositional work was associated with his appointment in 1714 as vice-kapellmeister, whose duties included regular monthly updating of church music.

At the same time, Johann Sebastian's contemporaries were more admired by his performing arts, and he constantly heard remarks of admiration for his playing. The fame of Bach as a virtuoso musician quickly spread not only throughout Weimar, but also beyond its borders. One day the Dresden royal bandmaster invited him to compete with the famous French musician L. Marchand. However, the musical competition did not work out, since the Frenchman, having heard Bach play at the preliminary audition, secretly left Dresden without warning. In 1717, the Weimar period in Bach's life came to an end. Johann Sebastian dreamed of getting the position of bandmaster, but when this position became vacant, the Duke offered it to another, very young and inexperienced musician. Bach, considering this an insult, asked for his immediate resignation and for this he was arrested for four weeks.

Köthen

According to Bach's biography, in 1717 he left Weimar to take a job in Köthen as a court conductor for Prince Anhalt of Köthen. In Köthen, Bach had to write secular music, since, as a result of the reforms, music was not performed in the church, except for the singing of psalms. Here Bach occupied an exceptional position: as a court conductor he was well paid, the prince treated him as a friend, and the composer repaid this with excellent works. In Köthen the musician had many students, and for their training he compiled “ Well-tempered clavier" These are 48 preludes and fugues that glorified Bach as a master of keyboard music. When the prince married, the young princess showed dislike for both Bach and his music. Johann Sebastian had to look for another job.

Leipzig

In Leipzig, where Bach moved in 1723, he reached the top of his career ladder: he was appointed cantor at St. Thomas and the musical director of all churches in the city. Bach was involved in teaching and preparing performers of church choirs, selecting music, organizing and holding concerts in the main churches of the city. Heading the College of Music from 1729, Bach began to organize 8 two-hour concerts of secular music per month in a coffee house of a certain Zimmermann, adapted for orchestra performances. Having received his appointment as court composer, Bach handed over the leadership of the College of Music to his former student Karl Gerlach in 1737. last years Bach often revised his early works. In 1749 he graduated from High Mass in B minor, some parts of which were written by him 25 years ago. The composer died in 1750 while working on The Art of Fugue.

Interesting facts about Bach

• Bach was a recognized expert on organs. He was invited to check and tune instruments in various churches in Weimar, where he lived for quite a long time. Every time he amazed his clients with the amazing improvisations that he played to hear how the instrument in need of his work sounded.
• Johann was bored with performing monotonous chorales during the service, and without holding back his creative impulse, he impromptu inserted his own small decorative variations into the established church music, which caused great dissatisfaction with his superiors.
• Best known for his religious works, Bach also excelled in composing secular music, as evidenced by his “Coffee Cantata.” Bach presented this humorous work as a short comic opera. Originally called "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht" ("Be quiet, stop chatting"), it describes the lyrical hero's addiction to coffee, and, not coincidentally, this cantata was first performed in the Leipzig coffee house.
• At the age of 18, Bach really wanted to get the position of organist in Lubeck, which at that time belonged to the famous Dietrich Buxtehude. Another contender for this place was G. Handel. The main condition for occupying this position was marriage to one of Buxtehude’s daughters, but neither Bach nor Handel decided to sacrifice themselves in this way.
• Johann Sebastian Bach really enjoyed dressing up as a poor teacher and visiting small churches in this guise, where he asked the local organist to play the organ a little. Some parishioners, hearing the performance, which was unusually beautiful for them, left the service in fear, thinking that what they had in the church was like strange man the devil himself appeared.

• The Russian envoy to Saxony, Hermann von Keyserling, asked Bach to write a work to which he could quickly fall asleep. This is how the Goldberg Variations appeared, for which the composer received a gold cube filled with a hundred louis d'or. These variations are still one of the best “sleeping pills”.
• Johann Sebastian was known to his contemporaries not only as an outstanding composer and virtuoso performer, but also as a man with a very difficult character, intolerant of the mistakes of others. There is a known case when a bassoonist, publicly insulted by Bach for imperfect performance, attacked Johann. A real duel took place, as both were armed with daggers.
• Bach, who was keen on numerology, loved to weave the numbers 14 and 41 into his musical works, because these numbers corresponded to the first letters of the composer’s name. By the way, Bach also liked to use his last name in his compositions: the musical decoding of the word “Bach” forms a drawing of a cross. It is this symbol that is most important for Bach, who believes that similar coincidences.

• Thanks to Johann Sebastian Bach, today it is not only men who sing in church choirs. The first woman to sing in the church was the composer’s wife Anna Magdalena, who has a beautiful voice.
• In the mid-19th century, German musicologists founded the first Bach Society, whose main task was to publish the composer's works. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the society dissolved itself and the entire collection of Bach’s works was published only in the second half of the twentieth century on the initiative of the Bach Institute, created in 1950. In the world today there are a total of two hundred and twenty-two Bach societies, Bach orchestras and Bach choirs.
• Researchers of Bach's work suggest that the great maestro composed 11,200 works, although the legacy known to descendants includes only 1,200 compositions.
• To date, there are more than fifty-three thousand books and various publications about Bach in different languages, and about seven thousand complete biographies of the composer have been published.
• In 1950, W. Schmieder compiled a numbered catalog of Bach’s works (BWV – Bach Werke Verzeichnis). This catalog was updated several times as data on the authorship of certain works was clarified and, in contrast to the traditional chronological principles of classifying the works of other famous composers, this catalog is built on a thematic principle. Works with similar numbers belong to the same genre, and were not written at all in the same years.
• Bach's works Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Gavotte in Rondo Form and HTC were recorded on the Golden Record and launched from Earth in 1977 attached to the Voyager spacecraft.

• Everyone knows that Beethoven suffered from hearing loss, but few people know that Bach became blind in his later years. In fact, an unsuccessful eye operation performed by quack surgeon John Taylor caused the composer’s death in 1750.
• Johann Sebastian Bach was buried near the Church of St. Thomas. After some time, a road was built through the cemetery territory and the grave was lost. At the end of the 19th century, during the reconstruction of the church, the composer’s remains were found and reburied. After World War II in 1949, Bach's relics were transferred to the church building. However, due to the fact that the grave changed its location several times, skeptics doubt that the ashes of Johann Sebastian are in the burial.
• To date, 150 postage stamps dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach have been issued worldwide, 90 of them were published in Germany.
• Johann Sebastian Bach, a great musical genius, is treated with great reverence throughout the world; monuments to him have been erected in many countries; in Germany alone there are 12 monuments. One of them is located in the town of Dornheim near Arnstadt and is dedicated to the wedding of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara.

Family of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian belonged to the largest German musical dynasty, whose pedigree is usually traced back to Veit Bach, a simple baker, but very fond of music and excellently performing folk melodies on his favorite instrument, the zither. This passion was passed on from the founder of the family to his descendants, many of them became professional musicians: composers, cantors, bandmasters, as well as a variety of instrumentalists. They settled not only throughout Germany, some even went abroad. Over the course of two hundred years, there were so many Bach musicians that any person whose occupation was related to music began to be named after them. The most famous ancestors of Johann Sebastian, whose works have come down to us, were: Johannes, Heinrich, Johann Christoph, Johann Bernhard, Johann Michael and Johann Nikolaus. Johann Sebastian's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was also a musician and served as an organist in Eisenach, the city where Bach was born.

Johann Sebastian himself was the father of a large family: he had twenty children from two wives. He first married his beloved cousin Maria Barbara, daughter of Johann Michael Bach, in 1707. Maria bore Johann Sebastian seven children, three of whom died in infancy. Maria herself also did not live a long life; she died at the age of 36, leaving Bach with four young children. Bach took the loss of his wife very hard, but a year later he again fell in love with a young girl, Anna Magdalena Wilken, whom he met at the court of the Duke of Anhalt-Kethen and proposed to her. Despite the large age difference, the girl agreed and it is obvious that this marriage was very successful, since Anna Magdalena gave Bach thirteen children. The girl did an excellent job with the housework, cared for the children, sincerely rejoiced at her husband’s successes and provided great assistance in his work, rewriting his scores. Family was a great joy for Bach; he devoted a lot of time to raising his children, playing music with them and composing special exercises. In the evenings, the family often organized impromptu concerts, which brought joy to everyone. Bach's children had excellent talent by nature, but four of them had exceptional musical talent - Johann Christoph Friedrich, Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann and Johann Christian. They also became composers and left their mark on the history of music, but none of them could surpass their father either in composing or in the art of performance.

Works of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most prolific composers; his legacy in the treasury of world musical culture includes about 1,200 immortal masterpieces. In Bach's work there was only one inspirer - the Creator. Johann Sebastian dedicated almost all of his works to him and at the end of the scores he always signed letters that were an abbreviation of the words: “In the name of Jesus,” “Help Jesus,” “Glory to God alone.” To create for God was the main goal in the composer’s life, and therefore his musical works absorbed all the wisdom of the “Holy Scripture”. Bach was very faithful to his religious worldview and never betrayed it. According to the composer, even the smallest instrumental piece should point to the wisdom of the Creator.

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his works in virtually everything except opera known at that time musical genres. The compiled catalog of his works includes: 247 works for organ, 526 vocal works, 271 works for harpsichord, 19 solo works for various instruments, 31 concertos and suites for orchestra, 24 duets for harpsichord with any other instrument, 7 canons and others works.

Musicians all over the world perform Bach's music and become familiar with many of his works from childhood. For example, every little pianist studying at a music school must have in his repertoire pieces from « Music book Anna Magdalena Bach » . Then small preludes and fugues are studied, followed by inventions, and finally « Well-tempered clavier » , but this is already high school.

Famous works of Johann Sebastian also include “ St. Matthew Passion", "Mass in B Minor", "Christmas Oratorio", "St. John Passion" and, undoubtedly, " Toccata and Fugue in D minor" And the cantata “The Lord is my King” is still heard at festive services in churches in different parts of the world.

Films about Bach

The great composer, being a major figure in world musical culture, has always attracted close attention, which is why many books have been written about Bach’s biography and his work, as well as feature films and documentaries. There are quite a large number of them, but the most significant of them are:

• “The Futile Journey of Johann Sebastian Bach to Fame” (1980, GDR) - a biographical film tells about the difficult fate of the composer, who spent his entire life wandering in search of “his” place in the sun.
• “Bach: The Fight for Freedom” (1995, Czech Republic, Canada) - Feature Film, which tells about the intrigues in the palace of the old Duke, which began around the rivalry between Bach and the best organist of the orchestra.
• “Dinner for Four Hands” (1999, Russia) is a feature film that shows a meeting of two composers, Handel and Bach, that never took place in reality, but so desired.
• “My name is Bach” (2003) - the film takes viewers to 1747, at the time when Johann Sebastian Bach arrived at the court of the Prussian King Frederick II.
• "The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" (1968) and "Johann Bach and Anna Magdalena" (2003) - the films depict Bach's relationship with his second wife, a capable student of her husband.
• “Anton Ivanovich is Angry” is a musical comedy in which there is an episode: Bach appears to the main character in a dream and says that he was terribly bored writing countless chorales, and he always dreamed of writing a cheerful operetta.
• “Silence before Bach” (2007) is a film-musical that helps you immerse yourself in the world of Bach’s music, which upended the Europeans’ idea of ​​harmony that existed before him.

Among the documentaries about the famous composer, it is necessary to note such films as: “Johann Sebastian Bach: life and work, in two parts” (1985, USSR); “Johann Sebastian Bach” (series “German Composers” 2004, Germany); “Johann Sebastian Bach” (series “Famous Composers” 2005, USA); “Johann Sebastian Bach – composer and theologian” (2016, Russia).

The music of Johann Sebastian, filled with philosophical content and also having a great emotional impact on a person, was very often used by directors in the soundtracks of their films, for example:

Despite the ups and downs, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a huge number of amazing works. The composer's work was continued by his famous sons, but none of them were able to surpass their father either in composing or performing music. The name of the author of passionate and pure, incredibly talented and unforgettable works stands at the top of the world of music, and his recognition as a great composer continues to this day.

Video: watch a film about Johann Sebastian Bach

German composer Johann Sebastian Bach created more than 1000 musical works during his life. He lived in the Baroque era and in his work summarized everything that was characteristic of the music of his time. Bach wrote in all genres available in the 18th century, with the exception of opera. Today, the works of this master of polyphony and virtuoso organist are listened to in a variety of situations - they are so diverse. In his music one can find simple-minded humor and deep sorrow, philosophical reflections and acute drama.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685, he was the eighth and youngest child in the family. The great composer's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was also a musician: the Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century. At that time, music creators enjoyed special honor in Saxony and Thuringia, they were supported by the authorities, aristocrats and representatives of the church.

By the age of 10, Bach lost both his parents, and his older brother, who worked as an organist, took over his upbringing. Johann Sebastian studied at the gymnasium, and at the same time received from his brother the skills of playing the organ and clavier. At the age of 15, Bach entered a vocal school and began writing his first works. After leaving school, he briefly served as a court musician for the Duke of Weimar, and then became an organist in a church in the city of Arnstadt. It was then that the composer wrote a large number of organ works.

Soon, Bach began to have problems with the authorities: he expressed dissatisfaction with the level of training of the singers in the choir, and then went to another city for several months in order to get acquainted with the playing of the authoritative Danish-German organist Dietrich Buxtehude. Bach went to Mühlhausen, where he was invited to the same position - organist in the church. In 1707, the composer married his cousin, who bore him seven children, three of them died in infancy, and two later became famous composers.

Bach worked in Mühlhausen for only a year and moved to Weimar, where he became court organist and concert organizer. By this time he already enjoyed great recognition and received a high salary. It was in Weimar that the composer's talent reached its peak - he spent about 10 years continuously composing works for clavier, organ and orchestra.

By 1717, Bach had achieved all possible heights in Weimar and began to look for another place of work. At first his old employer did not want to let him go, and even put him under arrest for a month. However, Bach soon left him and headed to the city of Köthen. If earlier his music was largely composed for religious services, here, due to the special requirements of the employer, the composer began to write mainly secular works.

In 1720, Bach's wife suddenly died, but a year and a half later he married the young singer again.

In 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach became cantor of the choir at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and then was appointed “musical director” of all churches working in the city. Bach continued to write music until his death - even after losing his sight, he dictated it to his son-in-law. The great composer died in 1750, now his remains rest in the very Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, where he worked for 27 years.

Vocal and instrumental works: about 300 sacred cantatas (199 preserved); 24 secular cantatas (including “Hunting”, “Coffee”, “Peasant”); motets, chorales; Christmas Oratorio; “John Passion”, “Matthew Passion”, “Magnificat”, Mass in B minor (“High Mass”), 4 short masses.

Arias and songs - from the second Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach.

For orchestra and orchestra with solo instruments:

6 Brandenburg Concertos; 4 suites (“overtures”); 7 concertos for harpsichord (clavier) and orchestra; 3 concertos for two harpsichords and orchestra; 2 concertos for three harpsichords and orchestra; 1 concert for four harpsichords and orchestra; 3 concertos for violin and orchestra; concert for flute, violin and harpsichord.

Works for violin, cello, flute with clavier (harpsichord) and solo: 6 sonatas for violin and harpsichord; 6 sonatas for flute and harpsichord; 3 sonatas for viola da gamba (cello) and harpsichord; trio sonatas; 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin; 6 suites (sonatas) for solo cello.

For clavier (harpsichord): 6 “English” suites; 6 “French” suites; 6 parts; Chromatic fantasy and fugue; Italian concert; Well-Tempered Clavier (2 volumes, 48 ​​preludes and fugues); Goldberg Variations; Inventions for two and three voices; fantasies, fugues, toccatas, overtures, capriccios, etc.

For organ: 18 preludes and fugues; 5 toccatas and fugues; 3 fantasies and fugues; fugues; 6 concerts; Passacaglia; pastoral; fantasies, sonatas, canzones, trios; 46 chorale preludes (from Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's Organ Book); "Schubler chorales"; 18 chorales (“Leipzig”); several cycles of chorale variations.

Musical offering. The art of fugue.

MAIN LIFE DATES

1685, March 21 (Gregorian calendar March 31) Johann Sebastian Bach, the son of the city musician Johann Ambrose Bach, was born in the Thuringian city of Eisenach.

1693-1695 – Studying at school.

1694 – Death of mother, Elisabeth, née Lemmerhirt. Father's remarriage.

1695 – Death of father; moving to his elder brother Johann Christoph in Ohrdruf.

1696 – early 1700– Studying at the Ohrdruf Lyceum; singing and music lessons.

1700, March 15– Moving to Lüneburg, enrollment as a scholarship student (chanter) at the school of St. Michael.

1703, April– Moving to Weimar, service in the chapel of the Red Castle. August– Moving to Arnstadt; Bach is an organist and singing teacher.

1705-1706, October – February– A trip to Lubeck, studying the organ art of Dietrich Buxtehude. Conflict with the consistory of Arnstadt.

1707, June 15– Confirmation as organist in Mühlhausen. 17 October– Marriage to Maria Barbara Bach.

1708, spring– Publication of the first work, “Elective Cantata”. July– Moving to Weimar to serve as court organist of the Ducal Chapel.

1710, November 22– Birth of the first son, Wilhelm Friedemann (the future “Gallic Bach”).

1714, March 8– Birth of the second son, Carl Philipp Emmanuel (the future “Hamburg Bach”). Trip to Kassel.

1717, July– Bach accepts the offer of Prince Leopold of Köthen to become conductor of the court chapel.

September– A trip to Dresden, his success as a virtuoso.

October– Return to Weimar; resignation letter, by order of the Duke, arrest from November 6 to December 2. Transfer to Keteya. Trip to Leipzig.

1720, May– A trip with Prince Leopold to Carlsbad. Early July– Death of wife Maria Barbara.

1723, February 7– Performance of cantata No. 22 in Leipzig as a test for the position of cantor of the Thomaskirche. 26 March– First performance of the “St. John Passion.” May– Taking office as cantor of St. Thomas and the school teacher.

1729, February– Performing the “Hunting Cantata” in Weissenfels, receiving the title of Saxe-Weissenfels court conductor. April 15– First performance of the St. Matthew Passion in the Thomaskirche. Disagreements with the Thomasshule council and then with the magistrate over school practices. Bach leads the Telemann student circle, Collegium musicum.

1730, October 28– A letter to a former school friend G. Erdmann describing the unbearable circumstances of life in Leipzig.

1732 – Performance of “Coffee Cantata”. 21st of June– Birth of son Johann Christoph Friedrich (future “Bückeburg Bach”).

1734, end of December– Performance of the “Christmas Oratorio”.

1735, June– Bach with his son Gottfried Bernhard in Mühlhausen. The son passes the test for the position of organist. September 5 the last son, Johann Christian (the future “London Bach”) was born.

1736 – The beginning of a two-year “struggle for the prefect” with the rector Tomashule I. Ernesti. November 19 A decree was signed in Dresden conferring the title of royal court composer on Bach. Friendship with the Russian ambassador G. Keyserling. December 1– A two-hour concert in Dresden on the Silbermann organ.

1738, April 28– “Night music” in Leipzig. Bach completes the composition of the High Mass.

1740 – Bach ceases to direct the “Musical Collegium”.

1741 – In the summer, Bach is visiting his son Emmanuel in Berlin. Trip to Dresden.

1742 – Publication of the last, fourth volume of “Exercises for the Clavier.” August 30– Performance of “Peasant Cantata”.

1745 – Testing of a new organ in Dresden.

1746 – Son Wilhelm Friedemann becomes director of urban music in Halle. Bach's trip to Zshortau and Naumberg.

1749, January 20– Engagement of daughter Elisabeth to Bach’s student Altnikol. The beginning of the essay "The Art of Fugue". In summer- Illness, blindness. Johann Friedirch enters the Bückeburg Chapel.

1750, January – Failed operations before our eyes, complete blindness. Composing counterpoints of “The Art of Fugue” and fugue on theme B-A-S-N. Completion of processing of chorales.

BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bazunov S. A. I. S. Bach, his life and musical activity. St. Petersburg, 1894.

Besseler G. Bach as an innovator. Sat. "Selected articles by musicologists of the German Democratic Republic". Comp. N. Notovich. Per. with him. M., 1960.

Belza I. High Mass. Introductory article for publication: Bach J. S. Mass in B minor. Arranged for singing with piano. M., 1955.

Wolfrum F. Johann Sebastian Bach. Introductory article by E. Braudo. Per. with German, vol. 1-2. Pb. – M., 1912.

Galatskaya V. S. and J. S. Bach. M., Muzgiz, 1958.

Galatskaya V. S. Musical literature of foreign countries, vol. 1. M., “Music”, 1967, p. 49-133.

Druskin M. S. Passive Bach. L., “Music”, 1972.

Kershner L. Folk song origins of Bach's melodic music. M., 1959.

Konen V, Bach Johann Sebastian. "Musical Encyclopedia", vol. 1. M., " Soviet encyclopedia", 1973, p. 353-364.

Livanova T. History of Western European music until 1789. M.-L., Gosmuzizdat, 1940, p. 386-449.

Livanova T. Bach's dramaturgy and its historical connections. Part I. Symphony. M.-L., 1948.

“Materials and documents on the history of music”, vol. II, XVIII century. Per. with him. Ed. M. V. Ivanov-Boretsky. M., 1934.

Milshtein Ya. Well-tempered clavier by J. S. Bach and features of its performance. M., “Music”, 1967.

"Musical aesthetics of Western Europe in the 17th-18th centuries." M., “Music”, 1971.

Rosenov E.K.I.S. Bach (and his family). M., 1912.

Rosenschild K. History of foreign music. Vol. first. Before mid-18th century century. 3rd edition. M., “Music”, 1973, p. 406-533.

Roizman L. Modern organ culture and its originality. Sat. "Issues of musical and performing arts", vol. 5. M., “Music”, 1969.

Forkel Johann Nikolaus. About the life, art and works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Per. with him. E; Sazonova. Editorial, afterword and comments by N. Kopchevsky. M., “Music”, 1974.

Hammerschlag I. If Bach kept a diary. Budapest, Corvina, 1965.

Khubov G. N. Sebastian Bach. Edition 4. M., Gosmuzizdat, 1963.

Schweitzer L. I. S. Bach. Per. with him. Ya. S. Druskin, translation edition and afterword by M. S. Druskin. M, 1964.

Yampolsky I. M. Sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J. S. Bach. M., 1963.

Bach-Dokumente, Herausgegeben vom Bach-Archiv Leipzig, Band I, Schriftstucke von der Hand Johann Sebastian Bachs. Vorgelegt und erlautert von W. Neumann und H.-J. Schulze, Leipzig, 1963. Band II, Fremdschriftliche und gedruckte Dokumente zur I phensgeschichte I. S. Bachs, 1685-1750. Leipzig, 1969. Band III, Dokumente zum Nachwirken I. S. Bachs, 1750-1880. Leipzig, 1972.

Schmieder W. Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der Werke Johann Sebastian Bachs (BWV), Leipzig, 1971.

Arnstadtes Bachbuch, I. S. Bach und seine Verwanden in Arnstadt. Arnstadt, 1957,

Bach. Opracowal Wladislaw Duleba. Teksty Bohdarr Pociej. Krakow, 1973.

Besseler H. I. S. Bach. Berlin, 1956.

Buchet E. I. S. Bach, l "oeuvre et la vie. Paris, 1963.

Der Thomaskantor, Aus dem Leben und Schaffen I. S. Bachs. Berlin, 1950.

Forkel I. N. Uber lohann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke. Berlin, 1968.

Frank H. I. S. Bach, Die Geschichte eines Lebens. Bertin, 1961.

Geiringer K, Johann Sebastian Bach Jhe Culmination of an Era. London, 1967.

Johann Sebastian Bach und Leipzig zu seiner Zeit. Leipzig, 1950.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Das Schaffen des Meisters im Spiegel einer Stadt. Leipzig, 1950.

I. S. Bach, 1750-1950. Dresden, 1950.

Neumann W. Auf den Lebenswegen I. S. Bachs. Berlin, 1962.

Neumann W. Bach, Eine Bildbiographie. Munchen, 1960.

Spitta Ph, I, S, Bach, Bd. l – 2. Leipzig, 1873-1880.

The numbers in brackets everywhere indicate the number of this work based on the book “BWV”: W. Schmieder. Thematisch-sistematische Verzeichnis der Werke lohann Sebastian Bachs. Liepzig, 1971.

Translation by Ksenia Stebneva.

Translated by Ya. S. Druskin.

Some biographers date Bach's trip to Dresden to the autumn of 1714. We stick to the generally accepted date: September 1717. In 1714, Friedemann was only four years old; it is unlikely that he could have been taken by his father to Dresden.

See art. B. Kuznetsov “Einstein and Mozart.” “Soviet Music”, 1971, 12, p. 38.

Quote from the book: Hammerschlag. If Bach kept a diary, p. 43.

Translation by Ksenia Stebneva.

Emphasized by us. CM.

A. V. Lunacharsky. In the world of music. Articles and speeches. Ed. 2. M., “Soviet Composer”, 1971, p. 312, 314.

V. D. Konen, Bach. "Musical Encyclopedia", vol. 1. M., "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1973, p. 357.

Riemann was mistaken: not six, but five sons outlived their father.

The author of the story does not always give the exact age at which Bach’s children died. Now, based on documentary evidence, the dates of birth and death of the children have been clarified: Christiana Sophia (29.VI.1723-1.VII.1726); Christian Gottlieb (14.IV.1720-21.IX1728); Ernst Andreas (30.X.-1.XI.1727); Regina Johanna (10.H.1728-25.IV.1733); Christian Benedict (1.I.-4.I.1730); Christiana Dorothea (18.III.1731-31.VIII.1732); Johann August (5.XI.-6.XI.1733).

The report in Mitzler's journal mentions, in addition to Bach, another conductor of the collegium - Johann Gottlieb Gerner; he now served as organist at St. Thomas.

G. Chicherin" Mozart. M., "Music", 1970, p. 181.

Born (21) March 31, 1685 in the city of Eisenach. Little Bach initially had a passion for music, because his ancestors were professional musicians.

Music training

At the age of ten, after the death of his parents, Johann Bach was taken into care by his brother Johann Christoph. He taught the future composer to play the clavier and organ.

At the age of 15, Bach entered the St. Michael vocal school in the city of Lüneburg. There he gets acquainted with the work of modern musicians and develops comprehensively. During the years 1700-1703, the musical biography of Johann Sebastian Bach begins. He wrote the first organ music.

On duty

After completing his studies, Johann Sebastian was sent to Duke Ernst to serve as a musician at court. Dissatisfaction with his dependent position forces him to change jobs. In 1704, Bach received the position of organist of the New Church in Arndstadt. The summary of the article does not allow us to dwell in detail on the work of the great composer, but it was at this time that he created many talented works. Collaboration with the poet Christian Friedrich Henrici and the court musician Telemachus enriched the music with new motifs. In 1707, Bach moved to Mülhusen and continued to work as a church musician and engage in creative work. The authorities are satisfied with his work, the composer receives a reward.

Personal life

In 1707, Bach married his cousin Maria Barbara. He again decided to change jobs, this time becoming court organist in Weimar. In this city, six children are born into the musician’s family. Three died in infancy, and three became famous musicians in the future.

In 1720, Bach's wife died, but a year later the composer married again, now to famous singer Anna Magdalene Wilhelm. A happy family had 13 children.

Continuation of the creative path

In 1717, Bach entered the service of the Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, who highly valued his talent. During the period from 1717 to 1723, Bach's magnificent suites (for orchestra, cello, clavier) appeared.

Bach's Brandenburg concertos, English and French suites were written in Köthen.

In 1723, the musician received the position of cantor and teacher of music and Latin in the Church of St. Thomas, then became music director in Leipzig. Johann Sebastian Bach's wide repertoire included both secular and wind music. During his life, Johann Sebastian Bach managed to be the head of a music college. Several cycles of the composer Bach used all kinds of instruments ("Musical Offering", "The Art of Fugue")

last years of life

In the last years of his life, Bach was rapidly losing his sight. His music was then considered unfashionable and outdated. Despite this, the composer continued to work. In 1747, he created a cycle of plays called “Music of the Offering”, dedicated to the Prussian king Frederick the Second. The last work was the collection of works “The Art of Fugue”, which included 14 fugues and 4 canons.

Johann Sebastian Bach died on July 28, 1750 in Leipzig, but his musical legacy remains immortal.

A short biography of Bach does not give a complete picture of the composer’s complex life path or his personality. You can learn more about his life and work by reading the books of Johann Forkel, Robert Franz, and Albert Schweitzer.

en.wikipedia.org

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 propaganda of Bach 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.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father died, having shortly before gotten married again. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian loved music very much and never missed an opportunity to practice it or study new works.

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 creativity of famous musicians of its time. Bach's first works for organ and clavier date back to the same years. In addition to singing in the 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 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, 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 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, 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 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 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 held 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, 1740s and 1750s, were composed specifically for performance at Zimmermann's coffeehouse. 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 mid-19th century, the general public's interest in Bach's music increased, composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. Honored promoter of Bach's works, Robert Franz, has published several books about the composer's work. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philip Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German organist and researcher Albert Schweitzer published a book. In this work, in addition to the biography of Bach, description and analysis of his works, much attention is paid to the description of the era in which he worked, as well as theological issues related to his music. These books were the most authoritative until the middle of the 20th century, when, with the help of new technical means and careful research, new facts about the life and work of Bach were established, which in some places contradicted traditional ideas. For example, it was established that Bach wrote some cantatas in 1724-1725 (previously it was believed that this happened in the 1740s), unknown works were found, and some previously attributed to Bach turned out to be not written by him. Some facts of his biography were established. In the second half of the 20th century, many works were written on this topic - for example, books by Christoph Wolf. There is also a work called a 20th-century hoax, “The Chronicle of the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, Compiled by His Widow Anna Magdalena Bach,” written by the English writer Esther Meinel on behalf of the composer’s widow.

Creation

Bach wrote more than 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 different instruments, both spiritual 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. The most significant examples of such works are the cycles “The Art of Fugue” and “Musical Offering”.

Bach's most famous works for orchestra are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so called because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought of obtaining employment at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. Six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Other extant works by Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043, and concertos for one, two, three and even four harpsichords. Researchers believe that these harpsichord concertos were merely transcriptions of older works by Johann Sebastian, now lost [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 church holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which only 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 other works of the composer, included revised early writings. 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 in modern instruments. In Bach's time there were no such large choirs and orchestras as, for example, in Brahms's time, and even his most ambitious works, such as the Mass in B minor and the passions, are not intended to be performed by large groups. In addition, 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. From strings 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 the last years of his life and after Bach's death, his fame as a composer began to decline: his style was considered old-fashioned in comparison with the burgeoning classicism. He was better known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father of the younger Bachs, especially Carl Philipp Emmanuel, whose music was more famous. However, many major composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven, knew and loved the work of Johann Sebastian. 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. All more people discovered his music. For example, Goethe, who became acquainted with his works quite late in his life (in 1814 and 1815 some of his 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 Luneburg 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, began relationships with famous master organ art by Georg Böhm (his influence is obvious in Bach's early organ compositions), gained an understanding 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 subsequent 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 concerts 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 affairs 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 strict style and published this work under the title 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 the 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 Bach's early cantata style can be served by 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 - the Evangelist (tenor) - sets out the Gospel narrative in recitatives, while the lines of the characters in the Christmas story are given to soloists or choral 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 Matthuspassion, 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 gulf here between the divine and the human: 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 B minor Mass 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 composition was 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 (its numerous orchestral arrangements are also popular); major, E 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, the great master of polyphony sets himself 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 a new form - the keyboard concerto, using the solo violin part of previously written violin concertos: it is performed on the clavier right hand, while the 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 place 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 history 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.

The monumental work of the above-mentioned F. Spitta played an important role in the scientific understanding of Bach's legacy; 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 the Bach family, primarily his sons, and then his ancestors.

After the Complete Works were 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. Friedemann left 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 very individual style, which in some respects anticipates the subsequent development of 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. Philip 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 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 - accompanist 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. The early work of Johann Christoph is 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 great success cycles of concerts.

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 shortly before gotten married again. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian loved music very much and never missed an opportunity to practice it or study new works. 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.

While studying in Ohrdruf under the guidance of his brother, Bach became acquainted with the work of contemporary South German composers - Pachelbel, Froberger and others. It is also possible that he became acquainted with the works of composers from Northern Germany and France. Johann Sebastian observed how the organ was cared for, and may have taken part in it himself.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where from 1700-1703 he studied at the singing school of St. Mikhail. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music was held in high esteem) and Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the 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.

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

Family connections and an employer passionate about music could not prevent tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities that arose several years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706, Bach left without permission for several months in Lübeck, where he became acquainted with Buxtehude's playing, which displeased the authorities. In addition, the authorities accused Bach of “strange choral accompaniment” that confused the community, and of inability to manage the choir; the latter accusation apparently had some basis. Bach's first biographer Forkel writes that Johann Sebastian walked more than 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 were located wind instruments and timpani, with strings on the left. The city council provided Bach with only about 8 performers, and this often became the cause of disputes between the composer and the administration: Bach had to hire up to 20 musicians himself to perform orchestral works. The composer himself usually played the organ or harpsichord; if he led the choir, then this place was occupied by a full-time organist or one of Bach's eldest sons.

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

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".