From the 19th century to the present day, interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach has not subsided. The creativity of an unsurpassed genius amazes with its scale. known all over the world. His name is known not only to professionals and music lovers, but also to listeners who do not show much interest in “serious” art. On the one hand, Bach's work is a certain result. The composer relied on the experience of his predecessors. He knew perfectly well the choral polyphony of the Renaissance, German organ music, and the peculiarities of the Italian violin style. He carefully studied new material, developed and generalized his accumulated experience. On the other hand, Bach was an unsurpassed innovator who managed to open up new perspectives for the development of world musical culture. The work of Johann Bach had a strong influence on his followers: Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, Glinka, Taneyev, Honegger, Shostakovich and many other great composers.

Bach's creative heritage

He created over 1000 works. The genres he addressed were very diverse. Moreover, there are works whose scale was exceptional for that time. Bach's work can be divided into four main genre groups:

• Organ music.
• Vocal-instrumental.
• Music for various instruments(violin, flute, clavier and others).
• Music for instrumental ensembles.

The works of each of the above groups belong to a specific period. The most outstanding organ compositions were composed in Weimar. The Keten period marks the appearance of a huge number of keyboard and orchestral works. Most of the vocal and instrumental songs were written in Leipzig.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography and creativity

The future composer was born in 1685 in small town Eisenach, in musical family. For the whole family it was a traditional profession. Johann's first music teacher was his father. The boy had an excellent voice and sang in the choir. At the age of 9 he became an orphan. After the death of his parents, he was raised by Johann Christoph (elder brother). At the age of 15, the boy graduated from the Ohrdruf Lyceum with honors and moved to Lüneburg, where he began singing in the choir of the “chosen ones”. By the age of 17, he learned to play various harpsichords, organs, and violins. Since 1703 he has lived in different cities: Arnstadt, Weimar, Mühlhausen. Bach's life and work during this period were full of certain difficulties. He constantly changes his place of residence, which is due to his reluctance to feel dependent on certain employers. He served as a musician (as an organist or violinist). Working conditions also constantly dissatisfied him. At this time, his first compositions for clavier and organ, as well as spiritual cantatas, appeared.

Weimar period

In 1708, Bach began serving as court organist for the Duke of Weimar. At the same time, he works in the chapel as a chamber musician. Bach's life and work during this period were very fruitful. These are the years of first composer maturity. The best organ works appeared. This:

• Prelude and Fugue in C minor, A minor.
• Toccata C major.
• Passacaglia c-moll.
• Toccata and fugue in d minor.
• "Organ book".

At the same time, Johann Sebastian is working on works in the cantata genre, on transcriptions of Italian violin concertos for the clavier. For the first time he turns to the genre of solo violin suite and sonata.

Keten period

Since 1717, the musician settled in Köthen. Here he holds a high-ranking position as director of chamber music. He, in fact, is the manager of all musical life at court. But he is not happy with the town being too small. Bach is eager to move to a larger, more promising city to give his children the opportunity to go to university and get a good education. There was no high-quality organ in Köthen, and there was also no choir. Therefore, Bach’s keyboard creativity develops here. The composer also pays a lot of attention to ensemble music. Works written in Köthen:

• Volume 1 "HTK".
• English Suites.
• Sonatas for solo violin.
• "Brandenburg Concertos" (six pieces).

Leipzig period and last years of life

Since 1723, the maestro has lived in Leipzig, where he leads the choir (holds the position of cantor) at the school at the Church of St. Thomas in Thomaschul. Takes an active part in a public circle of music lovers. The city's "collegium" constantly organized secular music concerts. What masterpieces were added to Bach’s work at that time? It is worth briefly indicating the main works of the Leipzig period, which can rightfully be considered the best. This:

• "St. John's Passion".
• Mass h-minor.
• "Matthew Passion"
• About 300 cantatas.
• "Christmas Oratorio".

In the last years of his life, the composer focused on musical compositions. Writes:

• Volume 2 "HTK".
• Italian concert.
• Partitas.
• "The Art of Fugue".
• Aria with various variations.
• Organ Mass.
• "Musical Offering"

After an unsuccessful operation, Bach went blind, but did not stop composing music until his death.

Style characteristics

Bach's creative style was formed on the basis of various musical schools and genres. Johann Sebastian organically wove the best harmonies into his works. In order to understand musical language Italian and he rewrote their works. His creations were rich in the texts, rhythms and forms of French and Italian music, North German contrapuntal style, as well as Lutheran liturgy. The synthesis of various styles and genres was harmoniously combined with the deep poignancy of human experiences. His musical thought stood out for its special uniqueness, universality and a certain cosmic quality. Bach's work belongs to a style that is firmly established in the art of music. This is the classicism of the high baroque era. Bach's musical style is characterized by mastery of an extraordinary melodic structure, where the main idea dominates the music. Thanks to the mastery of counterpoint techniques, several melodies can interact simultaneously. was a true master of polyphony. He had a penchant for improvisation and brilliant virtuosity.

Main genres

Bach's work includes various traditional genres. This:

• Cantatas and oratorios.
• Passions and Masses.
• Preludes and Fugues.
• Chorale arrangements.
• Dance suites and concerts.

Of course, he borrowed the listed genres from his predecessors. However, he gave them the broadest scope. The maestro skillfully updated them with new musical and expressive means and enriched them with features of other genres. The clearest example is the "Chromatic Fantasia in D Minor". The work was created for the clavier, but contains dramatic recitation of theatrical origins and the expressive properties of large organ improvisations. It is easy to notice that Bach’s work “bypassed” opera, which, by the way, was one of the leading genres of its time. However, it is worth noting that many of the composer’s secular cantatas are difficult to distinguish from comedic interludes (at this time in Italy they were degenerating into opera buffa). Some of Bach's cantatas, created in the spirit of witty genre scenes, anticipated the German Singspiel.

The ideological content and range of images of Johann Sebastian Bach

The composer's work is rich in its figurative content. From the pen of a true master come both extremely simple and extremely majestic creations. Bach's art contains simple-minded humor, deep sorrow, philosophical reflection, and acute drama. The brilliant Johann Sebastian in his music reflected such significant aspects of his era as religious and philosophical problems. With the help of the amazing world of sounds, he reflects on the eternal and very important questions of human life:

• About the moral duty of man.
• About his role in this world and purpose.
• About life and death.

These reflections are directly related to religious topics. And this is not surprising. The composer served the church almost all his life, so he wrote most of the music for it. At the same time, he was a believer and knew the Holy Scriptures. His reference book was the Bible, written in two languages ​​(Latin and German). He kept fasts, went to confession, and observed church holidays. A few days before his death he took communion. The composer's main character is Jesus Christ. In that perfect image Bach saw the embodiment of the best qualities inherent in man: purity of thoughts, strength of spirit, loyalty to the chosen path. The sacrificial feat of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity was the most sacred for Bach. This theme was the most important in the composer’s work.

Symbolism of Bach's works

In the Baroque era, musical symbolism appeared. It is through her that the complex and amazing world of the composer is revealed. Bach's music was perceived by his contemporaries as transparent and understandable speech. This happened due to the presence in it of stable melodic turns expressing certain emotions and ideas. Such sound formulas are called musical-rhetorical figures. Some conveyed affect, others imitated the intonations of human speech, and others were of a figurative nature. Here are some of them:

• anabasis - ascent;
• circulatio - rotation;
• catabasis - descent;
• exclamatio - exclamation, ascending sixth;
• fuga - running;
• passus duriusculus - a chromatic move used to express suffering or sorrow;
• suspiratio - sigh;
• tirata - arrow.

Gradually, musical and rhetorical figures become a kind of “signs” of certain concepts and feelings. For example, the descending figure catabasis was often used to convey sadness, melancholy, mourning, death, and the position in the coffin. A gradual upward movement (anabasis) was used to express ascension, high spirits and other moments. Symbolic motifs are observed in all the composer’s works. Bach's work was dominated by Protestant chorale, to which the maestro turned throughout his life. It also has a symbolic meaning. Work with the chorale was carried out in a wide variety of genres - cantatas, passions, preludes. Therefore, it is quite logical that the Protestant chorale is an integral part of Bach’s musical language. Among the important symbols found in the music of this artist, we should note stable combinations of sounds that have constant meanings. The symbol of the cross predominated in Bach's work. It consists of four multi-directional notes. It is noteworthy that if you decipher the composer’s surname (BACH) with notes, the same graphic pattern is formed. B - B flat, A - A, C - C, H - B. Researchers such as F. Busoni, A. Schweitzer, M. Yudina, B. Yavorsky and others made a great contribution to the development of Bach’s musical symbols.

"Second birth"

During his lifetime, the work of Sebastian Bach was not appreciated. Contemporaries knew him more as an organist than a composer. Not a single serious book has been written about him. Of the huge number of his works, only a few were published. After his death, the composer's name was soon forgotten, and the surviving manuscripts gathered dust in the archives. Perhaps we would never have known anything about this brilliant man. But, fortunately, this did not happen. True interest in Bach arose in the 19th century. One day F. Mendelssohn discovered the notes of the St. Matthew Passion in the library, which interested him very much. Under his direction, this work was successfully performed in Leipzig. Many listeners were delighted with the music of the still little-known author. We can say that this was the second birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1850 (on the 100th anniversary of the composer's death), the Bach Society was created in Leipzig. The purpose of this organization was to publish all found manuscripts of Bach in the form full meeting essays. As a result, 46 volumes were collected.

Bach's organ works. Summary

The composer created excellent works for the organ. This instrument is a real force of nature for Bach. Here he was able to liberate his thoughts, feelings and emotions and convey all this to the listener. Hence the enlargement of lines, concertity, virtuosity, and dramatic images. The compositions created for the organ resemble frescoes in painting. Everything in them is presented mainly in close-up. In preludes, toccatas and fantasies, the pathos of musical images in free, improvisational forms is observed. Fugues are characterized by special virtuosity and unusually powerful development. Bach's organ work conveys the high poetry of his lyrics and the grandiose scope of his magnificent improvisations.

Unlike clavier works, organ fugues are much larger in volume and content. The movement of the musical image and its development proceed with increasing activity. The unfolding of the material is presented in the form of layering of large layers of music, but there is no particular discreteness or breaks. On the contrary, continuity (continuity of movement) prevails. Each phrase follows from the previous one with increasing tension. The climactic moments are constructed in the same way. The emotional upsurge eventually intensifies to highest point. Bach is the first composer to demonstrate the patterns of symphonic development in large forms of instrumental polyphonic music. Bach's organ work seems to split into two poles. The first is preludes, toccatas, fugues, fantasies (large musical cycles). The second is one-part. They are written mainly in chamber style. They reveal predominantly lyrical images: intimate, mournful and sublimely contemplative. The best works for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach - fugue in D minor, prelude and fugue in A minor and many other works.

Works for clavier

When writing compositions, Bach relied on the experience of his predecessors. However, here too he proved himself to be an innovator. Bach's keyboard creativity is characterized by scale, exceptional versatility, and a search for expressive means. He was the first composer to appreciate the versatility of this instrument. When composing his works, he was not afraid to experiment and implement the most daring ideas and projects. When writing, I was guided by the entire world musical culture. Thanks to him, the clavier expanded significantly. He enriches the instrument with new virtuoso techniques and changes the essence of musical images.

Among his works for organ, the following stand out:

• Two-voice and three-voice inventions.
• "English" and "French" suites.
• "Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue".
• "The Well-Tempered Clavier."

Thus, Bach's work is striking in its scope. The composer is widely known throughout the world. His works make you think and reflect. Listening to his compositions, you involuntarily become immersed in them, thinking about the deep meaning underlying them. The genres that the maestro addressed throughout his life were very diverse. This is organ music, vocal-instrumental music, music for various instruments (violin, flute, clavier and others) and for instrumental ensembles.

They are divided into instrumental and vocal. The first include: for organ - sonatas, preludes, fugues, fantasies and toccatas, chorale preludes; for piano – 15 inventions, 15 symphonies, French and English suites, “Klavierübung” in four movements (partitas, etc.), a number of toccatas and other works, as well as “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (48 preludes and fugues in all keys); “Musical Offering” (a collection of fugues on themes of Frederick the Great) and the cycle “The Art of Fugue”. In addition, Bach has sonatas and partitas for violin (among them the famous Chaconne), for flute, cello (gamba) with piano accompaniment, concertos for piano and orchestra, as well as for two or more pianos, etc., concerts and suites for strings and wind instruments, as well as a suite for the five-string viola pomposa (a middle instrument between viola and cello) invented by Bach.

Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. Artist E. G. Haussmann, 1748

All these works are characterized by high degree skillful polyphony, not found in a similar form either before or after Bach. With amazing skill and perfection, Bach solves the most complex problems of contrapuntal technique, both in large and small forms. But it would be a mistake to deny his melodic ingenuity and expressiveness at the same time. Counterpoint was not something memorized and difficult to apply for Bach, but was his natural language and form of expression, the comprehension and understanding of which must first be acquired in order for the manifestations of deep and versatile spiritual life expressed in this form to be fully understood and so that the gigantic the mood of his organ works, as well as the melodic charm and richness of changing moods in the fugues and suites for piano, were fully appreciated. Therefore, in most of the works related here, especially in individual numbers from the “Well-Tempered Clavier,” we have, along with completeness of form, characteristic plays of extremely varied content. It is this connection that determines their special and unique position in musical literature.

Despite all this, for a long time after his death, Bach’s works were known and appreciated only by a few experts, while the public almost forgot them. Per share Mendelssohn It fell, thanks to the performance in 1829 under his baton of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, to once again arouse general interest in the late composer and to win his great vocal works their rightful place of honor in musical life - and not only in Germany.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Best works

This includes, first of all, those intended for worship. spiritual cantatas written by Bach (for all Sundays and holidays) in the amount of five complete annual cycles. Only about 226 cantatas have survived to us, quite reliable. The Gospel texts served as their text. The cantatas consist of recitatives, arias, polyphonic choruses and a chorale that concludes the entire work.

Next comes “music of passions” ( Passions), of which Bach wrote five. Of these, unfortunately, only two have reached us: Passion by John and Passion by Matthew; of these, the first was first performed in 1724, the second in 1729. The reliability of the third - the Passion according to Luke - is subject to great doubt. Musically dramatic portrayal of a story of suffering Christ in these works he achieves the highest completeness of form, the greatest musical beauty and power of expression. In a form mixed from epic, dramatic and lyrical elements, the story of the suffering of Christ passes before our eyes plastically and convincingly. The epic element appears in the person of the reciting evangelist, the dramatic element appears in the words of biblical figures, especially Jesus himself, interrupting the speech, as well as in the lively choirs of the people, the lyrical element appears in arias and choruses of a contemplative nature, and the chorale, contrasted with the whole presentation, indicates the direct relationship of the work to the divine service and hints at the community's participation in it.

Bach. St. Matthew Passion

A similar work, but of a lighter mood, is “ Christmas Oratorio"(Weihnachtsoratorium), written in 1734. It has also reached us" Easter Oratorio" Along with these large works associated with Protestant worship, adaptations of ancient Latin church texts are at the same height and just as perfect: Masses and five-voice Magnificat. Among them, the first place is taken by large Mass in B minor(1703). Just as Bach delved with faith into the words of the Bible, here he took up with faith the ancient words of the text of the Mass and depicted them in sounds with such richness and variety of feeling, with such power of expression that even now, clothed in a strict polyphonic fabric, they deeply captivating and deeply moving. The choirs in this work are among the greatest that has ever been created in the field of church music. The demands placed on the choir here are extremely high.

(Biographies of other great musicians - see the block “More on the topic...” below the text of the article.)

The most interesting things from Bach’s life – a brief biography for children. Famous Quotes Bach. All the best from Bach's biography and work.

Bach - a brief biography for children

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)- German composer, teacher, organist. During his life he wrote more than a thousand pieces of music.

Brief biography of Bach:

• Born March 31, 1685.
• Place of birth: Eisenach, Germany.
• Died: July 28, 1750.

In Eisenach, the future great composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of professional musicians in 1685. The boy was gifted musical ear, therefore, from childhood, at the behest of his parents, he studied music. The family supported the development of their son in every possible way - the older brother, for example, taught his younger brother to play the organ.

From the age of 15 Bach lived in Lüneburg, where he studied vocals and playing various musical instruments. Ibid. future star German classics managed to meet the musical stars of the time - famous composers whose works Bach looked up to.

At the age of 16, Bach, influenced by the music of his idols, created the first piece of music, which made the boy popular. Since 1700, he created his own organ works, taking step by step on the path of a musical career to independence and fame.

Since 1705, J. Bach has been writing music for the church choir of his city, receiving financial compensation. Gradually, the fame of the gifted young man spread among the nearby towns - more and more people came to Bach’s concerts, eager to hear another brilliant organ work.

In 1708, Bach got a permanent job church bandmaster and composer, increases the circle of professional contacts, gets acquainted with a larger number of talented figures, gathering around him an environment permeated with creative, constructive energy.

Personal life of J. S. Bach

In 1707 the composer married on a second cousin, Maria Barbara. In the same year, Bach changed jobs, moving with his family to Weimar. The marriage turned out to be surprisingly successful in the first years - the wife gave birth to the composer 6 children, three of whom, unfortunately, died in infancy. The children from Bach's first marriage also became musicians.

In 1720 his wife dies. Children needed to be raised, so a year later Bach married again. Bach's second wife was a young, previously unknown singer, Anna Magdalene Wilhelm, who became the star of the bandmaster's choir. Second wife Bahu gave birth to 13 children.

Since 1717, Bach worked and created under the guidance of the Duke of Anhalt-Kethene - normal practice for the 18th-19th century. In the period from 1717 to 1725, suites, cello parts, and compositions for orchestra were born.

In 1723, Bach became director of the music school in Leipzig. Until the end of his life, the composer was extremely in demand - spectators and patrons were always pleased with the musical talent of Bach's genius.

Towards the end of his life, Bach gradually lost his sight, so he dictated his last fugues to an assistant. J. S. Bach died on July 28, 1750 in the last city where he worked, Leipzig.

Bach quotes:

• “Where there is godly music, there is always the gracious presence of God.”
• “The purpose of music is to touch hearts.”

(11 rated, rating: 3,27 out of 5)

Bach is not new, not old, he is something much more - he is eternal...
R. Schumann

The year 1520 is marked with the root of the branched family tree of the ancient burgher family of the Bakhs. In Germany, the words “Bach” and “musician” were synonymous for several centuries. However, only in fifth generation “from among them... came a man whose glorious art radiated such a bright light that the reflection of this radiance fell on them. It was Johann Sebastian Bach, the beauty and pride of his family and fatherland, a man who, like no one else, was patronized by the Art of Music itself.” This is what I. Forkel, the first biographer and one of the first true connoisseurs of the composer at the dawn of the new century, wrote in 1802, for the century of Bach said goodbye to the great cantor immediately after his death. But even during his lifetime, the chosen one of the “Art of Music” could hardly be called the chosen one of fate. Outwardly, Bach's biography is no different from the biography of any German musician at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. Bach was born in the small Thuringian town of Eisenach, located near the legendary Wartburg Castle, where in the Middle Ages, according to legend, the color of the Minnesang met, and in 1521-22. The word of M. Luther sounded: in Wartburg, the great reformer translated the Bible into the language of his fatherland.

J. S. Bach was not a child prodigy, but from childhood, being in musical environment, received a very thorough upbringing. First under the leadership of his elder brother J. C. Bach and school cantors J. Arnold and E. Herda in Ohrdruf (1696-99), then at the school at St. Michael's Church in Lüneburg (1700-02). By the age of 17, he owned the harpsichord, violin, viola, organ, sang in the choir, and after his voice mutation, he acted as a prefect (assistant cantor). From an early age, Bach felt his calling in the organ field, and he tirelessly studied with both central and northern German masters - J. Pachelbel, J. Lewe, G. Böhm, J. Reincken - the art of organ improvisation, which was the basis of his compositional skills. To this should be added a wide acquaintance with European music: Bach took part in concerts of the court chapel in Celle, famous for its French tastes, and had access to a rich collection stored in the school library Italian masters Finally, during his repeated visits to Hamburg, he could get acquainted with the opera there.

In 1702, a fairly educated musician emerged from the Michaelschule, but Bach did not lose his taste for learning and “imitation” of everything that could help expand his professional horizons throughout his life. His musical career, which according to the tradition of the time was associated with the church, city or court, was also marked by a constant desire for improvement. Not by chance, which provided this or that vacancy, but firmly and persistently he rose to the next level of the musical service hierarchy from organist (Arnstadt and Mühlhausen, 1703-08) to accompanist (Weimar, 1708-17), bandmaster (Köthen, 171723), finally, cantor and director of music (Leipzig, 1723-50). At the same time, next to Bach, a practical musician, the composer Bach grew and gained strength, in his creative impulses and achievements he stepped far beyond the specific tasks that were set before him. There are known accusations against the Arnstadt organist that he made “many strange variations in the chorale... which confused the community.” An example of this is dating back to the first decade of the 18th century. 33 chorales, recently found (1985) as part of a typical (from Christmas to Easter) working collection of a Lutheran organist (Bach’s name is adjacent here to the names of his uncle and father-in-law I.M. Bach - the father of his first wife Maria Barbara, I. Pachelbel, V Tsakhov, as well as composer and theorist G. A. Sorge). To an even greater extent, these reproaches could apply to Bach’s early organ cycles, the concept of which began to take shape already in Arnstadt. Especially after visiting in the winter of 1705-06. Lübeck, where he went at the call of D. Buxtehude (the famous composer and organist was looking for a successor who, along with receiving a place in the Marienkirche, would marry his only daughter). Bach did not stay in Lübeck, but communication with Buxtehude left a significant imprint on all of his further work.

In 1707, Bach moved to Mühlhausen to take up the post of organist in the Church of St. Blaise. A field that provided opportunities somewhat greater than in Arnstadt, but clearly insufficient to, in the words of Bach himself, “perform... regular church music and generally, if possible, contribute... to the development of church music almost everywhere, which is gaining strength, for which accumulated ... an extensive repertoire of excellent church works (Resignation letter sent to the magistrate of the city of Mühlhausen on June 25, 1708). Bach would carry out these intentions in Weimar at the court of Duke Ernst of Saxe-Weimar, where he was expected to undertake varied activities both in the castle church and in the chapel. In Weimar the first and most important line in the organ sphere was drawn. Exact dates have not survived, but, apparently, such masterpieces as Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Preludes and Fugues in C minor and F minor, Toccata in C major, Passacaglia in C minor, as well as the famous “Organ Book” were completed here (among many others). ”, in which “the aspiring organist is given guidance on how to conduct a chorale in every possible way.” The fame of Bach spread far and wide - “the best expert and adviser, especially regarding the disposition ... and the construction of the organ itself,” as well as the “phoenix of improvisation.” Thus, the Weimar years include a legendary failed competition with the famous French organist and harpsichordist L. Marchand, who left the “battlefield” before meeting his opponent.

With his appointment as vice-kapellmeister in 1714, Bach’s dream of “regular church music”, which he was required to supply monthly according to the terms of the contract, came true. Mainly in the genre of a new cantata with a synthetic text base (biblical sayings, chorale stanzas, free, “madrigal” poetry) and corresponding musical components (orchestral introduction, “dry” and accompanied recitatives, aria, chorale). However, the structure of each cantata is far from any stereotypes. It is enough to compare such pearls of early vocal and instrumental creativity as BWV (Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV) - a thematic list of works by J. S. Bach.) 11, 12, . Bach did not forget about the “accumulated repertoire” of other composers. Such, for example, are those preserved in Bach’s copies of the Weimar period, most likely prepared for upcoming performances of the “Luke Passion” by an unknown author (for a long time mistakenly attributed to Bach) and the “Mark Passion” by R. Kaiser, which served as a model for their own works in this genre.

Bach is no less active - kammermusikus and accompanist. Being in the midst of the intense musical life of the Weimar court, he was able to become widely acquainted with European music. As always, this acquaintance with Bach was creative, as evidenced by the organ arrangements of A. Vivaldi’s concertos, and the keyboard arrangements by A. Marcello, T. Albinoni and others.

The Weimar years are also characterized by the first turn to the genre of solo violin sonata and suite. All these instrumental experiments found their brilliant implementation on new soil: in 1717, Bach was invited to Köthen to the post of the Grand Duke of Anhalt-Köthen Kapellmeister. A very favorable musical atmosphere reigned here thanks to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Keten himself, a passionate music lover and musician who played the harpsichord, gamba, and had a good voice. The creative interests of Bach, whose duties included accompanying the prince’s singing and playing, and most importantly, leading an excellent chapel consisting of 15-18 experienced orchestral players, naturally moved to the instrumental area. Solo, mainly violin and orchestral concertos, including 6 Brandenburg concerts, orchestral suites, sonatas for violin and solo cello. This is an incomplete register of the Keten “harvest”.

In Köthen, another line in the master’s work opens (or rather continues, if we have in mind the “Organ Book”): compositions for pedagogical purposes, in Bach’s language, “for the benefit and use of musical youth striving to learn.” The first in this series is the “Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Music Book” (started in 1720 for the first-born and his father’s favorite, the future famous composer). Here, in addition to dance miniatures and arrangements of chorales, there are prototypes of volume 1 “” (preludes), two and three-voice “Inventions” (preambles and fantasies). Bach completed these meetings themselves in 1722 and 1723, respectively.

In Köthen, the “Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach” (the composer’s second wife) was begun, which, along with plays by various authors, included 5 of the 6 “French Suites”. During these same years, “Little Preludes and Fugettas”, “English Suites”, “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” and other keyboard works were created. Just as the number of Bach's students multiplied year after year, his pedagogical repertoire was replenished, which was destined to become a school of performing arts for all subsequent generations of musicians.

The list of Keten opuses would be incomplete without mentioning vocal works. This is a whole series of secular cantatas, most of which have not survived and have received a second life with a new, spiritual text. In many ways, the latent work in the vocal field that did not lie on the surface (in the Reformed Church of Kethen “regular music” was not required) bore fruit in the last and most extensive period of the master’s work.

Bach does not enter the new field of cantor of the school of St. Thomas and music director of the city of Leipzig empty-handed: “test” cantatas BWV 22, 23 have already been written; Magnificat; "John Passion". Leipzig is the final station of Bach's wanderings. Outwardly, especially judging by the second part of his title, the desired top of the service hierarchy was achieved here. At the same time, the “Obligation” (14 checkpoints), which he had to sign “in connection with taking office” and failure to comply with which was fraught with conflicts with the church and city authorities, testifies to the complexity of this segment of Bach’s biography. The first 3 years (1723-26) were devoted to church music. Until quarrels with the authorities began and the magistrate financed liturgical music, which meant that it was possible to attract professional musicians to perform, the energy of the new cantor knew no bounds. The entire Weimar and Köthen experience spilled over into Leipzig creativity.

The scale of what was conceived and accomplished during this period is truly immeasurable: more than 150 cantatas created weekly (!), 2nd ed. “The Passion according to John”, and according to new data, “The Passion according to Matthew”. The premiere of this most monumental work by Bach occurs not in 1729, as was previously believed, but in 1727. The decline in the intensity of cantorial activity, the reasons for which Bach formulated in the famous “Project for the good management of affairs in church music with the addition of some unbiased considerations regarding its decline” (August 23, 1730, memorandum to the Leipzig magistrate), was compensated by activities of a different kind. Bach the bandmaster again comes to the fore, this time heading the student “Collegium musicum”. Bach led this circle in 1729-37, and then in 1739-44 (?) With weekly concerts in the Zimmerman Garden or the Zimmerman Coffee House, Bach made an enormous contribution to public musical life cities. The repertoire is very diverse: symphonies (orchestral suites), secular cantatas and, of course, concerts - the “bread” of all amateur and professional gatherings of the era. It was here that the specifically Leipzig variety of Bach's concertos most likely arose - for clavier and orchestra, which are adaptations of his concertos for violin, violin and oboe, etc. Among them are classical concertos in D minor, F minor, A major.

With the active assistance of the Bach circle, the city musical life of Leipzig itself proceeded, be it “solemn music for the radiant name day of Augustus II, performed in the evening under illumination in the Zimmermann Garden,” or “Evening music with trumpets and timpani” in honor of the same Augustus, or wonderful “night music with many wax torches, with the sounds of trumpets and timpani”, etc. In this list of “musics” in honor of the Saxon electors, a special place belongs to the Missa dedicated to Augustus III (Kyrie, Gloria, 1733) - part of another monumental creation of Bach - Mass in B minor, completed only in 1747-48. In the last decade Bach to the greatest extent focuses on music, free of any applied purpose. These are the second volume of “The Well-Tempered Clavier” (1744), as well as the partitas, “Italian Concerto”, “Organ Mass”, “Aria with Various Variations” (after Bach’s death called Goldberg’s), included in the collection “Clavier Exercises”. Unlike liturgical music, which Bach apparently considered a tribute to craft, he sought to make his non-applied opuses available to the general public. Under his own editorship, Keyboard Exercises and a number of other works were published, including the last 2, largest instrumental works.

In 1737, the philosopher and historian, Bach’s student L. Mitzler organized the “Society of Musical Sciences” in Leipzig, where counterpoint, or, as we would now say, polyphony, was recognized as “first among equals.” At different times, G. Telemann and G. F. Handel joined the Society. In 1747, the greatest polyphonist J. S. Bach became its member. In the same year, the composer visited the royal residence in Potsdam, where he improvised on a new instrument at that time - the piano - in front of Frederick II on a theme given by him. The royal idea was returned to the author a hundredfold - Bach created an incomparable monument of contrapuntal art - “Musical Offering", a grandiose cycle of 10 canons, two ricercars and a four-part trio sonata for flute, violin and harpsichord.

And next to the “Musical Offering,” a new “single-theme” cycle was maturing, the idea of ​​which originated in the early 40s. This is the "Art of Fugue", containing all kinds of counterpoints and canons. “Illness (towards the end of his life Bach became blind. - T.F.) prevented him from completing the penultimate fugue... and working out the last one... This work saw the light only after the death of the author,” marking the highest level of polyphonic mastery.

The last representative of the centuries-old patriarchal tradition and at the same time a universally equipped artist of the new time - this is how J. S. Bach appears in a historical retrospective. A composer who, like no one else in his time, which was generous with great names, was able to combine the incompatible. The Dutch canon and the Italian concerto, the Protestant chorale and the French divertissement, the liturgical monody and the Italian virtuoso aria... Connect both horizontally and vertically, both in breadth and depth. That is why, in the words of the era, the styles of “theatrical, chamber and church”, polyphony and homophony, instrumental and vocal principles interpenetrate so freely in his music. That is why individual parts migrate so easily from composition to composition, both preserving (as, for example, in the Mass in B minor, two-thirds consisting of music that has already been heard), and radically changing their appearance: the aria from the Wedding Cantata (BWV 202) becomes the finale of the violin the sonatas (BWV 1019), symphony and chorus from the cantata (BWV 146) are identical to the first and slow movements of the keyboard Concerto in D minor (BWV 1052), the overture from the orchestral Suite in D major (BWV 1069), enriched with choral sound, opens the cantata BWV110. Examples of this kind made up an entire encyclopedia. In everything (the only exception is opera), the master spoke fully and completely, as if completing the evolution of a particular genre. And it is deeply symbolic that the universe of Bach’s thought “The Art of Fugue”, recorded in the form of a score, does not contain instructions for performance. Bach seems to address him everyone musicians. “This work,” wrote F. Marpurg in the preface to the edition of “The Art of Fugue,” “contains the most hidden beauties that are conceivable in this art...” These words were not heard by the composer’s closest contemporaries. There was no buyer not only for the very limited subscription edition, but also for the “clean and neatly engraved boards” of Bach’s masterpiece, announced for sale in 1756 “from hand to hand at a reasonable price” by Philippe Emanuel, “so that the work would be for the benefit of the public - became famous everywhere.” A cloud of oblivion hung over the name of the great cantor. But this oblivion was never complete. Bach's published works, and most importantly, handwritten ones - in autographs and numerous copies - ended up in the collections of his students and connoisseurs, both eminent and completely unknown. Among them are composers I. Kirnberger and the already mentioned F. Marpurg; a great connoisseur of old music, Baron van Swieten, in whose house W. A. ​​Mozart became familiar with Bach; composer and teacher K. Nefe, who inspired a love for Bach in his student L. Beethoven. Already in the 70s. XVIII century I. Forkel begins to collect material for his book, who laid the foundation for the future new branch of musicology - Bach studies. At the turn of the century, the director of the Berlin Singing Academy, friend and correspondent of J. W. Goethe, K. Zelter, was especially active. The owner of a rich collection of Bach manuscripts, he entrusted one of them to the twenty-year-old F. Mendelssohn. This was the St. Matthew Passion, the historic performance of which on May 11, 1829, heralded the advent of a new Bach era. “A closed book, a buried treasure” (B. Marx) opened, and a powerful stream of the “Bach movement” swept the entire musical world.

Today, vast experience has been accumulated in studying and promoting the work of the great composer. Since 1850 there has been a Bach Society (since 1900 - the “New Bach Society”, which in 1969 became an international organization with sections in the German Democratic Republic, Germany, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Japan, France and other countries). On the initiative of the NBO, Bach festivals are held, as well as International Performing Competitions named after. J. S. Bach. In 1907, on the initiative of the NBO, the Bach Museum was opened in Eisenach, which today has a number of counterparts in different cities of Germany, including one opened in 1985 on the 300th anniversary of the birth of the composer “Johann-Sebastian-Bach- Museum" in Leipzig.

There is a wide network of Bach institutions around the world. The largest of them are the Bach-Institut in Göttingen (Germany) and the National Research and Memorial Center for J. S. Bach in the Federal Republic of Germany in Leipzig. The last decades have been marked by a number of significant achievements: the four-volume collection “Bach-Dokumente” was published, a new chronology of vocal works was established, as well as “The Art of Fugue”, previously unknown 14 canons from the “Goldberg Variations” and 33 chorales for organ were published. Since 1954, the Institute in Göttingen and the Bach Center in Leipzig have been carrying out a new critical edition of the complete works of Bach. The publication of the analytical and bibliographic list of Bach’s works “Bach-Compendium” continues in collaboration with Harvard University (USA).

The process of mastering Bach's heritage is endless, just as Bach himself is endless - an inexhaustible source (let us recall the famous play on words: der Bach - stream) of the highest experiences of the human spirit.

T. Frumkis

Characteristics of creativity

Bach's work, almost unknown during his lifetime, was forgotten for a long time after his death. It took a long time before it was possible to truly appreciate the legacy left by the greatest composer.

The process of development of art in the 18th century was complex and contradictory. The influence of the old feudal-aristocratic ideology was strong; but the shoots of a new one were already emerging and ripening, which reflected the spiritual needs of the young, historically advanced class of the bourgeoisie.

In the most intense struggle of trends, through the negation and destruction of old forms, a new art was established. The cold pomp of classical tragedy with its rules, plots, and images established by aristocratic aesthetics was contrasted with a bourgeois novel and a sensitive drama from bourgeois life. In contrast to the conventional and decorative court opera, the vitality, simplicity and democracy of comic opera were promoted; Light and unpretentious everyday genre music was put forward against the “scientific” church art of polyphonists.

Under such conditions, the predominance in Bach’s works of forms and means of expression inherited from the past gave reason to consider his work obsolete and cumbersome. During the period of widespread fascination with gallant art with its graceful forms and simple content, Bach's music seemed too complex and incomprehensible. Even the composer's sons saw nothing but scholarship in their father's work.

Bach was openly preferred to musicians whose names were barely preserved by history; but they did not “use only learning,” they had “taste, brilliance and a tender feeling.”

Adherents of orthodox church music were also hostile to Bach. Thus, Bach’s work, which was far ahead of its era, was denied by supporters of gallant art, as well as by those who reasonably saw in Bach’s music a violation of church and historical canons.

In the struggle of contradictory directions of this turning point in the history of music, a leading trend gradually emerged, and the paths for the development of something new emerged, which led to the symphonism of Haydn, Mozart, and the operatic art of Gluck. And only from the heights to which the greatest artists of the late 18th century raised musical culture did the grandiose legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach become visible.

Mozart and Beethoven were the first to recognize its true meaning. When Mozart, already the author of “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Don Giovanni,” became acquainted with Bach’s previously unknown works, he exclaimed: “There is something to learn here!” Beethoven enthusiastically says: “Er ist kein Bach - er ist ein Ozean” (“He is not a stream - he is an ocean”). According to Serov, these figurative words best express the “immense depth of thought and inexhaustible variety of forms in Bach’s genius.”

Since the 19th century, a slow revival of Bach's work began. In 1802, the first biography of the composer appeared, written by the German historian Forkel; With its rich and interesting material, it attracted some attention to the life and personality of Bach. Thanks to the active propaganda of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt, Bach's music gradually began to penetrate into a wider environment. In 1850, the Bach Society was formed, with the goal of finding and collecting all the handwritten material that belonged to the great musician and publishing it in the form of a complete collection of works. Since the 30s of the 19th century, Bach’s work has gradually been introduced into musical life, heard from the stage, and included in the educational repertoire. But there were many conflicting opinions in the interpretation and evaluation of Bach's music. Some historians characterized Bach as an abstract thinker operating with abstract musical and mathematical formulas, others saw in him a mystic detached from life or a faithful, well-minded church musician.

Particularly negative for understanding the actual content of Bach’s music was the attitude towards it as a storehouse of polyphonic “wisdom”. Almost such a point of view reduced Bach's work to the position of a manual for students of polyphony. Serov wrote about this with indignation: “There was a time when the whole musical world looked at the music of Sebastian Bach as school pedantic rubbish, old stuff, which sometimes, as, for example, in “Clavecin bien tempere”, is suitable for finger exercises, along with studies by Moscheles and exercises by Czerny. Since the time of Mendelssohn, taste has leaned again towards Bach, even much more than at the time when he himself lived - and now there are still “directors of conservatories” who, in the name of conservatism, are not ashamed to teach their pupils play Bach's fugues without expressiveness, that is, as "exercises", as finger-breaking exercises... If there is anything in the field of music that must be approached not from under a ferula and with a pointer in hand, but with love in the heart , with fear and faith, these are precisely the creations of the great Bach.”

In Russia, a positive attitude towards Bach's work was determined at the end of the 18th century. In the “Pocket Book for Music Lovers” published in St. Petersburg, a review of Bach’s works appeared, which noted the versatility of his talent and exceptional skill.

For the leading musicians of Russia, Bach's art was the embodiment of a powerful creative force, enriching and immeasurably moving forward human culture. Russian musicians of different generations and movements were able to comprehend the high poetry of feelings and the effective power of thought in Bach's complex polyphony.

The depth of the images of Bach's music is immeasurable. Each of them is capable of containing a whole story, poem, history; each contains significant phenomena that can equally be developed into grandiose musical canvases or concentrated in a laconic miniature.

The diversity of life in its past, present and future, everything that an inspired poet can feel, that a thinker and philosopher can reflect on, is contained in the comprehensive art of Bach. A huge creative range allowed simultaneous work on works of various scales, genres, and forms. Bach's music naturally combines the monumental forms of the passions and B minor Mass with the casual simplicity of small preludes or inventions; the drama of organ compositions and cantatas - with the contemplative lyrics of chorale preludes; the chamber sound of the filigree-honed preludes and fugues of the “Well-Tempered Clavier” - with the virtuosic brilliance and vital energy of the Brandenburg Concertos.

The emotional and philosophical essence of Bach's music lies in the deepest humanity, in selfless love for people. He sympathizes with a person in grief, shares his joys, and sympathizes with the desire for truth and justice. In his art, Bach shows the most noble and beautiful that lies in man; His work is filled with the pathos of an ethical idea.

Bach depicts his hero neither in active struggle nor in heroic deeds. Through emotional experiences, reflections, feelings, his attitude to reality, to the world around him is reflected. Bach doesn't leave real life. It was the truth of reality, the hardships endured by the German people, that gave rise to images of stunning tragedy; It is not for nothing that the theme of suffering runs through all of Bach’s music. But the bleakness of the surrounding world could not destroy or supplant the eternal feeling of life, its joys and great hopes. Themes of jubilation and enthusiastic inspiration are intertwined with themes of suffering, reflecting reality in its contrasting unity.

Bach is equally great in expressing simple human feelings and in conveying the depths of folk wisdom, in high tragedy and in revealing the universal aspiration for peace.

Bach's art is characterized by close interaction and connection of all its spheres. The commonality of figurative content makes the folk epics of the passions similar to the miniatures of the Well-Tempered Clavier, the majestic frescoes of the B minor Mass with suites for violin or harpsichord.

In Bach there is no fundamental difference between sacred and secular music. What is common is the nature of musical images, means of implementation, and development methods. It is no coincidence that Bach so easily transferred from secular works to spiritual ones not only individual themes, large episodes, but even entire completed numbers, without changing either the composition plan or the nature of the music. Themes of suffering and sorrow, philosophical reflections, and simple peasant fun can be found in cantatas and oratorios, in organ fantasies and fugues, in clavier or violin suites.

It is not whether a work belongs to a spiritual or secular genre that determines its meaning. The enduring value of Bach's works lies in the sublimity of ideas, in the deep ethical sense that he puts into any work, be it secular or spiritual, in the beauty and rare perfection of forms.

Bach's work owes its vitality, unfading moral purity and powerful strength to folk art. Bach inherited the traditions of folk songwriting and music-making from many generations of musicians; they settled in his mind through the direct perception of living musical customs. Finally, a close study of monuments of folk musical art supplemented Bach's knowledge. Such a monument and at the same time inexhaustible creative source there was a Protestant chorale for him.

Protestant chorale has a long history. During the Reformation, choral chants, like war hymns, inspired and united the masses in struggle. The chorale “The Lord is our stronghold,” written by Luther, embodied the militant fervor of Protestants and became the anthem of the Reformation.

The Reformation made extensive use of secular folk songs, melodies that have long been common in everyday life. Regardless of their previous content, often frivolous and ambiguous, religious texts were added to them, and they turned into choral chants. The chorales included not only German folk songs, but also French, Italian, and Czech.

Instead of Catholic hymns alien to the people, sung by the choir in an incomprehensible Latin language, choral melodies are introduced that are accessible to all parishioners and sung by the entire community in their own German language.

This is how secular melodies took root and adapted to the new cult. So that “the entire Christian community can join in the singing,” the melody of the chorale is placed in the upper voice, and the remaining voices become accompanying; complex polyphony is simplified and displaced from the chorale; a special choral structure is formed in which rhythmic regularity, the tendency to merge all voices into a chord and highlight the upper melodic voice are combined with the mobility of the middle voices.

A peculiar combination of polyphony and homophony is a characteristic feature of the chorale.

Folk tunes, turned into chorales, still remained folk melodies, and collections of Protestant chorales turned out to be a repository and treasury folk songs. Bach extracted the richest melodic material from these ancient collections; he returned to choral melodies the emotional content and spirit of Protestant hymns from the time of the Reformation, returned choral music to its former meaning, that is, resurrected choral as a form of expression of the thoughts and feelings of the people.

Chorale is far from the only type of musical connection between Bach and folk art. The strongest and most fruitful influence was the influence of genre and everyday music in its various forms. In numerous instrumental suites and other plays, Bach not only recreates images of everyday music; he develops in a new way many of the genres that are established primarily in urban life and creates opportunities for their further development.

Forms, song and dance melodies borrowed from folk music can be found in any of Bach’s works. Not to mention secular music, he uses them widely and variedly in his spiritual compositions: in cantatas, oratorios, passions, and the B minor Mass.

Bach's creative heritage is almost immense. Even what has survived amounts to many hundreds of titles. It is also known that a large number of Bach’s works were irretrievably lost. Of the three hundred cantatas that Bach owned, about a hundred disappeared without a trace. Of the five passions, the “Passion according to John” and “Passion according to Matthew” have been preserved.

Contrary to popular myth, Bach was not forgotten after his death. True, this concerned works for the clavier: his works were performed and published, and were used for didactic purposes. Bach's works for organ continued to be played in the church, and harmonizations of chorales were in constant use. Bach's cantata-oratorio works were rarely heard (although the notes were carefully preserved in the Church of St. Thomas), as a rule, on the initiative of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, but already in 1800, the Berlin Singakademie was organized by Carl Friedrich Zelter, the main purpose of which was precisely propaganda Bach's singing heritage. The performance of Zelter's disciple, twenty-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, on March 11, 1829 in Berlin, of the St. Matthew Passion, gained great public attention. Even the rehearsals conducted by Mendelssohn became an event - they were attended by many music lovers. The performance was such a success that the concert was repeated on Bach's birthday. “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 the New and Contemporary times - the history of music is reasonably divided into pre-Bach and post-Bach.

Biography

Childhood

Cities where J. S. Bach lived

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

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father died. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. 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.

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 profitable and high position organist at the Church of St. Blaise in Mühlhausen, a large city in the north of the country. The following year, Bach accepted the offer, taking the place of organist Johann Georg Ahle. His salary was increased compared to the previous one, and the standard of the singers was better. Four months later, on October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara from Arnstadt. They subsequently had six children, three of whom died in childhood. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

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

Weimar (1708-1717)

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

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.

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 came to Dresden. Dresden accompanist Volumier decided to invite Bach and arrange a musical competition between two famous harpsichordists, Bach and Marchand agreed. However, on the day of the competition it turned out that Marchand (who, apparently, had previously had the opportunity to listen to Bach play) hastily and secretly left the city; the competition did not take place, and Bach had to play alone.

Köthen (1717-1723)

Leipzig (1723-1750)

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

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

During the same period, Bach wrote parts Kyrie And Gloria 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.

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

The composer was buried near the Church of St. John (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 erected over his burial site.

Cantors of the St. Thomas Choir

... | Tidericus (circa 1295) | ... | Johann Stefan de Orba (1436–1443) | Thomas Ranstethe (1443–1444) | Pieter Seehausen (circa 1460) | Martin Klotsch (circa 1470) | Johann Fabri de Forchheim (circa 1472) | Ludwig Götze (from 1480) | Gregor Wessnig (1482–1488) | Heinrich Hoefler (1488–1490) | Nikolaus Seler (circa 1494) | Johann Conradi (circa 1508) | Johann Scharnagel (circa 1513) | Georg Rau (1518–1520) | Johann Galliculus (1520–1525) | Valerian Hüffeler (1526–1530) | Johann Hermann (1531–1536) | Wolfgang Jünger (1536–1539) | Johann Bruckner (1539–1540) | Ulrich Lange (1540–1549) | Wolfgang Figulus (1549–1551) | Melchior Heger (1553–1564) | Valentine Otto (1564–1594) | Zetus Calvisius (1594–1615) | Johann Hermann Schein (1615–1630) | Michael Tobias (1631–1657) | Sebastian Knüpfer (1657–1676) | Johann Schelle (1677–1701) | Johann Kuhnau (1701–1722) | Johann Sebastian Bach (1723–1750) | Johann Gottlob Harrer (1750–1755) | Johann Friedrich Doles (1756–1789) | Johann Adam Hiller (1789–1801) | August Eberhard Müller (1801–1810) | Johann Gottfried Schnicht (1810–1823) | Christian Theodor Weinlig (1823–1842) | Moritz Hauptmann (1842–1868) | Ernst Friedrich Richter (1868–1879) | Wilhelm Rust (1880–1892) | Gustav Schreck (1893–1918) | Karl Straube (1918–1939) | Günther Ramin (1939–1956) | Kurt Thomas (1957–1960) | Erhard Mauersberger (1961–1972) | Hans-Joachim Roch (1972–1991) | Georg Christoph Biller (1992 to present)

Bach studies

The first description of Bach's life and work was a work published in 1802 by Johann Forkel. Forkel's biography of Bach is based on an obituary and stories from Bach's sons and friends. In the mid-19th century, the general public's interest in Bach's music increased, and composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. Honored promoter of Bach's works, Robert Franz, has published several books about the composer's work. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philip Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German organist and researcher Albert Schweitzer published a book. In this work, in addition to the biography of Bach, description and analysis of his works, much attention is paid to the description of the era in which he worked, as well as theological issues related to his music. These books were the most authoritative until the middle of the 20th century, when, with the help of new technical means and careful research, new facts about the life and work of Bach were established, which in some places contradicted traditional ideas. For example, it was established that Bach wrote some cantatas in -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, “Chronicle of the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, Compiled by His Widow Anna Magdalena Bach,” written by English writer Esther Meinel on behalf of the composer's widow.

Creation

Bach wrote more than 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the famous works is assigned a number BWV (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis- catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both sacred and secular. Some of Bach's works are adaptations of works by other composers, and some are revised versions of their own works.

Organ creativity

By the time of Bach, organ music in Germany already had long-standing traditions that had developed thanks to Bach's predecessors - Pachelbel, Böhm, Buxtehude and other composers, each of whom influenced him in their own way. Bach knew many of them personally.

During his life, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in the “free” genres traditional for that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, passacaglia, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined features of different musical styles with which he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced by both the music of northern German composers (Georg Böhm, whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck) and the music of southern composers: Bach copied the works of many French and Italian composers for himself in order to understand their musical language; later he even transcribed several Vivaldi violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (-), Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes and fugues and toccatas and fugues, but also composed the unfinished Organ Book - a collection of 46 short choral preludes, which demonstrated various techniques and approaches to composing works on chorale themes. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for organ; however, after Weimar many famous works were written (6 trio sonatas, collection "Clavier-Übung" and 18 Leipzig chorales). Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted on the construction of instruments, testing and tuning new organs.

Other keyboard works

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

• “The Well-Tempered Clavier” in two volumes, written in 1744, is a collection, each volume of which contains 24 preludes and fugues, one for each common key. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that make it equally easy to play music in any key - primarily to the modern equal temperament scale.
• 15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions are small works, arranged in order of increasing number of signs in the key. They were intended (and are still used to this day) for teaching how to play keyboard instruments.
• Three collections of suites: English Suites, French Suites and Partitas for Clavier. Each cycle contained 6 suites, built according to a standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional movement 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 (approx.) - melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. The variations are built more on the tonal plan of the theme than on the melody itself.
• A variety of pieces such as Overture in the French Style, BWV 831, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, BWV 903, or Italian Concerto, BWV 971.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music 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 wrote many works for orchestra and solo instruments. Some of the most famous are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so called because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought of obtaining employment at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. These six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Other extant orchestral masterpieces by Bach include two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and 1042), a concerto for 2 violins in D minor BWV 1043, the so-called “triple” concerto in A minor (for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings and continuous (digital) bass) BWV 1044 and concertos for claviers and chamber orchestra: seven for one clavier (BWV 1052-1058), three for two (BWV 1060-1062), two for three (BWV 1063 and 1064) and one for A minor BWV 1065 - for four harpsichords. Nowadays, these concertos with orchestra are often performed on the piano, so they can be called Bach piano concertos, but do not forget that in Bach's time there was no piano. In addition to concerts, Bach composed 4 orchestral suites (BWV 1066-1069), some individual parts of which are especially widely popular in our time and have popular arrangements, namely: the so-called “Bach joke” - the last part, the badinerie of the second suite and the second part of the third suite is an aria.

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 concluding 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 timed to coincide with some event, for example, a wedding. Among Bach's most famous secular cantatas are two Wedding cantatas and the humorous Coffee Cantata and Peasant Cantata.

• Passions, or passions. Passion according to John () and Passion according to Matthew (c.) - works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended for performance at vespers in 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 () - a cycle of 6 cantatas for performance during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (-) 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, ) and the later and more famous (D major, ).

• Masses. Bach's most famous and significant mass is the Mass in B minor (completed 1749), which is a complete cycle of the Ordinary. This mass, like many of the composer’s other works, included revised early works. The Mass was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime - the first time this happened only in the 19th century. In addition, this music was not performed as intended due to its inconsistency with the Lutheran canon (it included only Kyrie and Gloria), as well as due to the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, 4 short two-movement masses by Bach (Kyrie and Gloria), as well as individual movements like Sanctus and Kyrie, have reached us.

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

Execution

Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance (or "historically oriented performance"), that is, using the instruments and methods of Bach's era, and those who perform Bach on modern instruments. In Bach's time there were no such large choirs and orchestras as, for example, in Brahms's time, and even his most ambitious works, such as the Mass in B minor and the passions, are not intended to be performed by large groups. In addition, some of Bach's chamber works do not indicate the instrumentation at all, so today very different versions of performances of the same works are known. In organ works, Bach almost never indicated registration and changes 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

Bach's personal seal

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, most notably Carl Philipp Emmanuel, whose music was better known. 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 St. Thomas School, Mozart heard one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed: “There is something to learn here!” - after which, asking for the notes, he studied them for a long time and rapturously. Beethoven greatly appreciated Bach's music. As a child, he played preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, and later called Bach “the true father of harmony” and said that “his name is not the Brook, but the Sea” (word Bach in German it means "stream"). The works of Johann Sebastian influenced many composers. Some themes from Bach's works, such as the theme of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, have been reused in 20th-century music.

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

Bach monuments in Germany

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

• Monument in Leipzig, erected on 23 April 1843 by Hermann Knaur on the initiative of Mendelssohn and according to drawings by Eduard Bendemann, Ernst Rietschel and Julius Hübner.
• Bronze statue in the square Frauenplan at Eisenach, designed by Adolf von Donndorff, delivered 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 from the south side of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig - 17 May 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.

Musical fragments

• Keyboard Concerto in D minor(inf.)
• Cantata 140, choir(inf.)
• Fugue in G minor(inf.)

Films about I.S. Bache

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

see also

• Baroque - the era to which Bach's work belongs
• Bach (genus) - the Bach family, which raised more than 50 musicians and composers over two centuries (XVII-XVIII centuries).
• BWV – generally accepted numbering system for Bach's works
• Bach (crater) is a crater on Mercury.
• Passions (Bach) - passions of Bach.

Notes

1. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach. Ch. 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. I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of J. S. Bach. Ch. II.
8. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach. P. 27.
9. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach. Ch. 7.
10. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - Entry on file, Arnstadt, June 29, 1707 (web archive)
11. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach - entry in the church register, 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. File entry, Mühlhausen, June 26, 1708 (web archive)
14. Yu. V. Keldysh. Musical encyclopedia. Volume 1. - Moscow: Soviet encyclopedia, . - P. 761. - 1070 p.
15. Documents of the life and work of J. S. Bach. File entry, Weimar, December 2, 1717 (web archive)
16. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach. P. 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. Ch. 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.