Johann Sebastian Bach
'Johann Sebastian Bach ' Summary
The Bach family already counted several composers when Johann Sebastian was born as the last child of a city musician in Eisenach. After being orphaned at the age of 10, he lived for five years with his eldest brother Johann Christoph, after which he continued his musical education in Lüneburg. From 1703 he was back in Thuringia, working as a musician for Protestant churches in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen and, for longer stretches of time, at courts in Weimar, where he expanded his organ repertory, and Köthen, where he was mostly engaged with chamber music. From 1723 he was employed as Thomaskantor (cantor at St Thomas's) in Leipzig. There he composed music for the principal Lutheran churches of the city, and for its university's student ensemble Collegium Musicum. From 1726 he published some of his keyboard and organ music. In Leipzig, as had happened during some of his earlier positions, he had difficult relations with his employer, a situation that was little remedied when he was granted the title of court composer by his sovereign, Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, in 1736. In the last decades of his life he reworked and extended many of his earlier compositions. He died of complications after eye surgery in 1750 at the age of 65.
Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of counterpoint, harmonic, and motivic organisation,[4] and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include hundreds of cantatas, both sacred and secular. He composed Latin church music, Passions, oratorios, and motets. He often adopted Lutheran hymns, not only in his larger vocal works, but for instance also in his four-part chorales and his sacred songs. He wrote extensively for organ and for other keyboard instruments. He composed concertos, for instance for violin and for harpsichord, and suites, as chamber music as well as for orchestra. Many of his works employ the genres of canon and fugue.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
Author
Download eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Autobiography by John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), British philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential libe...
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
Twelve Years a Slave is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who...
Beethoven: The Man and the Artist, as Revealed in His Own Words by Ludwig van Beethoven
In this, Beethoven reflects on his own life and career, discussing his struggles, triumphs, and creative process. He talks about the inspirations behi...
The Underground Railroad, Part 3 by William Still
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was...
Mark Twain's Autobiography: With An Introduction by Albert Bigelow Paine - Volume II by Mark Twain
Until recently, this work has been considered the "go-to" bio of Mark Twain. Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American auth...
Ecce Homo by Friedrich Nietzsche
Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is is the last original book written by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche before his death in 1900. It was written i...
In Defense of Harriet Shelley by Mark Twain
Mark Twain pulls no punches while exposing the "real" Percy Shelley in this scathing condemnation of Edward Dowden's "Life of Shelley". Even though, a...
Charles Sumner, The Scholar in Politics by Archibald Grimké
In the realm of American politics, one man dared to challenge the status quo, wielding intellect and knowledge as his most potent weapons. Enter the w...
Peter the Great by Jacob Abbott
“There are very few persons who have not heard of the fame of Peter the Great, the founder, as he is generally regarded by mankind, of Russian civiliz...
Patience Worth by Casper S. Yost
In the enigmatic world of "Patience Worth" by Casper Salathiel Yost, the past collides with the present in a mesmerizing dance of mystery and spiritua...
Reviews for Johann Sebastian Bach
No reviews posted or approved, yet...