History of Music, Mr. Robert L. Johnston
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) (Day 1)
Aim:
Who was J.S. Bach?
Instructional Objectives:
At the conclusion of this unit, students will:
I.
II.
Have met Bach, and gained an insight into his life.
Have developed an understanding of the profound
scope of his compositions.
III. Have a sense of his legacy through time, and have an
introduction to the careers of the Bach sons.
IV. Have heard a broad sampling of Bach’s music.
Motivation:
Play the Toccata and Fugue in d minor, one of Bach’s most recognizable pieces.
Development/Procedures:
I.
Biographical
a. Born is Eisenach
b. Father and uncles were all musicians
i. His father taught him to play violin and
harpsichord
ii. His uncle taught him to play organ
c. Bach lived and worked in the Baroque period of
music
d. Bach was orphaned by 10
i. He lived with his older brother, Johann
Christoph, who was also an organist
ii. His brother taught him to play the
clavichord
iii. Copied studied and performed music
1. You will remember that in Medieval
times, students learned by copying
books
iv. Bach was exposed to numerous important
composers of his youth, such as:
1. Johann Pachelbel
2. Jean-Baptiste Lully
3. Girolamo Frescobaldi
v. At 14, he earned a scholarship to study near
Hamburg, and learned
1. French, Italian and Latin
2. Theology
3. History
4. Geography
5. Physics
a. Why is this so important?
vi. Was also exposed to the great organist
Dietrich Buxtehude
1. Was also able to read important
treatises on theory
vii. Was able to play on quality organs
viii. Was briefly employed as a court musician at
the Weimar (1703)
1. This only lasted seven months
ix. Then took a position as the organist at St.
Boniface’s Church in Arnstadt (1703-1706)
a. Was composing organ works at this
time
b. Ultimately became dissatisfied
with the choir
c. Walked 250 miles each way during
his employment to visit Buxtehude
x. Then took a position as organist in
Muhlhausen (1707-1708)
1. Better choir
2. Better pay
3. During this time he married his first
wife and cousin, Maria Barbara Bach
4. Play excerpts from Cantata BWV 71,
which dates from this time
xi. Then took a position back in Weimar (17081717)
1. Was court organist and concertmaster
2. Better pay
3. Had access to a large compliment of
musicians
4. During this time the Bach’s started a
family
a. They had seven children, four of
whom survived to adulthood. These
included:
i. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach
ii. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
b. These Bach sons were both composers
and important figures in the Rococo
period (post-Baroque)
5. Wrote keyboard and orchestral works
during this period
a. Was heavily influenced by Italian
composers of the time such as:
i. AntonioVivaldi
ii. Arcangelo Corelli
iii. Giuseppe Torelli
b. Based on what you have heard thus
far in class, and in your own
listening, what are some
differences you have noticed
between German and Italian music?
c. The most significant work from
this time is The Well-Tempered
Clavier
i. 48 preludes and fugues in
pairs of the major and
relative minor keys
ii. Play excerpts
d. By this time, Bach had become a
master of contrapuntal style
6. Bach from this time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Young_Bach2.jpg
Materials of Instruction:
Smart Board
Various Recordings
Summary:
To cover Bach in a few classes does him little to no
justice. To give you an example of just how prolific he
was, the complete extant-recorded Bach takes up 155 discs.
He is a master of counterpoint, an important theorist
of the day, given the different types of tuning that were
evolving at the time, and a virtuoso keyboard player.
Assignment:
Read the Bach chapter in Bach, Beethoven and the Boys.
Listen to good music.
Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach
Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition, Teldec, 1999
Suggested Reference:
History of Music, Hugh H. Miller, Barnes & Noble
Books, New York. 1972
Robert L. Johnston