Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
The Life of J.S. Bach
Born in Eisenach, Germany, which was also
the birthplace of Martin Luther.
Bach’s family supplied musicians.
Musician’s agent, or broker.
Orphaned at age of ten, raised by his older
brother.
Brother was an organist and Bach’s first
music teacher (family apprenticeship)
Background
J. S. Bach is one of the most wellresearched composers with more each
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The Bach family was made up of more
than 70 composers and performers in
Germany from the 16th to the early
19th centuries.
His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach (16451695), was a renowned violinist and was
employed as a court trumpeter and music
director in the town of Eisenach. Bach
probably learned to play the violin at an
early age from his father.
His mother, Maria Elisabeth
Lämmerhirt (1644-1694), also came
from a musical family.
Bach as a young man
Johann Sebastian Bach
Over 1000 musical pieces in
every genre except opera
Cantatas (1 per week for 8
years)
Public complained for his
flowery music
Protestant themes (in
search of God)
Musicians felt his
music too difficult
Bach’s Signature
J.S.Bach (musical) cross. Bach signed himself with a single note
(using 4 different pitches)
B: Left staff (treble clef)
A: Upper staff (tenor clef)
C: Right staff (alto clef)
H: Lower staff (treble clef)
Bach’s Work
Church Musician
Write music for services
Play organ
Teach choirs
Teach soloists
Conduct orchestra, choirs
Court Musician
Wrote music for entertainment
Wrote commissioned pieces
School teacher
Organ teacher
Organ construction consultant
Composer—sacred & secular music
Husband/father
Bach’s Career
Early positions
Arnestadt, Germany 1703-07
Organist
Muhlhausen
Organist.
These were not significant positions but rather
churches with small forces for music.
A good starting point for his career.
Bach became an organist in Arnstant in 1703
and stayed there until 1707, when he went
to Muhlhausen until 1708. He showed a bit
of his temper, having arguments with both
employers.
In 1707, he married his cousin, Maria
Barbara.
They went on to have 7 children, before she
died in 1721.
The Big Three
Weimar, Germany
Secular position
Employed by the Duke of Weimar
There were many differences between the Duke
and J. S. Bach.
Weimar
Bach serves as an organist to the Ducal
Chapel and as a chamber musician.
Duke preferred the older style of hymns and
accompaniment in worship. He was not
interested in Bach’s innovations.
Bach was resolved not to change his
personal style of composition.
Weimar
Bach, as a member of the patronage system
was in fact considered the “property” of the
Duke.
He was imprisoned for almost a month for
trying to leave the Duke’s employment
without the Duke’s permission.
Finally he was allowed to leave after Bach
simply made the life of the Duke miserable.
Bach’s second position: Cothen.
1717-23
Secular position for the Prince of AnhaltCothen (cousin to the Duke of Weimar)
Here Bach wrote his famous suites,
concerti, sonatas, and a large amount of
keyboard music.
The six Brandenburg Concerti for the
Margrave of Brandenburg.
Leipzig: The third great position
Leipzig was a musical and cultural center of
southeastern Germany.
St. Thomas Kirche (church) was the center of
religious music in Leipzig.
Bach’s position.
Music director
Organist
Cantor
Responsible for all of the music for every large
Lutheran church in the district.
Director of the “collegium musicum”
Bach at Leipzig
St. Thomas Church
and School
“Since the best man could not be
obtained, mediocre ones would
have to be accepted.”
-Leipzig town council member commenting on the hiring of
Bach
During the earlier years at Leipzig, Bach’s work
demonstrated his ability of storytelling using dramatic
melodies or chords to represent different events of life.
Example of this style include:
The Passion of St. John (1723)
Magnificant (1723)
The Passion According to St. Matthew (1729)
Christmas Oratoro (1734)
Bach composed many pieces of music and they are often listed
with the letters BWV followed by a number. Such as: BWV
#212 or such.
BWV is an abbreviation for Bach Werke Verzeichniss, which is
a catalog of Bach's works. The catalog is organized by genre,
not in the order the pieces were composed.
In 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilken, who was a
professional singer. They ended up having 13 more children
during their marriage.
This brings Bach’s total of children to 20!!!
Bach made a final move to Leipzig in 1723. There he became
the Director of Music at the St.Thomas School and the Cantor
for the St. Thomas Church. He was responsible for all music in
all 4 churches in the town.
It is interesting to see that Bach did not travel much during his
lifetime and stayed within a small area of Germany.
Places Bach lived
Germany
Bach’s life and work
1717-1723
1723-1750
Born 1685
1708-1717
1703-1708
Bach and Symmetry
1. Choral Fugue
2. Aria, duet
3. Recitative/Arioso
4. Aria
5. Chorale
6. Recitative/Arioso
7. Aria, Duet
8. Chorale
Chorus and Orchestra
Sop. Bass.
Bass
Soprano
Chorus and Orchestra
Tenor
Alto and Tenor soloist
Chorus and Orchestra
The Late Baroque Concerto of
J.S. Bach
Absolute Music: music written for music’s
sake. Void of poetic, prosaic, or mental
images.
Emotion gleaned from this type of music is
taken from the sheer beauty, conflict, key,
tempo, rhythm, of the music.
MUSIC FOR MUSIC’S SAKE
Chorale Prelude: Ein Feste Burg
ist Unser Gott. J.S. Bach
Same theme as the cantata.
A Mighty fortress is our God.
Piece for organ using different registrations.
Different sets of pipes within the organ
Different manuals (keyboards) and pedals (feet)
play different combinations of pipes.
Listen for how Bach develops the chorale
melody.
The Cantata
A multi-movement work for the Lutheran
worship service that is a musical statement
backing the text of the current day’s liturgy.
Based upon famous hymn or chorale tunes.
Aria
Recitative
Instrumental accompaniment (small
orchestra)
Fugue Form
Fugue Form- A – B – A1
A – Exposition – Exposes the subject in all voices
Voice 1-Subject
Countersubject
Voice 2-Answer
Cadence
Countersubject
Voice 3-Subject
Countersubject
Picture this fugue:
Subject
alone
Subject
in
alto
Subject
in
tenor
Subject
in
bass
E
p
i
s
o
d
e
The Fugue: Components
Exposition: the opening section of a
fugue.
Displays the subject in all voices.
Details the melody in each voice so that
the listener clearly understands the
subject material. The countersubject will
also be displayed here.
The Fugue: Components
Subject: the original melody of a fugue
Countersubject: a counter-melody.
Normally this is another independent
melody.
Answer: the imitation of a subject or a
countersubject in another voice.
The Fugue
Episode: a section of music in contrapuntal
style that simply develops the subject’s
motives, or displays freely composed new
music. The episode is an area of contrast
which balances out the exposition.
Stretto: a section of a fugue where tension
is built up through the quick imitation of the
subject in all four or more voices.
Other Instrumental Forms
French overture: slow-fast (Handel’s
Sinfony to Messiah.
Italian overture: fast-slow-fast (opera
overture standing alone. Precursor to the
symphony in the classical period.
The Fugue Voices
Each melodic line. Compared to
the soprano, alto, tenor and bass of
a choir.
Each hand and each foot can play
one or more melody or “fugal
voice” at one time.
Considerations
Notice the difference between a Free
Prelude and the Fugue.
Bound to rules vs. free improvisation.
The Genius of Bach: The fugue was
also improvised and then written out
later.
The Chorale
A hymn sung in 4 part harmony with organ
accompaniment.
Form: AAB
Stollen I
Stollen II
Abgasang
Fulfills Martin Luther’s reformationist views that
the congregation should be allowed to join in the
music of the liturgy.
Innovations in Orchestra
Concertos
Solo instruments
Grosso led to orchestra
works
Composers notation:
Specified instrumental
parts
Dynamic markings and
speed
Key signature in the title
Prelude and Fugue in C Minor,
From the Well Tempered Clavier
J.S. Bach, Cothen, 1722
Prelude
Perpetuum Mobile: Perpetual Motion
Arpeggiated chords over a single note
melody.
Fugue
Brandenburg Concerto No 2 in F
Major: First and Second Mvts.
Concerto grosso
Concertino: violin, oboe, recorder, trumpet.
Solos by each instrument occur during tutti
statements.
Solos are bound together by a ritornello
Form: ABACADA……
Two forms of improvisation: Figured Bass
(cello and harpsichord) and Ornamentation
(decorating a melody with additional notes)
J.S.Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations
 Theme (original melody)
and 32 variations of the
melody.
 Written around 1730
 Exploited capabilities of
new keyboards by using
many different playing
techniques
 Glenn Gould’s 1956
recording is the #1
‘classical’ piano recording
of all time
By 1748 Bach was nearly blind from
cataracts.
In March and April of 1750, he was
operated on by the English oculist John
Taylor. The operations and the treatment
that followed them may have hastened
Bach's death.
Johann Sebastian Bach died on July 28,
1750.
Did you know?
Bach shares his birth year with G.F.Handel.
Handel also had cataract surgery performed
by oculist John Taylor.
American composer, Edward MacDowell
said,
"Bach and Handel were in every way quite
different, except that both were born in the
same year and killed by the same doctor”.