Researched and created by
Sarah Ivie
Picture
of later life
 Prior to Bach birth, his family was well known German
musician family during the 17th-18th century. The
families excelling music involvement and
accomplishments were known for more than 100 years.
 Bach was the youngest of eight. Born on March 21,
1685 in Eisenach, a city of Thuringia. During the
Baroque Ages where music was center of life.
 His father , Johann Ambrosius was director of musical
services for the city.
The family hosted numerous musical concerts in their
home. His father playing violin or trumpet while his
uncles played the keyboard or organ.
With in few months and by the age 10 , both Bach parent
died and he moved in with his older brother.
Johann Christoph was a organist in near by town,
Ohrudf.
Bach sang in school choir and studied the organ taught
by his other brother.
 While living with his brother, Bach contributed
towards family finances by earning money during
singing.
 After 4 years, Bach moved to Luneburg to advance
studies and spent great deal time listening to a variety
of music. Thus allowing to learn diversity of musical
styles on both sacred and theatrical.
 At 18, Bach astounded audiences and received a
position as organist.
He was nitrous for modifying the traditional Lutheran
hymns
Organists Contract: Salary which included room and board, automatic deduction for
hospital, church offerings and local taxes. Responsibility included: play for church on
Sunday, play choir practice on Monday and thrusday, take proper care for instruments also
preparation of church music involving choir members and instrumental mentalists.
 At 20, Bach went to study with Danish organist.
Bach was approved for 1 month although he spent 4
months, once returned he was reprimanded.
 Earlier picture of Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach moved to Muhlausen, obtaining Organist position
in June that same year.
 Bach married Maria Barbara Bach, having the
ceremony on Oct. 17 1707.
 Bach developed interest with composing vocal music.
At 22, Bach first cantatas was performed on Feb. 4
1708.
 After 1 year of Organist position, Bach’s great
reputation grew him ambitious to find something
more satisficing. Bach although keep a good working/
personal relationships with the pastor of the church.
 In Weimar, Bach completed numerous jobs
-Organist/ member of orchestra
-making various organ transcriptions of Italian
material
Bach combined earlier style with northern German/
French influences making unique and new development
in music.
1713, Bach preformed organ concerts, preformed cantatas and
was notorious for locking himself in room to write cantatas.
 Bach by 1714, had numerous children. Throughout
Bach life, he pushed for the improvement of organs.
 Bach dramatically changed positions by abruptly
stopping productions of cantatas.
 Although, great impression on Leopold von Anhalt-
Kothen, Bach received new position.
 Bach previous employer refused to let him leave,
instead arrested Bach for a month prior to leaving.
Bach received “without honor” discharge
 Work in Weimar: great number of cantatas, most
major organ compositions, started harpsichord
compositions
Bach
Family
 In Kothen 1717-1723
Started new position, Kapellmeister
-Bach wrote lots of chamber music
-Bach wife died and buried on July 7 which left
4 children to fend for.
-Bach remarried co-worker, Anna Magdalena
on December 3 1721
-Bach received position to become successor of
Leipzig cantor.
-Bach continue to look for position that
allowed connections for educational needs for his
children.
 In Leipzig 1723-1750
 Bach audition for a Saint Thomas school positions and on may 5
1723 signed a contract.
It is believed by some, “Bach's cantata in the 1720s is one of the most
astonishing creative explosions in the history of Western music, even
if one considers that Baroque composers were extremely productive in
general.” work cited #3
 Bach job required to teach Italian to schoolboys and train the
singers. Bach was dissatisfied and his pay was lower than other
positions. His family situation was not any better at this time in his
life neither.
 On the side, Bach participated as director of music society. This
allow Bach to make more concert music and cantatas
Being seen as the beginning of bourgeois concert life was when the
two music societies merged into one; (Becoming the basis of the
later Gewandhaus orchestra tradition).
Bach performed his own harpsichord concertos at regular
performances.
Bach composed a small number of church cantatas and oratorios,
in 1735 his production slowed down to almost halt. The production
of secular cantatas went on till at least 1742.
Most of these cantatas were homage cantatas for important
persons or works for festive occasions (created by Bach on
demand).
 Bach really had become a dealer of books and music and he even occupied
himself with the rental of musical instruments. In the 1740s, he also sold
Silbermann fortepianos
 Bach had been appointed court Chapel mister and composer in Dresden in
1736

Bach put only minimal energy into his cantor function and withdrew more
and more to devote himself to projects of his own choice, particularly his
instrumental monothematic cyclic works
 Bach began a family genealogy, which traced the family tradition back to 16th
century. People believe Bach during these years was very evident selfconsciousness and a growing concern about his position in history. His work
during this time assists that belief. Bach had been publishing his keyboard
partitas since 1726, and in 1731.
 Photo of
Bach in
Later years
 Bach became the center of a circle of a growing number of
students leading to a kind of historical reflection. Bach was
attacked in 1737 and accused of an old-fashioned,
unnatural and overly learned style of composition. In spite
of this, Bach clearly underwent a certain influence of the
new style in his later works.
 Bach finished his great B Minor Mass in 1749.
More Likely, he was not active in his function as cantor
 Bach was practically blind due to cataracts at the end of his
life. Early in 1750, he was hit by a stroke. He died on July 28,
1750. According to recent medical interpretations of Bach's
symptoms in the last period of his life, he probably suffered
and died from diabetes mellitus.
 Map of Bach travels and copy of Bach concert brochure.
Schweigh stille, plaudert nicht (aka Coffee Cantata) was a secular cantata written by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Even though it is classified as a cantatas; many believe it to be a mini comic
opera. It was written within 1732-1734 in Leipzig; at this time Bach was heavily involved with
directing the Leipzig’s Collegium Musicums. The Collegium Musicum was a voluntary
society of university students and professional musicians that gave weekly concerts outside
the church. Bach story involving Collegium Musicum is closely related to Leipzig coffeehouse owned by Gottfried Zimmermann; each concert was performed on his property.
During the cold months-the group played on Friday nights in the coffee house and during
warm weather-the group played on Wednesday afternoons in the coffee house garden.
Zimmermann was not just a coffee house owner; he also enjoyed music and believed to be a
musician himself.
Coffee was recently introduced at that time and was a new craze. The cantata is fun and light
with easily assumptions that Bach making fun of coffee drinkers and critics. Within the
music, you would hear a bubbling solo flue joined with strings and continuo. The cantatas
was written in G major and has 10 movements. The original text was in German and average
time length of the cantatas is 27 minutes. The cantatas consist of a trio of soloists: narrator
whose is a tenor, daughter (Lieschen) is a soprano and father (Schlendrian) is a bass. The
background instruments are the string orchestra consisting: transverse flute, 2 violins, viola
and harpsichord continuo. The cantatas plot involves a rebellious daughter’s love for coffee
and the father’s disgust of the “evil drink”. The extents the father goes to insure his daughter
does not drink coffee is very amusing.
Thomas Crawford, Music Director and Founder: American Classical Orchestra
1.Recitativo – Tenor
0:00- Tenor recitativo secco begins
Listen closely awful world,
Emphasis on world
Just listen to what has accrued:
Emphasis on listen and accrued, plucking implying steeping starting 0:13, 0:17 and 0:24.
here comes Herr Schlendrian
with his daughter Lieschen;
he's growling like a honey bear. Emphasis on growls, plucking of bass continuo 0:28
Let’s hear, what she has done to him! Emphasis on words “hear” “done” “him”
2. Aria (bass) Recitative – string including: violin, viola and basses beginning at 0:47 major 12 beats
1:04 Vocal start
Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern
Hunderttausend Hudelei!
1:10 Instrumental intro involving all orchestra excluding flute
1:15 vocal begins restarting with Hat man…
1:32 instrumental solo
1:42 vocal begins with lines written below
Was ich immer alle Tage
Meiner Tochter Liesgen sage,
Gehet ohne Frucht vorbei.
1:50 instrumental solo
1:55 vocal repeats with Was ich…
2:05 small instrumental solo
2:12 vocal start with Was ich… revised
2:39 instrumental solo
2:44 Aria Recitative solo
2:49 instrumental
3:00 Aria Recitative solo beginning Hat man…
3:19 instrumental only
3:33 Fade out
3. Recitative Bass and Soprano
3:39 You knotty child, you teenaged ingrate
Would you ever mind my word. Give up this coffee craze.
Soprano
3:55 My papa, please don’t be so cross
Unless I have a nice cup of coffee morning, noon and night
I’d soon looks so truly awful like a dried up Billy goat.
4:15 organ keys playing while father walks out
4. Aria Recitative- Soprano solo
4:23 instrumental intro with flute accompaniment with basso continuo
4:54 Soprano recitative starts
Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße,
Lieblicher als tausend Küsse,
Milder als Muskatenwein.
Coffee, Coffee muß ich haben,
Und wenn jemand mich will laben,
Ach, so schenkt mir Coffee ein!
5:45 Instrumental solo emphasis on flute
5:58 Soprano recitative restarts coffee, coffee…
6:36 Soprano recitative restarts coffee, coffee… revised
7:11 instrumental
7:24 Soprano recitative from beginning of text, 7: 52 pause of instruments and solo until 7:53
7:53 restart recitative solo
8:29 instrumental solo with emphasis on range of flute (incline and decline) until fades out on 9:00.
5. Recitative - Bass, Soprano
9:15 If I see coffee in this house, you won’t be going to any party. You can just stay at home
Soprano
9:25 but coffee is now here to stay
Bass
9:31 you annoying little brat, that stylish dress that you just bought, you might as well return it.
Soprano
9:40 I could easily return it
Bass
9:44 you can’t stand before the window, to see the people walking by
Soprano
9:50 no matter, still I beg you. Please let me keep my coffee.
Bass
10:00 You may be sure that I withhold that silver broach and lay with gold, that fancy knitted sweater
Soprano
10:10 that’s fine, for coffee is much better
Bass
10:13 you knotty lizzy, you give up all I give you to you
10:20 Pause in the music and allowing daughter to step away
6. Aria Recitative- Bass
10:35 instrumental begins with bass continuo
10:48 solo begins
Mädchen, die von harten Sinnen,
Sind nicht leichte zu gewinnen.
10:59 small vocal break
11:05 vocal restart beginning with Mudchen… revised
11:44 instrumental solo
11:52 Bass recitative solo beginning with written below
Doch trifft man den rechten Ort,
O! so kömmt man glücklich fort
 Bach, Great Composers. Producer and director: James
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Runcie. Kultur international films, ltd. Motion picture
Jan Koster and Jan Hanford. “J. S. Bach home page”.
1995-2012. http//:www.jsback.org
Catucci, Stefano. Bach and Baroque music.
Hauppauge, NY 1998
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-PRCv7SfM
http://www.afactor.net/kitchen/coffee/kaffeeKantate.
html
http://www.good-musicguide.com/reviews/044lyrics.htm#english