What is the best Bach biography?

What is the best Bach biography?

Bach By Malcolm Boyd Oxford University Press (first pub: J.M. Dent, 1983, 2nd edition 1990, reprinted by OUP 1995) (The Master Musicians series) ISBN: 0198164661 (OUP 1995 edition) Along with Wolff’s more recent and weightier study, probably the best single-volume biography of Bach in English (and a measure of its …

When did Bach become famous?

Johann Sebastian Bach had a prestigious musical lineage and took on various organist positions during the early 18th century, creating famous compositions like “Toccata and Fugue in D minor.” Some of his best-known compositions are the “Mass in B Minor,” the “Brandenburg Concertos” and “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” Bach …

What happened when Bach asked to be released from his post?

Through the help of Duke Ernst August, Bach was introduced to the Court of Anhalt-Cöthen, and as a result he was offered the post of Capellmeister, which he accepted. This infuriated the Duke of Weimar, so that when Bach put in a polite request for his release, he was arrested and put in the local jail.

What was the most important book in Bach’s life?

Among the biographical and critical works on Bach, the most important was the monumental study Johann Sebastian Bach, 2 vol. (1873–80), by the German musicologist Philipp Spitta, covering not only Bach’s life and works but also a good deal of the historical background.

What was Bach’s nationality?

Roman
Johann Sebastian Bach/Nationality

What did Bach do at Leipzig?

As Thomaskantor and music director of the city of Leipzig, Bach was responsible for the music performances in the Leipzig churches. He composed most of the pieces himself, with older members of the St. Thomas Choir assisting him in finishing the vocal performance parts and during rehearsals.

What was Bach’s greatest piece?

Here is some of his best music.

  • Concerto for Two Violins.
  • The Well-Tempered Clavier.
  • “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” from Cantata BWV 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.
  • Six Suites for Solo Cello.
  • Brandenburg Concertos.
  • Mass in B minor.
  • Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
  • Christmas Oratorio.

What is one of Bach’s best known choral works?

Perhaps the best-known and best-loved of Bach’s cantatas are Wachet auf and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (the latter containing the time-honoured chorale often performed in English as ‘Jesu, joy of man’s desiring’).

Where did Bach live as a child?

Born on March 31, 1685 (N.S.), in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, Johann Sebastian Bach had a prestigious musical lineage and took on various organist positions during the early 18th century, creating famous compositions like “Toccata and Fugue in D minor.”.

Did Bach ever perform his Complete Works during his lifetime?

The complete work was not performed during his lifetime. By 1740, Bach was struggling with his eyesight, but he continued to work despite his vision problems. He was even well enough to travel and perform, visiting Frederick the Great, the king of Prussia in 1747.

Who wrote the obituary of Sebastian Bach?

Emanuel Bach and the organist-composer Johann Friedrich Agricola (a pupil of Sebastian’s) wrote an obituary; Mizler added a few closing words and published the result in the journal of his society (1754). There is an English translation of it in The Bach Reader.

What type of music did Bach write in the Baroque era?

His compositions represent the best of the Baroque era. What did Johann Sebastian Bach compose? Johann Sebastian Bach composed over 1,000 pieces of music. Some of his most famous work included the Brandenburg Concertos , The Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Mass in B Minor.

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