SALLY MORRIS: BACH IN A FEW MINUTES
Today we celebrate the birth of one of the pillars of Western music - Johann Sebastian Bach, born March 21, 1685, in Eisenach in what is now Germany. The child of a musical family, his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who likely taught him to play the violin and harpsichord, was director of the town’s musicians. J.S. Bach was the youngest of eight children. When he was 10, his parents both died a few months apart, and he went to live with an older brother, Johann Christoph Bach, a church organist. While with him he studied, performed and copied music. From his brother he learned to appreciate the music of other great composers of the era - Pachelbel, Lully, Frescobaldi and others. He studied Greek, Latin, French and Italian as well as theology.
In 1700, at age 15, he became a student at Luneburg, where he had the opportunity to play the famous organ at St. John’s Church. At Luneburg Bach was known as a talented and studious young man, applying himself to the works of Reincken and Buxtehude, among others, writing out organ tablatures of their works. Upon graduation, despite being turned down for the post as organist at Sangerhausen, Bach took a position as court musician with Duke Johann Ernst of Weimar, where he distinguished himself in performance as a keyboardist.
Not all of his employment went smoothly. He got into trouble over his high demands of musicians and dissatisfaction with some of them, one of which took out his vengeance on Bach by attacking him with a stick. The student was reprimanded and Bach was ordered to be less demanding. He further created problems by stretching a four-week leave into four months. He’d gone to visit Buxtehude some distance away, a lengthy trip by foot.
In 1706 he obtained a position as organist at Blasius Church in Muhlhausen. Shortly thereafter he married a second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach. Here he wrote both secular and religious cantatas.
In 1708, Bach returned to Weimar. Here he began to work intensely on keyboard as well as orchestral composition. His work began to be influenced by Italian masters - Corelli, Vivaldi and Torelli. His transcriptions for organ and harpsichord of Vivaldi’s works are still performed. He particularly appreciated the Italian manner of alternating solo and ensemble sections within a movement. It was during this time that he also began work on his “Well-Tempered Clavier”, preludes and fugues in all of the major and minor keys.
Things did not end well in Weimar. In fact, Bach spent some time in the local hoosgow due to a dispute about his dismissal. What turned up next was an appointment to the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Kothen, whose Calvinist beliefs precluded the focus on church music. Bach used his time at the court to write secular music - cello and orchestral suites, violin sonatas and partitas, and, among other masterpieces, the Brandenburg Concertos. He became interested in dance music and other secular music.
His wife died suddenly in 1720 during a time when he was away with Prince Leopold. Their 13-year marriage produced four surviving children, a daughter, Catharina Dorothea, and three sons, Wilhelm Friedmann, Carl Phillip Emanuel and Johann Gotttfried Bernhard. In December of 1721 he married Anna Magdalena Wilcke. Together they had 13 children, of whom 6 survived, including Johann Christian and Johann Christoph Friedrich, both successful composers and musicians. Bach’s last 27 years were spent in Leipzig, providing music for the churches there.
In or around 1749, Bach’s health declined and he suffered blindness. He underwent two surgeries to attempt to restore his vision, the last of which ended in complications from which he died, July 28, 1750. It is an interesting side note that although Bach and Handel were contemporaries and were from the same region, they never met. Bach had attempted to visit him but Handel was away from his homeland at the time. It would have been an interesting and potentially significant meeting. He was at the top of his profession throughout his lifetime; today he is considered a genius whose phenomenal contributions to composition have remained an inspiration to masters ever since. He broke new ground with his innovative harmonies. His output was enormous - too great to do justice to here, but following is a selection of a few favorites. You, perhaps, might share your own!
Prelude from 1st Cello Suite (Tatyana Ryzhkova, guitar): https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+-+tatyana+ryzhkova+-+air+on+the+g+string&pc=cosp&ptag=G6C1N1234D090118A98C4AF66BD&conlogo=CT3210127&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dyoutube%2520-%2520tatyana%2520ryzhkova%2520-%2520air%2520on%2520the%2520g%2520string%26pc%3dcosp%26ptag%3dG6C1N1234D090118A98C4AF66BD%26form%3dCONBDF%
Four Lute Suites (Paul Vondziano, guitar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Rr70mqj8Q
Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 (Freiburger Barockorchestra): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw2dlZ8V4-0
Partita in A Minor (BWV 1013) - (Ana Vidovic, guitar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-eLSTqOiU&list=TLPQMjEwMzIwMjHU6nJSuDKKLg&index=4
Cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Van Veldhoven Netherlands Bach Society): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqZE54i-muE
Toccata and Fugue (Xavier Varnus in the Berliner Dom): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNLdHe8uxY
Partita in C minor (Evangelina Mascardi on baroque lute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JYjcwW9MmM
Cello Suite in G (Mischa Maisky): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQLXRTl3Z0
Concerto for 2 violins, b minor: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+-+bach+violin&&view=detail&mid=F0426C3F28EB73AD306CF0426C3F28EB73ADC&&FORM=VDRVRV
Air on a G String (Andre Rieu): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOPGJ0RJ2Vk
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