Where and when was Bach born? Johann Sebastian Bach - a short biography of the composer. Bach Johann Sebastian. Biography: additional talents

Bach Johann Sebastian (March 31 (21), 1685, Eisenach - July 28, 1750, Leipzig), German composer, organist, harpsichordist. The philosophical depth of content and high ethical meaning of Bach's works placed his work among the masterpieces of world culture. Johann Bach summarized the achievements of the musical art of the transition period from Baroque to Classicism. Bach is an unsurpassed master of polyphony. The composer's works: "The Well-Tempered Clavier" (1722-44), Mass in B minor (c. 1747-49), "St. John Passion" (1724), "St. Matthew Passion" (1727 or 1729), St. 200 sacred and secular cantatas, instrumental concerts, numerous works for organ, etc.

Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child in the family of the violinist Johann Ambrose Bach, and his future was predetermined. All the Bachs who lived in the Thuringian mountains, with early XVI V. were flutists, trumpeters, organists, violinists, and bandmasters. Their musical talent was passed down from generation to generation. When Johann Sebastian turned five, his father gave him a violin. He quickly learned to play it, and music filled his whole life. The nature that surrounded him hometown Eisenach sang in all voices, and the little violinist tried to reproduce her sounds. His happy childhood ended early, when the future composer turned 9 years old. First his mother died, and a year later his father died. The boy was taken in by his older brother, who served as an organist in a neighboring town. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium - his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. But performance alone was not enough for the boy - he was drawn to creativity. One day he managed to extract from a always locked closet a treasured music notebook, where his brother had written down the works of famous composers of that time. At night he secretly rewrote it. When the six-month work was already nearing completion, his brother caught him doing this and took away everything that had already been done... These sleepless hours in the moonlight would have a detrimental effect on J. S. Bach's vision in the future.

At 15, Bach moved to Luneberg, where in 1700-1703. Studied at the church choir school. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lubeck to get acquainted with creativity famous musicians of its time, new French music. Bach's first compositional experiments - works for organ and clavier - date back to the same years.

After graduation, Bach was busy looking for a job that would provide his daily bread and leave time for creativity. From 1703 to 1708 he served in Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen. In 1707 he married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach. His creative interests were then focused mainly on music for organ and clavier. The most famous composition of that time is “Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother.”

Having received the position of court musician from the Duke of Weimar in 1708, Bach settled in Weimar, where he spent 9 years. These years in Bach's biography became a time of intense creativity, in which the main place belonged to works for the organ, including numerous chorale preludes, organ toccata and fugue in D minor, passacaglia in C minor. The composer wrote music for the clavier and spiritual cantatas (more than 20). Using traditional forms, Johann Bach brought them to the highest perfection.

In Weimar, Bach had sons, the future famous composers Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel.

But the cloudless period of Bach's life was cut short in 1720: his wife dies, leaving four young children.

In 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilken for the second time. In 1723, his “Passion according to John” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and soon Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously performing the duties of a teacher of the church school (Latin and singing).

In Leipzig (1723-50), Bach became the “musical director” of all the churches in the city, overseeing the personnel of musicians and singers, overseeing their training, assigning works required for performance, and doing much more. Unable to be cunning and skimpy and not being able to perform everything in good faith, the composer repeatedly found himself in conflict situations that darkened his life and distracted him from his work. By that time, the composer had reached the heights of his mastery and created magnificent examples in various genres. First of all, this is sacred music: cantatas (about two hundred have survived), "Magnificat" (1723), masses (including the immortal "High Mass" in B minor, 1733), "Matthew Passion" (1729), dozens of secular cantatas (among them the comic "Coffee Room" and "Peasant Room"), works for organ, orchestra, harpsichord (among the latter, it is necessary to highlight the cycle "Aria with 30 variations", the so-called "Goldberg Variations", 1742). In 1747, Bach created a cycle of plays, “Musical Offerings,” dedicated to the Prussian king Frederick II. The last work was a work called “The Art of Fugue” (1749-50) - 14 fugues and 4 canons on one theme.

The solemn funeral caused a huge gathering of people from different places. The composer was buried near the Church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, later a road was built through the territory of the cemetery, and the grave was lost. It was only in 1894 that Bach's remains were accidentally found during construction work, then the reburial took place.

The fate of his legacy also turned out to be difficult. During his lifetime, Bach enjoyed fame. However, after the death of the composer, Bach's name and music began to fall into oblivion. Genuine interest in his work arose only in the 1820s, which began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829 (organized by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). In 1850, the Bach Society was created, which sought to identify and publish all the composer’s manuscripts (46 volumes were published over half a century).

Bach is a major figure in world musical culture. His work represents one of the peaks philosophical thought in music. Freely crossing features not only of different genres, but also of national schools, Bach created immortal masterpieces that stand above time. Being the last (along with G. F. Handel) great composer of the Baroque era, Bach at the same time paved the way for the music of modern times. Among the continuers of Bach's quest are his sons. In total he had 20 children, only nine of them survived their father. Four sons became composers. In addition to those mentioned above - Johann Christian (1735-82), Johann Christoph (1732-95).

Composer Bach - biography.
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After the death of his father (his mother had died earlier), he was taken into the family of his older brother Johann Christoph, who served as a church organist at St. Michaeliskirche in Ohrdruf. In 1700-03. Studied at the church choir school in Lüneburg. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lubeck to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time and new French music. Bach's first compositional experiments - works for organ and clavier - date back to the same years.

Years of wanderings (1703-08)

Weimar period (1708-17)

Having received the position of court musician from the Duke of Weimar in 1708, Bach settled in Weimar, where he spent 9 years. These years became a time of intense creativity, in which the main place belonged to works for the organ, including numerous chorale preludes, organ toccata and fugue in D minor, passacaglia in C minor. The composer wrote music for the clavier and spiritual cantatas (more than 20). Using traditional forms, he brought them to the highest perfection. In Weimar, Bach had sons, the future famous composers Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel.

Service in Köthen (1717-23)

In 1717, Bach accepted an invitation to the service of Duke Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. Life in Köthen was at first the happiest time in the composer’s life: the prince, an enlightened man for his time and a good musician, appreciated Bach and did not interfere with his work, inviting him on his trips. In Köthen, three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, and six Brandenburg concertos for orchestra were written. Of particular interest is the collection “The Well-Tempered Clavier” - 24 preludes and fugues, written in all keys and in practice proving the advantages of the tempered musical system, the approval of which was hotly debated. Subsequently, Bach created the second volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, also consisting of 24 preludes and fugues in all keys. But the cloudless period of Bach's life was cut short in 1720: his wife dies, leaving four young children. In 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilken for the second time. In 1723, his “Passion according to John” was performed in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and soon Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously performing the duties of a teacher of the church school (Latin and singing).

In Leipzig (1723-50)

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Bach becomes the “musical director” of all the churches in the city, overseeing the personnel of musicians and singers, overseeing their training, assigning works required for performance, and doing much more. Unable to be cunning and skimpy and not being able to perform everything in good faith, the composer repeatedly found himself in conflict situations that darkened his life and distracted him from his work. By that time the artist had reached the heights of his skill and created magnificent examples in various genres. First of all, this is sacred music: cantatas (about two hundred have survived), “Magnificat” (1723), masses (including the immortal “High Mass” in B minor, 1733), “Matthew Passion” (1729), dozens of secular cantatas (among them the comic “Coffee Room” and “Peasant Room”), works for organ, orchestra, harpsichord (among the latter, it is necessary to highlight the cycle “Aria with 30 variations”, the so-called “Goldberg Variations”, 1742). In 1747, Bach created a cycle of plays, “Musical Offerings,” dedicated to the Prussian king Frederick II. The last work was a work called “The Art of Fugue” (1749-50) - 14 fugues and 4 canons on one theme.

The fate of the creative heritage

At the end of the 1740s, Bach's health deteriorated, and he was particularly concerned about the sudden loss of his vision. Two unsuccessful cataract surgeries resulted in complete blindness. Ten days before his death, Bach unexpectedly regained his sight, but then he suffered a stroke that brought him to his grave. The solemn funeral caused a huge gathering of people from different places. The composer was buried near the Church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, later a road was built through the territory of the cemetery, and the grave was lost. It was only in 1894 that Bach’s remains were accidentally found during construction work, and then the reburial took place. The fate of his legacy also turned out to be difficult. During his lifetime, Bach enjoyed fame. However, after the death of the composer, his name and music began to fall into oblivion. Genuine interest in his work arose only in the 1820s, which began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829 (organized by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). In 1850, the Bach Society was created, which sought to identify and publish all the composer’s manuscripts (46 volumes were published over half a century).

Bach is a major figure in world musical culture. His work represents one of the pinnacles of philosophical thought in music. Freely crossing features not only of different genres, but also of national schools, Bach created immortal masterpieces that stand above time. Being the last (along with G. F. Handel) great composer of the Baroque era, Bach at the same time paved the way for the music of modern times.

Among the continuers of Bach's quest are his sons. In total, he had 20 children: seven from his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach (1684 - 1720), and 13 from his second, Anna Magdalena Wilken (1701 - 1760), only nine of them survived their father. Four sons became composers. In addition to those mentioned above - Johann Christian (1735-82), Johann Christoph (1732-95).

German composer, virtuoso organist, bandmaster, music teacher

short biography

Johann Sebastian Bach(German Johann Sebastian Bach; March 31, 1685, Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach - July 28, 1750 [NS], Leipzig, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire) - German composer, virtuoso organist, bandmaster, music teacher.

Bach - author of more than 1000 musical works in all significant genres of his time (except opera). Bach's creative heritage is interpreted as a generalization of the musical art of the Baroque. A staunch Protestant, Bach wrote a lot of sacred music. His St. Matthew Passion, Mass in b-minor, cantatas, instrumental arrangements of Protestant chorales are recognized masterpieces of the world musical classics. Bach is known as Great master polyphony, in his work baroque polyphony reached its peak.

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest, eighth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many of Johann Sebastian's ancestors and relatives were professional musicians. During this period, the Church, local authorities and the aristocracy supported musicians, especially in Thuringia and Saxony. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. At this time the city had about 6,000 inhabitants. Johannes Ambrosius's work included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father died. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in nearby Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. While studying in Ohrdruf under the guidance of his brother, Bach became acquainted with the work of contemporary South German composers - Pachelbel, Froberger and others. It is also possible that he became acquainted with the works of composers from Northern Germany and France.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where from 1700-1703 he studied at the St. Michael's vocal school. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music) and Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time. Bach's first works for organ and clavier date back to the same years. In addition to singing in the choir, Bach probably played the school's three-manual organ and the harpsichord. Here he received his first knowledge of theology, Latin, history, geography and physics, and may also have begun to learn French and Italian. At school, Bach had the opportunity to communicate with the sons of famous North German aristocrats and famous organists, most notably Georg Böhm in Lüneburg and Reincken in Hamburg. With their help, Johann Sebastian may have had access to the largest instruments he had ever played. During this period, Bach expanded his knowledge of the composers of the era, most notably Dietrich Buxtehude, whom he greatly respected.

Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708)

In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received the position of court musician to the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties included, but most likely this position was not related to performing activities. During his seven months of service in Weimar, his fame as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the position of organ caretaker at the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties to this oldest German city.

In August 1703, Bach took up the post of organist of the Church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt. He had to work three days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was maintained in good condition and was tuned according to a new system that expanded the capabilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works.

Family connections and an employer passionate about music could not prevent tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities that arose several years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706, Bach left without permission for several months in Lübeck, where he became acquainted with Buxtehude's playing, which displeased the authorities. Bach's first biographer Forkel writes that Johann Sebastian walked 50 km to listen to the outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.

In addition, the authorities accused Bach of “strange choral accompaniment” that confused the community, and of inability to manage the choir; the latter accusation apparently had some basis.

In 1706, Bach decides to change his job. He was offered a more profitable and high position organist at the Church of St. Blaise in Mühlhausen, big city In the north of the country. IN next year Bach accepted this offer, taking the place of organist Johann Georg Ale. His salary was increased compared to the previous one, and the standard of the singers was better.

Four months later, on October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara from Arnstadt. They subsequently had seven children, three of whom died in childhood. Two of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They without hesitation approved his expensive plan for the restoration of the church organ, and for the publication of the festive cantata “The Lord is my King,” BWV 71 (this was the only cantata printed during Bach’s lifetime), written for the inauguration of the new consul, he was given a large reward.

Weimar (1708-1717)

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time receiving the position of court organist and concert organizer - a much higher position than his previous position - in Weimar. Probably, the factors that forced him to change jobs were the high salary and a well-selected line-up of professional musicians. The Bach family settled in a house just a five-minute walk from the Ducal Palace. The following year, the first child in the family was born. At the same time, Maria Barbara's older unmarried sister moved in with the Bahamas and helped them run the household until her death in 1729. Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel were born to Bach in Weimar. In 1704, Bach met the violinist von Westhoff, who had a great influence on Bach's work. Von Westhof's works inspired Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin.

In Weimar, a long period of composing keyboard and orchestral works began, in which Bach's talent reached its peak. During this period, Bach absorbed musical trends from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach how to write dramatic introductions, from which Bach learned the art of using dynamic rhythms and decisive harmonic patterns. Bach studied the works of Italian composers well, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi concertos for organ or harpsichord. He could have borrowed the idea of writing transcriptions from the son of his employer, Hereditary Duke Johann Ernst, a composer and musician. In 1713 the crown duke returned from foreign trip and brought with him a large number of notes, which he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the Crown Duke (and, as can be seen from some works, Bach himself) was attracted by the alternation of solo (playing one instrument) and tutti (playing the entire orchestra).

In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the Ducal Orchestra. While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the “Organ Book,” a collection of organ chorale preludes, possibly for the teaching of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of arrangements of Lutheran chorales.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist and harpsichordist. The episode with Marchand dates back to this time. In 1717, the famous French musician Louis Marchand arrived in Dresden. Dresden accompanist Volumier decided to invite Bach and arrange a musical competition between two famous harpsichordists, Bach and Marchand agreed. However, on the day of the competition it turned out that Marchand (who, apparently, had previously had the opportunity to listen to Bach play) hastily and secretly left the city; the competition did not take place, and Bach had to play alone.

Köthen (1717-1723)

After some time, Bach again went in search of a more suitable job. The old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717 he was even arrested for constantly asking for his resignation, but on December 2 he was released “with disgrace.”

Palace and gardens in Köthen, engraving from the book "Topography" Matthaus Merian, 1650

At the end of 1717, Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as conductor. The prince - himself a musician - appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and provided him with great freedom of action. However, the prince was a Calvinist and did not welcome the use of refined music in worship, so most of Bach's Köthen works were secular.

Among other things, in Köthen, Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. Also during this period, The Well-Tempered Clavier (the first volume of the cycle) and the Brandenburg Concertos were written.

Violin Sonata in G minor(BWV 1001), Bach manuscript

On July 7, 1720, while Bach and the prince were abroad in Carlsbad, his wife Maria Barbara suddenly died at the age of 35, leaving four young children. J. S. Bach learned about her funeral upon his return to Köthen. He actually expressed his feelings in connection with the death of his wife in musical form in the chaconne from the partita in D minor for solo violin, which later became one of his most recognizable works.

The following year, 1721, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a young twenty-year-old highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721, and subsequently had 13 children (of whom 7 died in childhood).

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723, the performance of his “St. John Passion” took place in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the post of cantor of the St. Thomas Choir and at the same time performed the duties of a teacher at the church school, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and conducting weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Johann Sebastian's position also included teaching Latin, but he was allowed to hire an assistant to do this work for him, so Pezold taught Latin for 50 thalers a year. Bach received the position music director" (German: Musikdirektor) of all churches in the city: his duties included selecting performers, supervising their training and choosing music for performance. While working in Leipzig, the composer repeatedly came into conflict with the city administration.

The first six years of his life in Leipzig turned out to be very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas (two of them, in all likelihood, were lost). Most of these works were written on gospel texts, which were read in the Lutheran church every Sunday and on holidays throughout the year; many (such as “Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme" or "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church hymns- Lutheran chorales.

During the performance, Bach apparently sat at the harpsichord or stood in front of the choir in the lower gallery under the organ; on the side gallery to the right of the organ were located wind instruments and timpani, with strings on the left. The city council provided Bach with only about 8 performers, and this often became the cause of disputes between the composer and the administration: Bach had to hire up to 20 musicians himself to perform orchestral works. The composer himself usually played the organ or harpsichord; if he led the choir, then this place was occupied by a full-time organist or one of Bach's eldest sons.

Bach recruited sopranos and altos from boys students, and tenors and basses - not only from school, but also from all over Leipzig. In addition to regular concerts paid for by the city authorities, Bach and his choir earned extra money by performing at weddings and funerals. Presumably, at least 6 motets were written precisely for these purposes. Part of his regular work in the church was to perform motets by composers Venetian school, as well as some Germans, for example, Schutz; When composing his motets, Bach was guided by the works of these composers.

Composing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach amassed an extensive repertoire for performance in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to write and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the College of Music ( Collegium Musicum) - a secular ensemble that has existed since 1701, when it was founded old friend Bach Georg Philipp Telemann. At that time, in many large German cities, gifted and active university students created similar ensembles. Such associations played an increasingly important role in public life. musical life; they were often led by famous professional musicians. For most of the year, the College of Music held two-hour concerts twice a week at Zimmerman's Coffee House, located near the market square. The owner of the coffee shop provided the musicians with Big hall and purchased several tools. Many of secular works Bach, dating from the 1730s to the 1750s, were composed specifically for performance in Zimmermann's coffee house. Such works include, for example, “Coffee Cantata” and, possibly, keyboard pieces from the collections "Clavier-Übung", as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

During the same period, Bach wrote parts Kyrie And Gloria the famous Mass in B minor (the rest of the Mass was written much later). Soon Bach achieved appointment to the post of court composer; Apparently, he sought this high post for a long time, which was a strong argument in his disputes with the city authorities. Although the entire mass was never performed during the composer's lifetime, it is today considered by many to be one of the best choral works of all time.

In 1747, Bach visited the court of the Prussian king Frederick II, where the king offered him musical theme and asked me to immediately compose something for it. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-part fugue. Later he composed a whole cycle of variations on this theme and sent it as a gift to the king. The cycle consisted of ricercars, canons and trios, based on a theme dictated by Frederick. This cycle was called the "Musical Offering".

Another major cycle, “The Art of Fugue,” was not completed by Bach, despite the fact that it was most likely written long before his death (according to modern research, before 1741). During his lifetime he was never published. The cycle consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on one simple theme. In this cycle, Bach used all his rich experience in writing polyphonic works. After Bach's death, The Art of Fugue was published by his sons, along with the chorale prelude BWV 668, which is often erroneously described as Bach's last work - in fact it exists in at least two versions and is a reworking of an earlier prelude to the same melody, BWV 641 .

Over time, Bach's vision became worse and worse. Nevertheless, he continued to compose music, dictating it to his son-in-law Altnikkol. In 1750, the English ophthalmologist John Taylor, whom many modern researchers consider a charlatan, came to Leipzig. Taylor operated on Bach twice, but both operations were unsuccessful and Bach was left blind. On July 18, he unexpectedly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he suffered a stroke. Bach died on July 28; it is possible that the cause of death was complications after surgery. His estate was valued at more than 1,000 thalers and included 5 harpsichords, 2 lute harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, as well as 52 sacred books.

Tomb of Johann Sebastian Bach in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, Germany. August 9, 2011.

During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. In Leipzig, Bach maintained friendly relations with university professors. Particularly fruitful was the collaboration with the poet Christian Friedrich Henrici, who wrote under the pseudonym Picander. Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena often hosted friends, family members and musicians from all over Germany in their home. Frequent guests were court musicians from Dresden, Berlin and other cities, including Telemann, godfather of Carl Philipp Emmanuel. It is interesting that George Frideric Handel, the same age as Bach from Halle, 50 km from Leipzig, never met Bach, although Bach tried to meet him twice in his life - in 1719 and 1729. The fates of these two composers, however, were linked by John Taylor, who operated on both shortly before their deaths.

The composer was buried near St. John's Church (German: Johanniskirche), one of two churches where he served for 27 years. However, the grave was soon lost, and only in 1894 Bach’s remains were accidentally found during construction work to expand the church, where they were reburied in 1900. After the destruction of this church during World War II, the ashes were transferred on July 28, 1949 to the Church of St. Thomas. In 1950, which was named the year of J. S. Bach, a bronze tombstone was installed over his burial place.

Bach studies

The first description of Bach's life and work was a work published in 1802 by Johann Forkel. Forkel's biography of Bach is based on an obituary and stories from Bach's sons and friends. IN mid-19th century, the general public's interest in Bach's music increased, composers and researchers began work on collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. Honored promoter of Bach's works, Robert Franz, has published several books about the composer's work. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philip Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German organist and researcher Albert Schweitzer published a book. In this work, in addition to the biography of Bach, description and analysis of his works, much attention is paid to the description of the era in which he worked, as well as theological issues related to his music. These books were the most authoritative until the middle of the 20th century, when, with the help of new technical means and careful research, new facts about the life and work of Bach were established, which in some places contradicted traditional ideas. For example, it was established that Bach wrote some cantatas in 1724-1725 (previously it was believed that this happened in the 1740s), but no famous works, and some previously attributed to Bach turned out to be not written by him. Some facts of his biography were established. In the second half of the 20th century, many works were written on this topic - for example, books by Christoph Wolf. There is also a work called a 20th century hoax, “The Chronicle of the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, Compiled by His Widow Anna Magdalena Bach,” written by the English writer Esther Meinel on behalf of the composer’s widow.

Creation

Bach wrote more than a thousand musical works in almost all genres known at that time. Bach did not work only in the opera genre.

Today, each of the famous works is assigned a number BWV (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis- catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both sacred and secular. Some of Bach's works are adaptations of works by other composers, and some are revised versions of their own works.

Organ creativity

By the time of Bach, organ music in Germany already had long-standing traditions that had developed thanks to Bach’s predecessors - Pachelbel, Böhm, Buxtehude and other composers, each of whom influenced him in their own way. Bach knew many of them personally.

During his lifetime, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in the traditional “free” genres of that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, passacaglia, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined features of different musical styles, with whom he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced both by the music of North German composers (Georg Böhm, whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck) and by the music of South German composers. In addition, Bach copied the works of French and Italian composers in order to better understand their technique; he later transcribed several of Vivaldi's violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (1708-1714), Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes, toccatas and fugues, but also the "Orgelbüchlein" - a collection of 46 preludes, which demonstrated various methods and techniques instrumental arrangement of Protestant chorales. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for organ; however, many famous works were written after Weimar, including 6 trio sonatas, the third part of the collection “Clavier-Übung” and 18 Leipzig chorales. Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted in the construction of instruments, examined new organs and was well versed in the peculiarities of their tuning.

Keyboard creativity

Bach also wrote many works for the harpsichord, many of which could also be played on the clavichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. The most famous:

“The Well-Tempered Clavier” in two volumes, written in 1722 and 1744, is a collection, each volume of which contains 24 preludes and fugues, one for each common key. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that make it equally easy to perform music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament system. “The Well-Tempered Clavier” laid the foundation for a cycle of movements sounding in all keys. It is also a unique example of a “cycle within a cycle” - each prelude and fugue are thematically and figuratively linked to each other and form a single cycle, which is always performed together.
15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions are small works, arranged in increasing order of key characters. They were intended (and are still used to this day) for teaching how to play keyboard instruments.
English Suites and French Suites. Each collection contains 6 suites, built according to a standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional part between the last two). In English suites, the allemande is preceded by a prelude, and between the sarabande and the gigue there is exactly one movement; in French suites the number of optional parts increases, and there are no preludes.
The first and second parts of the collection “Clavier-Übung” (lit. “exercises for the clavier”). The first part (1731) included six partitas, the second (1735) included an Overture in the French style (BWV 831) and an Italian concerto (BWV 971).
Goldberg Variations (published in 1741 as the fourth part of the Clavier-Übung) - a melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. The variations are built more on the tonal plan of the theme than on the melody itself.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music for both individual instruments and ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 3 sonatas and 3 partitas for solo violin, BWV 1001-1006, 6 suites for cello, BWV 1007-1012, and partita for solo flute, BWV 1013 - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound works. In addition, Bach composed several works for solo lute. He also wrote trio sonatas, sonatas for solo flute and viola da gamba, accompanied only by a general bass, as well as a large number of canons and ricercars, mostly without specifying the instruments for performance. Most significant examples such works are the cycles “The Art of Fugue” and “Musical Offering”.

Bach wrote many works for orchestra and solo instruments. Some of the most famous are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so called because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, thought of obtaining employment at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. These six concertos are written in the genre of concerto grosso. Bach's orchestral masterpieces include two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and 1042), a concerto for 2 violins in D minor BWV 1043, the so-called "triple" concerto in A minor (for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings and basso continuo) BWV 1044 and concertos for claviers and chamber orchestra: seven for one clavier (BWV 1052-1058), three for two (BWV 1060-1062), two for three (BWV 1063 and 1064) and one - in A minor BWV 1065 - for four harpsichords. Nowadays, these concertos with orchestra are often performed on the piano, which is why they are sometimes called Bach's "piano" concertos, but it is worth remembering that in Bach's time there was no piano. In addition to the concertos, Bach composed four orchestral suites (BWV 1066-1069), individual parts of which are widely popular today, especially the last part of the Second Suite (the so-called “Joke” - an overly literal translation of the genre Scherzo) and II part of the Third Suite (“Aria”).

German postage stamp dedicated to J. S. Bach, 1961, 20 pfennigs (Scott 829)

Vocal works

Cantatas. For a long period of his life, every Sunday in the Church of St. Thomas, Bach led the performance of a cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to the Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach also performed cantatas by other composers, in Leipzig he composed at least three complete annual cycles of cantatas, one for each Sunday of the year and each religious holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which about 200 have survived to this day. Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are written for one voice, some for choir; some require a large orchestra to perform, and some require only a few instruments. However, the most commonly used model is this: the cantata opens with a solemn choral introduction, then alternates recitatives and arias for soloists or duets, and ends with a chorale. The same words from the Bible that are read this week according to the Lutheran canons are usually taken as recitative. The final chorale is often anticipated by a chorale prelude in one of the middle movements, and is also sometimes included in introductory part in the form of cantus firmus. Popular church cantatas include "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (BWV 4), "Ein' feste Burg" (BWV 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" ( BWV 147). In addition, Bach also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually dedicated to some event, for example, a wedding. Popular secular cantatas include "Coffee" (BWV 211) and "Peasant" (BWV 212).
Passions, or passions. Passion according to John (1724) and Passion according to Matthew (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on gospel theme of the Passion of Christ, intended to be performed at vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. The St. Matthew Passion (along with the Mass in b minor) is Bach's most ambitious work.
Oratorios and Magnificat. The most famous is the Christmas Oratorio (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas for performance during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and the Magnificat (1730; first edition 1723) are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and have a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions.
Masses. Bach's most famous and significant mass is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which represents full cycle Ordinary. This mass, like many of the composer’s other works, included revised early works. The Mass was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime - the first time this happened only in the 19th century. In addition, this music was not performed as intended due to its inconsistency with the Lutheran canon (which included only Kyrie And Gloria), and also because of the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, Bach wrote 4 short two-part masses ( Kyrie And Gloria), as well as individual parts ( Sanctus And Kyrie).

Bach's other vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Features of the performance of Bach's works

Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance (or "historically oriented performance"), that is, using the instruments and methods of Bach's era, and those who perform Bach on modern instruments. In Bach's time there were no such large choirs and orchestras as, for example, in the time of Brahms, and even his most ambitious works, such as the Mass in B minor and the passions, are not intended to be performed by large groups. In addition, some of Bach's chamber works do not indicate the instrumentation at all, so today very different versions of performances of the same works are known. In organ works, Bach almost never indicated the registration and change of manuals. Of the stringed keyboard instruments, Bach preferred the clavichord; Nowadays, the harpsichord or piano are more often used to perform his music. Bach met with I.G. Zilberman and discussed with him the structure of his new instrument, making a contribution to the creation of the modern piano. Bach's music for some instruments was often arranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged some organ works for piano (chorales and others). Very important milestone in pianistic and musicological practice is his popular edition of “The Well-Tempered Clavier” - perhaps the most used edition of this work today.

Numerous "lite" and "modern" versions of his works contributed to the popularization of Bach's music in the 20th century. Among them are today's well-known tunes performed by the Swingle Singers and Wendy Carlos' 1968 recording of "Switched-On Bach", which used the newly invented synthesizer. Processed Bach's music and jazz musicians- people like Jacques Lussier. The New Age arrangement of the Goldberg Variations was performed by Joel Spiegelman. Among Russian contemporary performers Fyodor Chistyakov tried to pay tribute to Bach in his solo album 1997 “When Bach wakes up.”

The fate of Bach's music

Contrary to popular myth, Bach was not forgotten after his death. True, this concerned works for the clavier: his works were performed and published, used in didactic purposes. Bach's works for organ continued to be played in the church, and organ harmonizations of chorales were in constant use. Bach's cantata-oratorio works were rarely performed (although the notes were carefully preserved in the Church of St. Thomas), as a rule, on the initiative of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach.

IN last years During Bach's life and after his death, his fame as a composer began to decline: his style was considered old-fashioned in comparison with the blossoming classicism. He was better known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father of the younger Bachs, especially Carl Philipp Emmanuel, whose music was more famous.

However, many major composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven, knew and loved the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. They were brought up on the works of Bach from childhood. One day, while visiting the School of St. Thomas, Mozart heard one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed: “There is something to learn here!” - after which, asking for the notes, he studied them for a long time and enthusiastically.

Beethoven greatly appreciated Bach's music. As a child, he played preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and later called Bach “the true father of harmony” and said that “his name is not the Brook, but the Sea” (word Bach in German it means "stream"). Bach's influence can be noted both at the level of ideas, choice of genres, and in some polyphonic fragments of Beethoven's works.

In 1800, the Berlin Singing Academy (German) was organized by Karl Friedrich Zelter ( Singakademie), the main purpose of which was precisely the promotion of Bach's singing heritage. A biography written in 1802 by Johann Nikolaus Forkel stimulated general public interest in his music. All more people discovered his music. For example, Goethe, who became acquainted with his works quite late in his life (in 1814 and 1815, some of his clavier and choral works), in a letter of 1827 compared the feeling of Bach's music with " eternal harmony in dialogue with myself."

But the real revival of Bach's music began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion on March 11, 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn, a student of Zelter. The performance gained a powerful public response. Even the rehearsals conducted by Mendelssohn became an event - they were attended by many music lovers. The performance was such a success that the concert was repeated on Bach's birthday. “The St. Matthew Passion” was also performed in other cities - Frankfurt, Dresden, Königsberg.

Johann Sebastian Bach is a great German composer, organ virtuoso, representative of the Baroque, and a talented music teacher.

Biography

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a fairly prosperous German family, in which he was the youngest of eight children. The father, Ambrosius Bach, was a musician and was responsible for the city's secular and sacred musical events. The mother, Elisabeth Lemmerhirt, was the daughter of a wealthy official who gave her daughter a considerable dowry, thanks to which the family could exist comfortably. When Johann was 9 years old, Elisabeth died, and a year later Ambrosius died after her. The boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph, who lived next door in Ohrdruf.

Education

In Ohrdruf, Bach studied at the gymnasium and was passionate about music: he learned to play the organ and clavier. In 1700, the future composer moved to Lüneburg, where he studied at a vocal school.

Creative path

After graduating from vocal school, Bach received a court position and entered the disposal of Johann Ernst, Duke of Weimar. In just a few months of work in this city, the whole of Weimar knew about Bach as an excellent performer. He was invited to work as an organist at the Arnstadt Church of St. Boniface. During this period, Bach created major organ works.

Bach did not have a good relationship with the authorities, and he was forced to change his high-paying job. However, in his new position he did not lose any of his salary. In 1707, the composer took up the position of organist in Mühlhausen, in the Church of St. Blaise. Here the authorities highly value him, satisfy his every whim (for example, subjecting the temple organ system to a very expensive reconstruction) and pay him a high salary.

However, a year later he again left for Weimar to take the place of court organist and organizer of palace concerts. The Weimar period in Bach's life (1708–1717) is considered the heyday of his work. Here he has open access to a wonderful organ and never tires of composing his musical masterpieces. He borrows a lot from Italian music (dynamic rhythms and harmonic patterns), writes most their famous fugues.

In 1717, Bach left Weimar to work as a bandmaster for the Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, who was himself a musician and knew how to appreciate the composer’s talent. Here is Bach, taking advantage absolute freedom and with almost unlimited resources, he composed 6 suites for solo cello, suites for orchestra, English and French suites for clavier, 3 sonatas and 3 partitas for solo violin, Brandenburg Concertos.

After Bach's St. John's Passion was performed in one of the main churches in Leipzig, the composer was appointed chief musical director of all churches in Leipzig: he selected choirs, trained them and selected music. In Leipzig he composed mainly cantatas. Since 1729, Bach has headed the College of Music, which organized concerts in the famous Zimmermann coffee house.

By the end of the 30s, Bach's eyesight began to deteriorate sharply, but this did not stop the great composer from writing works: he dictated them to the recording, unable to see the notes himself. In 1750, John Taylor, an English ophthalmologist, operated on Bach twice, but both times were unsuccessful: Bach became blind.

Personal life

In 1707, the wife of the great composer Bach became his own cousin, Maria Barbara, whom he met in Arnstadt. Of the six children born to them during their marriage, three died in infancy, and the three surviving brothers strengthened their father’s musical fame and became composers. In 1720, family happiness was unexpectedly ended by the death of Mary.

But the following year, Bach married the young court singer Anna Magdalena Wilke.

Death

In 1750, after two unsuccessful eye surgeries, Bach died. His remains rest in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, where he once worked.

Bach's major achievements

The entire history of music is divided into two periods: pre-Bach and post-Bach.
He wrote more than 1000 works of all existing musical genres with the exception of opera.
Summarized all the music of the Baroque era.
Bach is considered an unsurpassed master of polyphony.
He had a huge influence on composers of all subsequent generations: many musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries are guided by the master in the world of music - Bach.

Important dates in Bach's biography

1685 - birth
1694 - death of mother
1695 - death of father, moving to Ohrdruf to live with his older brother
1700–1703 - Lüneburg vocal school
1703–1707 - position of organist in the church of Arnstadt
1707 - marriage to Maria Barbara, work as organist in the Mühlhausen church
1708 - position of court organist in Weimar
1717 - court bandmaster in Köthen
1720 - death of the first wife
1721 - marriage to Anna Magdalena Wilke
1722 - Volume I of “The Well-Tempered Clavier”
1723 - position of church music director in Leipzig
1724 - “St. John Passion”
1727 - “Matthew Passion”
1729 - head of the Musical College
1734 - “Christmas Oratorio”
1741 - “Goldberg Variations”
1744 - Volume II of “The Well-Tempered Clavier”
1749 - Mass in B minor
1750 - death

When Bach was court organist in Weimar, the famous French musician Louis Marchand came to the city. The composers agreed to arrange a kind of musical duel. However, on the night before the announced concert at which this was supposed to take place unusual duel, Marchand secretly left the city, not wanting to compete with such a great musician as Bach.
Bach fell asleep only to music. When the sons learned to play the harpsichord, they took turns lulling their father to sleep every day with chords on this instrument.
Bach was a deeply religious man and was a faithful husband and a wonderful family man to both wives.
It was thanks to Bach that women’s voices began to be heard in churches: before him, only men were allowed to sing in the choirs. The first woman to sing in the church choir was his wife, Maria Barbara.
The great composer knew how to earn good money and was not wasteful. However, there was one thing that Bach always did for free: he never charged money for private lessons.
Bach's contemporary was Handel, who lived 50 km from Weimar. Both composers dreamed of meeting each other, but every time something prevented them. The meeting never took place, however, both of them were operated on by John Taylor, whom many considered a simple charlatan and not a doctor, shortly before his death.
There is a legend, not documented, but mentioned by the composer’s first biographer: in order to hear the famous Dietrich Buxtehude, Bach walked on foot from Arnstadt to Lübeck, the distance between them is 300 km.

Biography and episodes of life Johann Sebastian Bach. When born and died Johann Sebastian Bach, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. Composer and musician quotes, images and videos.

Years of life of Johann Sebastian Bach:

born March 21, 1685, died July 28, 1750

Epitaph

“They say that when Orpheus touched the strings of his lute,
At the sound of it, animals came running from the forest.
But Bach's art is rightfully considered superior,
Because the whole world marveled at him.”
From a poem by the poet Kittel-Mikrander dedicated to Bach

Biography

He was a great composer, a virtuoso musician and a talented teacher, but until the end of his life, Johann Bach believed that his merit lay only in hard work, and his talent belonged to God.

He was born into a wealthy family, his father was responsible for all the musical events of the city. But little Johann's parents died when he was still a child, so the boy was raised by his older brother. Johann studied at the gymnasium, studied music, and then graduated from vocal school. Right after school young musician received a court position in Weimar, and soon the whole city knew about the wonderful young performer. Bach had no shortage of work - first he worked as an organist in the Church of St. Boniface, then moved to the position of organist in Mühlhausen, where he was highly regarded and paid a high salary. But the heyday of Bach’s creativity was the period when he returned to Weimar and took the place of court organist, and was also responsible for arranging palace concerts. Bach was given complete freedom in his work by the Prince of Anhalt-Köten, who invited the composer to work as his bandmaster. When Bach performed his St. John Passion in one of the main churches in Leipzig, he was appointed chief musical director of all the churches in the city.

It is unknown how many more great works Johann Sebastian Bach would have created, how many more brilliant students he would have given to the world, if not for the illness that tormented him in the last years of his life. In the 1730s, his eyesight began to fail. He continued to write and dictated new works to his students while recording them. Finally, he decided to have an operation, then another, but, alas, none of the surgical interventions could save the composer’s vision. On July 28, 1750, Johann Sebastian Bach died; the cause of Bach’s death was complications from the operations he had undergone. Bach's funeral was held with great honors. At first, the composer was buried near the Church of St. John, but then Bach’s grave was lost, and years later his remains were found and reburied. During the Second World War the church was destroyed; today Bach's ashes are kept in the Church of St. Thomas, where Bach worked.

Life line

March 21, 1865 Date of birth of Johann Sebastian Bach.
1700-1703 Study at the St. Michael's Vocal School in Lüneburg.
1703-1707 Work as an organist in the church of Arnstadt.
October 17, 1707 Marriage to Maria Barbara.
1708 Court conductor in Köthen.
1720 Death of Bach's wife, Maria.
December 3, 1721 Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wilke.
1722 Bach's writing of the first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier.
1723 Church music director in Leipzig.
1724 Bach's writing of the St. John Passion.
1727 Bach's writing of the St. Matthew Passion.
1729 Head of the Music Board.
1744 Release of the second volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier.
July 28, 1750 Bach's date of death.
July 31, 1750 Bach's funeral.

Memorable places

1. St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach's remains are today.
2. St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, where Bach first performed his “Christmas Oratorio.”
3. Monument to Bach in Leipzig.
4. Bach House Museum in Eisenach, next to which there is a monument to Bach.
5. Bach House Museum in Leipzig.
6. Leipzig Music School of Johann Sebastian Bach, where the composer served as cantor of the choir.

Episodes of life

Bach's ancestors and descendants were musicians, except Veit Bach, the "founder" of the dynasty. He was a baker, ran a mill, but was very fond of music and played some kind of stringed instrument. But Johann Sebastian Bach’s grandfather, father, grandfather, brothers, children, as well as his grandson and great-grandson were musicians. At the end of his life, Johann Bach said that all his music belongs to God and all his abilities are intended for him.

Johann Sebastian Bach had one quirk. He dressed up as if he were a poor schoolteacher, came to the village church and asked permission to play the organ. When he started playing, everyone present was simply amazed. Some even ran out of the church in fright, believing that an ordinary person could not play like that and that the devil himself was probably sitting at the organ.

Johann Sebastian Bach was modest and did not like praise. One day he played his prelude to the students. When one of them began to admire the teacher’s work and performance, he interrupted him: “There is nothing surprising in this! You just need to know which keys to press and when, and the organ will do the rest.”

Covenant

“I had to work hard. Anyone who is just as hardworking will achieve the same success.”

Biography of Johann Sebastian Bach

Condolences

“Bach is not new, not old, he is something much more - he is eternal.”
Robert Schumann, German composer, music critic

“Not a stream! “The sea should be his name.”
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer, pianist