The Life of BachBach, like Shakespeare, is known largely by his works, exceptional in quantity as well as quality, and only a few original documents convey any idea of his life and character. Peter Williams's thoroughly new look at Bach's biography asks many questions about the so-called evidence. What was he like as a young man, as a father, as an ageing church servant? What were his preoccupations? What music did he know and how did he compose and perform such an amazing amount of music? Was he a disappointed man? Reading the available documentation critically, especially from the viewpoint of a performer, and going back to the first substantial 'biography' of Bach, namely his Obituary, Williams suggests new interpretations of the composer's life and his work. In addition, he asks if our understanding of Bach has been hindered by the unremitting deference displayed towards him since his death. |
Contents
Early years 16851703 | 5 |
First appointments 17031708 | 25 |
Weimar 17081717 | 45 |
Cöthen 17171723 | 76 |
Leipzig the first decade | 99 |
Leipzig the second decade | 125 |
Leipzig the final years and the first personal descriptions | 137 |
a sample hypothesis | 196 |
some terms | 203 |
| 206 | |
| 209 | |
| 212 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Anna Magdalena appointment arias Arnstadt Art of Fugue audition Bach's Brandenburg Buxtehude canons cantatas cantor capellmeister chamber music chapel choir chorale Christoph church Clavierübung Collegium composer composer's concertos copy Cöthen counterpoint court Dok II Dresden duke Eisenach Emanuel ensemble Erdmann Erfurt father fingers Forkel French Friedemann genres German Goldberg Variations Gottfried Silbermann Halle Hamburg Handel harmony harpsichord hymn imply instruments Italian J. S. Bach Johann Johanniskirche kind known Kuhnau later Leipzig Leipzig cantatas less Lüneburg Lutheran major Marchand Mattheson melody minor movements Mühlhausen musicians Obituary authors Obituary's Ohrdruf opera organ music organist Orgelbüchlein Pachelbel partitas Passion performed perhaps period pieces player playing preludes presumably prince probably published pupils Reinken Scheibe Sebastian seems Silbermann solo sonatas St John St Matthew St Thomas's string style suggest suites Telemann theme Thuringia tuning various violin Vivaldi Walther Weimar Weissenfels Well-Tempered Clavier young Bach