Johann Sebastian Bach : his work and influence on the music of Germany, 1685-1750 / Philipp Spitta ; translated from the German by Clara Bell and J.A. Fuller-Maitland.
| Author/creator | Spitta, Philipp |
| Other author | Bell, Clara, 1834-1927, translator. |
| Other author | Fuller-Maitland, J. A. (John Alexander), 1856-1936, translator. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | London : Novello; New York : Dover Publications, [1951] |
| Description | 3 volumes in 2 : portrait, music ; 21 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Volume 1. Book I. Bach's ancestors. The Bach family from 1550-1626 -- The Bachs of Erfurt -- Heinrich Bach and his sons -- Johann Christoph Bach and Johann Michael Bach -- Instrumental works of Christoph and Michael Bach -- Johann Christoph Bach's sons -- Christoph Bach and his sons -- Book II. The childhood and early years of Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1707. Early days, education, Ohrdruf and Luneberg, 1685 to 1703 -- Life at Weimar and Arnstadt, 1703-4, influence of Kuhnau ; Works for clavier and organ -- Visit to Lubeck. Buxtehude and his style ; Influence on Bach, 1704-5 -- Bach's return to Arnstadt, and dispute with the consistory ; His marriage with his cousin -- Book III. The first ten years of Bach's "mastership". Bach at Muhlhausen. His religious opinions -- Bach at Weimar. His friends and companions -- The Weimar period. Organ music, concertos, cantatas, etc. -- Church music. Analysis of the cantata form -- Bach's visits to various towns. Some of his pupils -- Cantatas written at Weimar to texts by Franck -- At Meningen: Johann Ludwig Bach. At Dresden: organ works of the later Weimar period. |
| Contents | Volume 2 and 3. Book IV. Cothen, 1717-1723. Arrival at Cothen ; Death of Bach's first wife and journey to Hamburg in 1720 ; Reinken ; Bach and Handel as organ-players -- Bach's clavier music ; Toccatas ; His reform in fingering ; Adjustment of pitch ; Invention of the pianoforte ; Bach as a teacher ; The clavier-buchlein ; Inventionen und sinfonien -- Bach as a violinist ; The suite and the sonata ; Works for violin, violoncello, flute, etc. -- Bach's second marriage ; Change of posts ; The French suites ; The Wolhtemperirte Clavier -- Book V. Leipzig, 1723-1734. Bach's appointment and installation as cantor at Leipzig -- The Thomasschule ; Duties of the cantor ; State of music in Leipzig -- Bach's official duties as cantor, his dispute with the town council, and endeavours to improve the condition of the music ; His letter to Erdmann ; Gesner's appointment as rector of the school -- The plan and arrangement of the church services in Leipzig ; Music used in it; the organs and Bach's treatment of accompaniments ; Difficulties of pitch and tune -- Kuhnau ; The church cantata ; Texts by Neumeister and Picander ; Comparison of their merits ; Bach's church cantatas ; The "Magnificat" -- Bach's cantatas (continued) -- Passion music before Bach ; The St. John Passion ; The St. Matthew Passion -- Bach's compositions for Christmas, Easter, and Ascension -- Bach's motets -- "Occasional" compositions. |
| Abstract | The author's monumental study of Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the great classics of musicology. The author provides in chronological sequence practically everything that is known of the life of J. S. Bach: his ancestors as far back as they can be traced, the musical family of the Bachs, his immediate family, the incidents of his life, his associations, his employers, and the countless occasions when his musical genius emerged. Spitta provides this biographical material in full, with innumerable quotations from primary sources (most of which are nowhere else available): correspondence, family papers and traditions, memoires, diaries, ephemeral publications, periodicals, church records, court and other official records, and so many other sources that this is the richest collection ever made. If one wishes to learn about Bach's life, this is the best coverage. Along with biographical data the author also gives extremely full information about Bach's musical production, with analyses of more than five hundred pieces. |
| General note | Not merely a translation, but a revised and improved edition. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references. |
| LCCN | 52006022 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B1 S7 1951 V. 1 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B1 S7 1951 V. 1 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B1 S7 1951 V. 2-3 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B1 S7 1951 V. 2-3 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |