The message about Bach is brief. Johann Sebastian Bach: theology in music

After the death of his father (his mother 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 school of church choristers in Lüneburg. During his studies, he visited Hamburg, Celle and Lübeck to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time, new French music. The first compositional experiments of Bach belong to the same years - works for organ and clavier.

Wandering years (1703-08)

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, Mühlhausen. In 1707 he marries his cousin Maria Barbara Bach. His creative interests were concentrated then mainly on music for organ and clavier. The most famous work of that time is Capriccio for the Departure of a Beloved Brother (1704).

Weimar period (1708-17)

Having received in 1708 a place as a court musician from the Duke of Weimar, Bach settled in Weimar, where he spent 9 years. These years were a time of intense creativity, in which the main place belonged to compositions for organ, including numerous choral preludes, organ toccata and fugue in D minor, passacaglia in C minor. The composer wrote music for the clavier, spiritual cantatas (more than 20). Using traditional forms, he brought them to the highest perfection. In Weimar, Bach's sons were born, 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 Leopold, Duke of Anhalt-Keten. Life in Keten was at first the happiest time in the life of the composer: the prince, an enlightened person for his time and a good musician, appreciated Bach and did not interfere with his work, invited him on his trips. Three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, six Brandenburg concertos for orchestra were written in Koethen. 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, around the approval of which there were heated debates. 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 for the second time to Anna Magdalena Wilcken. In 1723, the performance of his "Passion according to John" took place in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and soon Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously acting as a school teacher at the church (Latin and singing).

In Leipzig (1723-50)

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Bach becomes the "music director" of all the churches in the city, overseeing the staff of musicians and singers, observing their training, assigning the pieces necessary for performance, and doing much more. Not knowing how to cheat and skimp and not being able to perform everything conscientiously, the composer repeatedly fell into conflict situations that darkened his life and distracted from creativity. By that time, the artist had reached the heights of skill and created magnificent examples in different genres. First of all, this is sacred music: cantatas (about two hundred 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" and "Peasant"), 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. Last work was a work called "The Art of the Fugue" (1749-50) - 14 fugues and 4 canons on one topic.

The fate of the creative heritage

In the late 1740s, Bach's health deteriorated, with a sudden loss of sight particularly worrying. Two unsuccessful cataract surgeries resulted in complete blindness. About ten days before his death, Bach suddenly regained his sight, but then he had a stroke that brought him to the grave. The solemn funeral caused a huge gathering of people from different places. The composer was buried near the church of St. Thomas, in which he served for 27 years. However, later a road was laid through the territory of the cemetery, the grave was lost. Only in 1894 the remains of Bach were accidentally found during construction work, then the reburial took place. The fate of his legacy was also 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 in 1829 in Berlin of the St. Matthew Passion (organized by F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). In 1850, the "Bach Society" was created, striving to identify and publish all the composer's manuscripts (46 volumes were published in half a century).

Bach is the largest figure in world musical culture. His work is one of the pinnacles of philosophical thought in music. Freely crossing the features of not only different genres, but also national schools, Bach created immortal masterpieces standing 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 the new time.

Among the followers of Bach's searches 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).

In the work of Bach, all the main genres of the late Baroque era are represented with the exception of opera. His legacy includes compositions for soloists and choir with instruments, organ compositions, clavier and orchestral music.

His powerful creative imagination brought to life an extraordinary wealth of forms: for example, in numerous Bach cantatas it is impossible to find two fugues of the same structure. However, there is a structural principle very characteristic of Bach: it is a symmetrical concentric shape. Continuing the centuries-old tradition, Bach uses polyphony as the main expressive means, but at the same time, the most complex contrapuntal constructions are based on a clear harmonic basis - this was undoubtedly the trend of a new era. In general, Bach's "horizontal" (polyphonic) and "vertical" (harmonic) beginnings are balanced and form a magnificent unity.

Bach's work, on the one hand, was a kind of summing up the results of the clavicinists and virginalists of the 16th - early 18th centuries, such as William Bird, John Bull, Francois Couperin, Jean-Philip Rameau, Louis Daquin, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Girolamo Frescobaldi and others. In his music, the composer relied on everything that had been achieved and discovered in musical art before him. Bach had an excellent knowledge of German organ music, the choral polyphony of the Renaissance, and the peculiarities of the German and Italian violin style. He not only met, but also copied the works of contemporary French harpsichordists (primarily Couperin), Italian violinists (Corelli, Vivaldi), and major representatives of Italian opera. Possessing an amazing receptivity to everything new, Bach developed and generalized the accumulated creative experience.

His powerful influence was also reflected in the work of the great composers of the 19th century (Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Glinka, Taneyev), and in the works of outstanding masters of the 20th century (Shostakovich, Honegger).

Bach's works can be divided into three main genre groups:

vocal and instrumental music;

· organ music,

· music for other instruments (clavier, violin, flute, etc.) and instrumental ensembles (including orchestral).

The works of each group are mainly associated with a certain period of Bach's creative biography. The most significant organ works were created in Weimar, clavier and orchestral works mainly belong to the Köthen period, vocal and instrumental compositions were mostly written in Leipzig.

The main genres in which Bach worked are traditional: these are masses and passions, cantatas and oratorios, choral adaptations, preludes and fugues, dance suites and concertos. Inheriting these genres from his predecessors, Bach gave them a scope that they did not know before.

Bach's brilliant work was not truly appreciated by his contemporaries. While enjoying fame as an organist, he did not attract due attention as a composer during his lifetime. Not a single serious work was written about his work, only an insignificant part of the works was published. After Bach's death, his manuscripts gathered dust in the archives, many were irretrievably lost, and the composer's name was forgotten.

Genuine interest in Bach arose only in the 19th century. It was started by F. Mendelssohn, who accidentally found the sheet music of the Passion according to Matthew in the library. Under his direction this work was performed in Leipzig. Most listeners, literally shocked by the music, have never heard the name of the author. This was the second birth of Bach.

Features of the clavier style of I.S. Bach

Most of Bach's clavier compositions were created by him in adulthood and owe their appearance to his deep interest in musical education. The clavier work of J.S. Bach includes: suites, inventions, concertos, 2 volumes of the CTC, "Goldberg Variations", "Musical Offering" (11 pieces for clavier and a sonata for three various tools), "Capriccio on the Departure of My Beloved Brother". "The Art of the Fugue" (14 fugues and 4 canons on one theme, chromatic fantasy and fugue), etc. These plays were written mainly for the education of their own sons and other gifted students.

During the Köthen period, except for English and French clavier suites, Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin.

Bach created a new genre - clavier concerto(creator of solo instrumental concert is Antonio Vivaldi). As a prelude to the appearance of the solo concerto, they appeared in the 5th Brandenburg Concerto. Despite the fact that, in addition to the chamber orchestra, there are three solo instruments (violin, flute, piano), but it is the piano that plays the leading role.

The clavier was Bach's creative laboratory. Clavier music by the time Bach addressed it had passed big way development: there were already many types of instruments - clavichords, harpsichords, cembalos, spinets, etc. Such genres as suites, variations, symphonies, inventions, etc. were developed. Program miniatures were written for claviers for modest home music-making. Bach worked hard on improving the clavier (he had 10 claviers in his house), tried to overcome the impact, abruptness of its sound, introduce into musical music vocal plasticity and temperamental scale, which opens up endless possibilities for the composer. He invented new types of clavier and harpsichord, on which lute works could be played; wrote several collections of pedagogical plays, invented new technology games with five fingers, not four, which made it possible to play coherently (and the piano was invented in 1709 by Bartolomeo Christophori).

The most important thing is that Bach introduced into clavier music a new lyric-philosophical content, new circle images, much deeper and more dramatic than existed in his time, not only in clavier works, but even in operas.

During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. All significant genres of that time are represented in his work, except for opera; he summarized the achievements of the musical art of the Baroque period. Bach is a master of polyphony. After Bach's death, his music went out of fashion, but in the 19th century, thanks to Mendelssohn, it was rediscovered. His work had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 20th century. Bach's pedagogical works are still used for their intended purpose.

Biography

Childhood

Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child of the 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 were professional musicians. During this period, the Church, local authorities and the aristocracy supported the musicians, especially in Thuringia and Saxony. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. At that time, the city had about 6,000 inhabitants. The work of Johann Ambrosius included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later, his father, having managed to marry again shortly before that. 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. Johann Sebastian was very fond of music and did not miss the opportunity to study it or study new works. The following story is known to illustrate Bach's passion for music. Johann Christoph kept a notebook with notes of famous composers of that time in his closet, but, despite the requests of Johann Sebastian, he did not let him get acquainted with it. Once, young Bach managed to extract a notebook from his brother’s always locked cabinet, and for six months on moonlit nights he copied its contents for himself. When the work was already completed, the brother found a copy and took away the notes.

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. Johann Sebastian observed how the organ was cared for, and possibly took part in it himself.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where in 1700-1703 he studied at the St. Michael. During his studies, he visited Hamburg - the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music was held in high esteem) and Lübeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time. The first works by Bach for organ and clavier belong to the same years. In addition to singing in the a cappella choir, Bach probably played the school's three-manual organ and harpsichord. Here he received his first knowledge of theology, Latin, history, geography and physics, and also, perhaps, began to learn French and Italian. At school, Bach had the opportunity to associate with the sons of famous North German aristocrats and famous organists, especially with Georg Böhm in Lüneburg and Reinken and Bruns in Hamburg. With their help, Johann Sebastian may have gained access to the largest instruments he has ever played. During this period, Bach expanded his knowledge of the composers of that era, most notably Dietrich Buxtehude, whom he greatly respected.

Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708)

In January 1703, after finishing his studies, he received the position of court musician from the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties were, but, most likely, this position was not related to performing activities. For seven months of service in Weimar, the fame of him as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the post of superintendent of the organ in the church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties with this oldest German city. In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work only 3 days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument has been maintained in good condition and has been tuned to new system, expanding the possibilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works, including the famous toccata and fugue in D minor.

Family ties and a music-loving employer could not prevent the tension between Johann Sebastian and the authorities that arose a few years later. Bach was dissatisfied with the level of training of the singers in the choir. In addition, in 1705-1706, Bach arbitrarily went to Lübeck for several months, where he got acquainted with the game of Buxtehude, which caused dissatisfaction with the authorities. In addition, the authorities charged Bach with "strange choral accompaniment" that embarrassed the community, and inability to manage the choir; The latter accusation appears to have been justified. The first biographer of Bach Forkel writes that Johann Sebastian walked more than 400 km on foot to listen to outstanding composer, but today some researchers question this fact.

In 1706, Bach decides to change jobs. He was offered a more profitable and high position as organist in the church of St. Vlasia in Mühlhausen, major city In the north of the country. IN next year Bach accepted this offer, taking the place of organist Johann Georg Ahle. His salary was increased compared to the previous one, and the level of the choristers was better. Four months later, on October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara of Arnstadt. They subsequently had seven children, three of whom died in childhood. Three of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - later became famous composers.

The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They approved without hesitation his plan for the restoration of the church organ, which required large expenditures, and for the publication of the festive cantata "The Lord is my king", BWV 71 (it 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 at Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time taking a position as 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 high salaries and a well-chosen composition of professional musicians. The Bach family settled in a house just a five-minute walk from the count's palace. The following year, the first child in the family was born. At the same time, the elder unmarried sister of Maria Barbara moved to the Bahamas, who helped them run the household until her death in 1729. In Weimar, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel were born to Bach.

In Weimar, a long period of composing clavier and orchestral works began, in which Bach's talent reached its peak. During this period, Bach absorbs musical influences 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 schemes. Bach studied the works of Italian composers well, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi's concertos for organ or harpsichord. He could borrow the idea of ​​writing arrangements from his employer, Duke Johann Ernst, who was a professional musician. In 1713, the duke returned from a trip abroad and brought with him a large number of notes, which he showed to Johann Sebastian. In Italian music, the 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 whole orchestra).

In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar, Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of Bach's fugues is the Well-Tempered Clavier). While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the Organ Notebook, a collection of pieces for the teaching of Wilhelm Friedemann. This collection consists of adaptations of Lutheran chants.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist. The episode with Marchand belongs to this time. In 1717, the famous french musician Louis Marchand. The Dresden accompanist Volumier decided to invite Bach and arrange a musical competition between two famous organists, 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. old master did not want to let him go, and on November 6, 1717, he even arrested him for constant requests for resignation - but on December 2 he released him "with an expression of disgrace." Leopold, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach as Kapellmeister. The duke, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and provided him with great freedom of action. However, the duke was a Calvinist and did not welcome the use of sophisticated 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. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were written in the same period.

On July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the duke, tragedy struck: his wife Maria Barbara died suddenly, leaving four young children. The following year, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young and highly gifted soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the age difference, she was younger than Johann Sebastian for 17 years - their marriage, apparently, was happy. They had 13 children.

Leipzig (1723-1750)

In 1723, the performance of his "Passion according to John" took place in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously acting as a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and holding weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. The position of Johann Sebastian also provided for the teaching of Latin, but he was allowed to hire an assistant who did this work for him - therefore Petzold taught Latin for 50 thalers a year. Bach received the position of "music director" of all the churches in the city: his duties included selecting performers, overseeing their training and choosing music to perform. While working in Leipzig, the composer repeatedly entered into conflicts 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 in 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" and "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants.

During the performance, Bach apparently sat at the harpsichord or stood in front of the choir in the lower gallery below the organ; on the side gallery to the right of the organ were located wind instruments and timpani, on the left were strings. 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 himself had to hire up to 20 musicians to perform orchestral works. The composer himself usually played the organ or harpsichord; if he directed the choir, then that place was filled by the staff organist or one of Bach's eldest sons.

Bach recruited sopranos and altos from among the students, and tenors and basses - not only from school, but 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 for these purposes. Part of his usual work in the church was the performance of composers' motets. Venetian school, as well as some Germans, for example, Schutz; while composing his motets, Bach was guided by the works of these composers.

Writing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach amassed an extensive repertoire for performance in Leipzig's main churches. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the College of Music (Collegium Musicum), a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when it was founded by Bach's old friend Georg Philipp Telemann. At that time, in many large German cities, gifted and active university students created similar ensembles. Such associations played an ever greater role in public musical life; they were often led by renowned professional musicians. For most of the year, the College of Music held two-hour concerts twice a week at Zimmermann's coffee house, located near the market square. The owner of the coffee shop provided the musicians with a large hall and purchased several instruments. Many of Bach's secular works dating back to the 1730s, 40s, and 50s were composed specifically for performance in Zimmermann's coffee shop. Such works include, for example, the Coffee Cantata and the clavier collection Clavier-Übung, as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

In the same period, Bach wrote the Kyrie and Gloria parts of the famous Mass in B minor, later adding the remaining parts, the melodies of which are almost entirely borrowed from the composer's best cantatas. Bach soon secured an appointment as court composer; apparently, he had long sought this high post, which was a weighty argument in his disputes with the city authorities. Although the entire Mass was never performed in its entirety during the composer's lifetime, today it is considered by many to be one of the finest 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 compose something on it right away. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-voice fugue. Later, Johann Sebastian 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 the theme dictated by Friedrich. This cycle was called "The Musical Offering".

Another major cycle, The Art of the Fugue, was not completed by Bach, despite the fact that it was written, most likely, long before his death. During his lifetime, he never published. The cycle consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on one simple theme. In this cycle, Bach used all the tools and techniques for writing polyphonic works.

Bach's last work was a chorale prelude for organ, which he dictated to his son-in-law, almost on his deathbed. The name of the prelude is "Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit" ("Here I stand before Your throne"); this work often ends the performance of the unfinished Art of the Fugue.

Over time, Bach's vision became progressively worse. However, 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, arrived in Leipzig. Taylor operated on Bach twice, but both operations were unsuccessful, Bach remained blind. On July 18, he suddenly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he had a stroke. Bach died on 28 July; the cause of death may have been complications from surgery. His remaining fortune was estimated at more than 1000 thalers and included 5 harpsichords, 2 lute harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, viola da gamba, lute and spinet, as well as 52 sacred books.

During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. In Leipzig, Bach supported friendly relations with university professors. Especially fruitful was the collaboration with the poet, who wrote under the pseudonym Pikander. 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, the godfather of Carl Philipp Emmanuel. Interestingly, Georg Friedrich Handel, Bach's age from Halle, just 50 kilometers 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 brought together by John Taylor, who operated on both shortly before their deaths.

The composer was buried near the church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, the grave was soon lost, and only in 1894 the remains of Bach were accidentally found during construction work; Then the reburial took place.

Bach studies

The first descriptions of Bach's life were his obituary and a brief chronicle of life, set out by his widow Anna Magdalena. After the death of Johann Sebatian, no attempt was made to publish his biography until, in 1802, his friend Forkel, based on his own memoirs, an obituary and the stories of Bach's sons and friends, published the first detailed biography. In the middle of the 19th century, interest in Bach's music revived, composers and researchers began collecting, studying and publishing all of his works. The next major work on Bach was the book by Philippe Spitta, published in 1880. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French organist and researcher Albert Schweitzer published a book. In this work, in addition to Bach's biography, 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 places came into conflict with traditional ideas. So, for example, it was established that Bach wrote some cantatas in 1724-1725 (it was previously thought that this happened in the 1740s), unknown works were found, and some previously attributed to Bach were 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.

Creation

Bach wrote over 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the famous works has been assigned a BWV number (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - a catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for different instruments both spiritual 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

Organ music in Germany by the time of Bach already had a long tradition that had developed thanks to Bach's predecessors - Pachelbel, Böhm, Buxtehude and other composers, each of whom influenced him in his own way. Bach knew many of them personally.

During his life, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in the "free" genres traditional for that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined the features of different musical styles with which he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced both by the music of northern German composers (Georg Böhm, whom Bach met in Lüneburg, and Dietrich Buxtehude in Lübeck) and the music of southern composers: Bach rewrote the works of many French and Italian composers for himself in order to understand their musical language; later he even transcribed some 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 and fugues and toccata and fugues, but also composed an unfinished Organ booklet - a collection of 46 short choral preludes, which demonstrated various techniques and approaches to compose works on choral themes. After leaving Weimar, Bach wrote less for the organ; however, many famous works were written after Weimar (6 trio sonatas, the Clavier-Übung collection and 18 Leipzig chorales). Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted in the construction of instruments, checking and tuning new organs.

Other clavier works

Bach also wrote a number of works for 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. Majority clavier works Bach, published during his lifetime, were contained in collections called "Clavier-Übung" ("clavier exercises").

* "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 made it possible to equally easily play music in any key - primarily to the modern equal temperament scale, although it is not known whether Bach used it.

* Three collections of suites: English suites, French suites and Partitas for clavier. Each cycle contained 6 suites built according to the standard scheme (allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue and an optional part between the last two). In the English suites, the allemande is preceded by a prelude, and there is exactly one movement between the sarabande and the gigue; in the French suites, the number of optional movements increases, and there are no preludes. In partitas, the standard scheme is expanded: in addition to exquisite introductory parts, there are additional ones, and not only between the sarabande and the gigue.

* Goldberg Variations (circa 1741) - a melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. Variations are built more on the tonal plane of the theme than on the melody itself.

* Varied pieces like "French Style Overture", BWV 831, "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", BWV 903, or "Italian Concerto", BWV 971.

Orchestral and chamber music

Bach wrote music both for individual instruments and for ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, BWV 1001-1006, 6 suites for cello, BWV 1007-1012, and a 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 lute solo. 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. The most significant examples of such works are the cycles "Art of the Fugue" and "Musical Offering".

Bach's most famous works for orchestra are the Brandenburg Concertos. They were so named because Bach, having sent them to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721, was thinking of getting a job at his court; this attempt was unsuccessful. Six concertos were written in the concerto grosso genre. Other surviving works by Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043, and concertos for one, two, three, and even four harpsichords. Researchers believe that these harpsichord concertos were just transcriptions of older works by Johann Sebastian, now lost. In addition to concertos, Bach composed 4 orchestral suites.

Vocal works

* Cantatas. For a long period of his life every Sunday Bach in the church of St. Thomas led the performance of the 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 church holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 spiritual cantatas, of which only about 195 have survived to this day. Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are written for one voice, some for a choir; some require a large orchestra to perform, and some require only a few instruments. However, the most commonly used model is as follows: the cantata opens with a solemn choral introduction, then alternate recitatives and arias for soloists or duets, and ends with a chorale. As a recitative, the same words from the Bible are usually taken that are read this week according to the Lutheran canons. The final chorale is often preceded by a chorale prelude in one of the middle movements, and is also sometimes included in introductory part in the form of a cantus firmus. The most famous of Bach's spiritual cantatas are "Christ lag in Todesbanden" (number 4), "Ein" feste Burg" (number 80), "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (number 140) and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben "(number 147). In addition, Bach also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually dedicated to some events, such as a wedding. Among the most famous secular cantatas of Bach are two Wedding Cantatas and a comic Coffee Cantata.

* Passions, or passions. Passion according to John (1724) and Passion according to Matthew (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended for performance at vespers in good friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Passions are one of Bach's most ambitious vocal works. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have completely survived to this day.

* Oratorios and Magnificats. The most famous is the Christmas Oratorio (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas to be performed during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and the Magnificat are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and are of a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and well-known (D major, 1730).

* Masses. The most famous and significant Mass of Bach is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which is full cycle ordinary. This mass, like many other works of the composer, included revised early compositions. 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 the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the Mass in B minor, 4 short two-movement masses by Bach have come down to us, as well as separate movements, such as Sanctus and Kyrie.

Rest vocal works Bach includes several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Execution

Today, performers of Bach's music are divided into two camps: those who prefer authentic performance, that is, using the instruments and methods of the Bach 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 passions, do not involve large ensembles. In addition, in some of Bach's chamber works, instrumentation is not indicated at all, so very different versions of the performance of the same works are known today. In organ works, Bach almost never indicated the registration and change of manuals. Of the stringed keyboard instruments, Bach preferred the clavichord. He met Zilberman and discussed with him the structure of his new instrument, contributing to the creation of the modern piano. Bach's music for some instruments was often rearranged for others, for example, Busoni arranged the organ toccata and fugue in D minor and some other works for the piano.

Numerous "lightened" and modernized 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 a newly invented synthesizer. Bach's music was also processed by jazz musicians such as Jacques Loussier. Among Russian contemporary performers, Fyodor Chistyakov tried to pay tribute to the great composer in his solo album 1997 "When Bach wakes up."

The fate of Bach's music

In the last years of his life and after the death of Bach, his fame as a composer began to decline: his style was considered old-fashioned compared to the burgeoning classicism. He was more known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father of the Bachs Jr., primarily Carl Philipp Emmanuel, whose music was more famous. However, many major composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin knew and loved the work of Johann Sebastian. For example, when visiting St. Thomas Mozart heard one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed: "There is much to learn here!" - after which, asking for notes, he studied them for a long time and rapturously. 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 "not the Stream, but the Sea is his name" (the word Bach in German means "stream"). Chopin locked himself in a room before concerts and played Bach's music. The works of Johann Sebastian have influenced many composers. Some themes from Bach's works, such as the theme of the toccata and fugue in D minor, were repeatedly used in the music of the 20th century.

A biography written in 1802 by Johann Nikolai Forkel, who knew Bach personally, spurred the general public's interest in his music. More and more people were discovering 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 were performed in the city of Bad Berka), in a letter of 1827 he compared the sensation of Bach's music with "eternal harmony in dialogue with the yourself." But the real revival of Bach's music began with the performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 in Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn. Hegel, who attended the concert, later called Bach "a great, true Protestant, a strong and, so to speak, erudite genius, whom we have only recently re-learned to fully appreciate." In subsequent years, Mendelssohn's work continued to popularize Bach's music and the composer's fame grew. In 1850, the Bach Society was founded, the purpose of which was to collect, study and disseminate the works of Bach. In the next half century, this society carried out significant work compiling and publishing a corpus of the composer's works.

In the 20th century, awareness of the musical and pedagogical value of his compositions continued. Interest in Bach's music spawned a new movement among performers: the idea of ​​authentic performance became widespread. Such performers, for example, use the harpsichord instead of the modern piano and smaller choirs than was customary in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wanting to accurately recreate the music of the Bach era.

Some composers expressed their reverence for Bach by including the BACH motif (B-flat - la - do - si in Latin notation) in the themes of their works. For example, Liszt wrote a prelude and fugue on BACH, and Schumann wrote 6 fugues on the same theme. Bach himself used the same theme, for example, in the XIV counterpoint from the Art of Fugue. Many composers took their cue from his works or used themes from them. Examples are Beethoven's Variations on a Theme of Diabelli, inspired by the Goldberg Variations, Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues inspired by the Well-Tempered Clavier, and Brahms' Cello Sonata in D Major, whose finale includes musical quotations from Iskusstvo fugue." Bach's music is among the best creations of mankind recorded on Voyager's golden disc.

Bach monuments in Germany

* Monument in Leipzig, erected on April 23, 1843 by Hermann Knaur on the initiative of Mendelssohn and according to the drawings of Eduard Bendemann, Ernst Rietschel and Julius Hübner.

* bronze statue on the Frauenplan in Eisenach, designed by Adolf von Donndorf, delivered on September 28, 1884. At first she stood on the Market Square near the church of St. George, April 4, 1938 was moved to Frauenplan with a shortened pedestal.

* Bronze statue of Karl Seffner on the south side of St. Thomas in Leipzig - May 17, 1908.

* Bust by Fritz Behn in the Walhalla monument near Regensburg, 1916.

* Statue of Paul Birr at the entrance to the Church of St. George in Eisenach, installed on April 6, 1939.

* The monument to Bruno Eiermann in Weimar, first installed in 1950, then removed for two years and reopened in 1995 on Democracy Square.

* Relief by Robert Propf in Köthen, 1952.

* Wooden stele by Ed Garison on Johann Sebastian Bach Square in front of St. Vlasia in Mühlhausen - August 17, 2001.

* Monument in Ansbach, designed by Jurgen Görtz, erected in July 2003.

Notes

1. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - genealogy of the Bach family

2. I. N. Forkel. About the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II

3. Manuscripts of Bach were found in Germany, confirming his studies with Böhm - RIA Novosti, 08/31/2006

4. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Bach interrogation protocol

5. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - chapter 7

6. I. N. Forkel. On the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II

7. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 27

9. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - entry in the church book, Dornheim

10. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Organ Reconstruction Project

12. I. N. Forkel. On the life, art and works of I.-S. Bach, chapter II

14. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 51

15. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - entry in the church book, Köthen

16. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Minutes of the meeting of the magistrate and other documents related to the move to Leipzig

17. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Letter to J.-S. Bach to Erdman

18. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - chapter 8

19. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Report by L. Mitzler about the Collegium Musicum concerts

20. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Quellmalz about Bach's operations

21. Documents of the life and work of I.-S. Bach - Inventory of Bach's legacy

22. A. Schweitzer. Johann Sebastian Bach - chapter 9

23. M. S. Druskin. Johann Sebastian Bach - page 8

24. A. Schweitzer. I.-S. Bach - chapter 14

26. http://www.bremen.de/web/owa/p_anz_presse_mitteilung?pi_mid=76241 (German)

27. http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV244-Spering.htm (English)

28. http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html

All times. A little genius was born on March 31, 1685 in the city of Eisenach, which was located in Thuringia.

Johann's family was musical, and each of them could play at least one instrument. The gift and talent of music has been passed down from generation to generation.

The future talent often ran away into the forest and played an old guitar that he found in the attic, and this instrument belonged to the patriarch of the family, Voit Bach.

They say that he almost never parted with her, even when he was grinding flour at the mill, he managed to play and sing songs with his guitar until the evening.

Unfortunately, Johann was left an orphan (at the age of 10), his parents died early. The elder brother Johann Christoph took his little brother to him and gave him his first music lessons.

As a child, the boy learned to play many instruments - cello, violin and viola, clavichord and organ, cymbals. He easily read notes, and then played music on instruments. Johann Sebastian's favorite instrument from childhood to old age was the organ. Possessing perfect hearing, sensitive and vulnerable, he could not stand the false sounds that caused him suffering and pain.

The boy sang in the school choir with a clear voice. When Bach was 15 years old, he went to Lüneburg, where he continued his studies at vocal school, within three years. After that, Johann was a court violinist in Weimar, where he did not stay long, because. he didn't like it at all. Around these years, he writes his first works.

After moving to Arnstadt, the musician holds the position of cantor and organist in the church. He also teaches children to sing and play an instrument.Soon, Prince Anhalt offered to become bandmaster in his orchestra. The new position and free time inspire Bach, he writes cantatas for piano, pieces for violin and cello, suites and sonatas, concertos for orchestra, and, of course, preludes and chorales for organ.

The genius was not even thirty years old, and he had already written more than 500 works, but what! In almost all masterpieces, connoisseurs capture the rhythms and melodies of German folk songs and dances that he heard in childhood and remembered well. Bach's light and warmth, which will not leave anyone indifferent. Contemporaries of that time admired the virtuosic playing of the great composer's instruments more than his works.

Johann Sebastian Bach photo

The music was not clear to everyone, not everyone realized the great talent of this man. Few people admitted that they liked the lyrical calm melody more than the hurricane-like music, although the roaring music captured the listeners. The author, in his works, shared hopes, dreams, faith in truth and in man, goodness and beauty. Loud sounds convincingly and simply "told" about it.

Only a hundred years later, his work was highly appreciated. Much music has been written on biblical themes. Johann arrives in Leipzig in the spring of 1723. At St Thomas' Church he is organist and cantor. Again, he spends a lot of time teaching children, 2-3 times a day he is obliged to play the organ in large churches. But after all, he finds time for his creations, plays the organ for people with pleasure.

Johann Bach began to quickly go blind, and after an unsuccessful operation, he lost his sight. Throughout his life, Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Germany, preferring the provinces. The composer was married twice, his sons (Friedemann, Johann Christian, Carl Philipp Emanuel) continued their father's work and became famous composers. Once or twice a week the family held home concerts.

Johann had many musical instruments, he bought everything as he accumulated money, never borrowing money. Five harpsichords, three violins, three violas and two cellos, lute, viola bass and viola pomposa, one spinet. All this inheritance was left to the children after death, who died on July 28, 1750.

From the 19th century to the present day, interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach has not subsided. The creativity of an unsurpassed genius is striking in its scale. known all over the world. His name is known not only by professionals and music lovers, but also by listeners who do not show much interest in "serious" art. On the one hand, Bach's work is a kind of result. The composer relied on the experience of his predecessors. He knew very well the choral polyphony of the Renaissance, German organ music, and the peculiarities of the Italian violin style. He carefully got acquainted with new material, developed and generalized the accumulated experience. On the other hand, Bach was an unsurpassed innovator who managed to open up new prospects for the development of world musical culture. The work of Johann Bach had a strong influence on his followers: Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, Glinka, Taneyev, Honegger, Shostakovich and many other great composers.

Bach's creative heritage

He created over 1000 works. The genres to which he addressed were the most diverse. Moreover, there are such works, the scale of which was exceptional for that time. Bach's work can be divided into four main genre groups:

• Organ music.
• Vocal-instrumental.
• Music for various instruments (violin, flute, clavier and others).
• Music for instrumental ensembles.

The works of each of the above groups belong to a certain period. The most outstanding organ compositions were composed in Weimar. The Keten period marks the appearance of a huge number of clavier and orchestral works. In Leipzig, most of the vocal-instrumental songs were written.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography and creativity

The future composer was born in 1685 in the small town of Eisenach, into a musical family. For the whole family, this was a traditional profession. Johann's first music teacher was his father. The boy had an excellent voice and sang in the choir. At the age of 9, he turned out to be an orphan. After the death of his parents, he was raised by Johann Christoph (elder brother). At the age of 15, the boy graduated from the Ohrdruf Lyceum with honors and moved to Lüneburg, where he began to sing in the choir of the "chosen". By the age of 17, he learned to play various harpsichords, organ, and violin. Since 1703 he lives in different cities: Arnstadt, Weimar, Mühlhausen. The life and work of Bach during this period were full of certain difficulties. He constantly changes his place of residence, which is connected with the unwillingness to feel dependent on certain employers. He served as a musician (as an organist or violinist). Working conditions also did not suit him constantly. At this time, his first compositions for clavier and organ appeared, as well as spiritual cantatas.

Weimar period

From 1708, Bach began to serve as court organist to the Duke of Weimar. At the same time he works in the chapel as a chamber musician. The life and work of Bach during this period are very fruitful. These are the years of the first composer's maturity. The best organ works appeared. This:

• Prelude and fugue c-moll, a-moll.
• Toccata C-dur.
• Passacaglia c-moll.
• Toccata and fugue in d-moll.
• "Organ Book".

At the same time, Johann Sebastian is working on compositions in the cantata genre, on arrangements for the clavier of Italian violin concertos. For the first time he turns to the genre of solo violin suite and sonata.

Keten period

Since 1717, the musician settled in Köthen. Here he holds a senior leadership position. chamber music. He, in fact, is the manager of all musical life at court. But he is not satisfied with a too small town. Bach is keen to move to a larger and more promising city in order to give his children the opportunity to go to university and get a good education. There was no quality organ in Keten, and there was also no choir. Therefore, Bach's clavier creativity develops here. The composer also pays much attention to ensemble music. Works written in Köthen:

• 1 volume "HTK".
• English suites.
• Sonatas for solo violin.
• "Brandenburg Concertos" (six pieces).

Leipzig period and last years of life

Since 1723, the maestro has been living in Leipzig, where he directs the choir (occupies the position of cantor) at the school at the Church of St. Thomas in Thomasschul. He takes an active part in the public circle of music lovers. The "college" of the city constantly arranged concerts of secular music. What masterpieces at that time replenished the work of Bach? Briefly, it is worth pointing out the main works of the Leipzig period, which can rightfully be considered the best. This:

• "Passion according to John".
• Mass in h-moll.
• "Passion according to Matthew".
• About 300 cantatas.
• "Christmas Oratorio".

In the last years of his life, the composer focuses on musical compositions. Writes:

• Volume 2 "HTK".
• Italian concert.
• Partitas.
• "The Art of the Fugue".
• Aria with various variations.
• Organ Mass.
• "Musical offering".

After an unsuccessful operation, Bach went blind, but did not stop composing music until his death.

Style characteristic

Bach's creative style was formed on the basis of various music schools and genres. Johann Sebastian organically wove the best harmonies into his works. In order to understand the musical language of the Italians, he rewrote their compositions. His creations were saturated with texts, rhythms and forms of French and Italian music, North German contrapuntal style, as well as Lutheran liturgy. The synthesis of various styles and genres was harmoniously combined with the deep poignancy of human experiences. His musical thought stood out for its special uniqueness, versatility and a certain cosmic nature. Bach's work belongs to a style that has firmly established itself in the art of music. This is the classicism of the high baroque era. For Bach musical style characteristic is the possession of an extraordinary melodic structure, where the main idea dominates in music. Thanks to the mastery of the technique of counterpoint, several melodies can simultaneously interact at once. was a true master of polyphony. He was characterized by a penchant for improvisation and brilliant virtuosity.

Main genres

Bach's work includes various traditional genres. This:

• Cantatas and oratorios.
• Passions and Masses.
• Preludes and Fugues.
• Choral arrangements.
• Dance suites and concerts.

Of course, he borrowed the listed genres from his predecessors. However, he gave them the broadest scope. The maestro skillfully updated them with new musical and expressive means, enriched them with features of other genres. The brightest example is "Chromatic Fantasy in D Minor". The work was created for the clavier, but contains a dramatic recitation of theatrical origin and the expressive properties of large organ improvisations. It is easy to see that Bach's work "bypassed" the opera, which, by the way, was one of the leading genres of its time. However, it is worth noting that many of the composer's secular cantatas are difficult to distinguish from a comedic interlude (at that time in Italy they were reborn as opera buffa). Some of Bach's cantatas, created in the spirit of witty genre scenes, anticipated the German Singspiel.

The ideological content and range of images of Johann Sebastian Bach

The composer's work is rich in its figurative content. From the pen of a real master, both extremely simple and extremely majestic creations come out. Bach's art contains both ingenuous humor and deep sorrow, and philosophical reflection and intense drama. The brilliant Johann Sebastian in his music displayed such significant aspects of his era as religious and philosophical problems. With the help of the amazing world of sounds, he reflects on the eternal and very important issues of human life:

• On the moral duty of man.
• About his role in this world and purpose.
• About life and death.

These reflections are directly related to religious themes. And this is not surprising. The composer served almost all his life at the church, so he wrote most of the music for her. At the same time, he was a believer, he knew the Holy Scriptures. His reference book was the Bible, written in two languages ​​(Latin and German). He adhered to fasts, confessed, observed church holidays. A few days before his death, he took communion. The main character of the composer is Jesus Christ. In that perfect image Bach saw incarnation best qualities inherent in man: purity of thoughts, fortitude, fidelity to the chosen path. The sacrificial feat of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind was the most intimate for Bach. In the composer's work, this theme was the most important.

Symbolism of Bach's works

Musical symbolism appeared in the Baroque era. It is through her that the complex and wonderful world of the composer is revealed. Bach's music was perceived by contemporaries as transparent and understandable speech. This was due to the presence in it of stable melodic turns expressing certain emotions and ideas. Such sound formulas are called musical-rhetorical figures. Some conveyed affect, others imitated the intonations of human speech, and others were pictorial in nature. Here are some of them:

• anabasis - ascent;
• circulatio - rotation;
• catabasis - descent;
• exclamatio - exclamation, rising sixth;
• fuga - running;
• passus duriusculus - a chromatic move used to express suffering or grief;
• suspiratio - breath;
• tirata - an arrow.

Gradually musical-rhetorical figures become a kind of "signs" of certain concepts and feelings. So, for example, the descending figure of catabasis was often used to convey sadness, sadness, grief, death, the position in the coffin. Gradual upward movement (anabasis) was used to express ascension, uplifted spirit and other moments. Motives-symbols are observed in all works of the composer. Bach's work was dominated by the Protestant chorale, to which the maestro turned throughout his life. He also has symbolic meaning. Work with the chorale was carried out in a wide variety of genres - cantatas, passions, preludes. Therefore, it is quite logical that the Protestant chant is an integral part of Bach's musical language. Among the important symbols found in the music of this artist, stable combinations of sounds that have permanent meanings should be noted. Bach's work was dominated by the symbol of the cross. It consists of four multidirectional notes. It is noteworthy that if you decipher the composer's surname (BACH) with notes, then the same graphic drawing. B - si flat, A - la, C - do, H - si. A great contribution to the development of Bach's musical symbols was made by such researchers as F. Busoni, A. Schweitzer, M. Yudina, B. Yavorsky and others.

"Second birth"

During his lifetime, the work of Sebastian Bach was not appreciated. Contemporaries knew him more as an organist than a composer. Not a single serious book has been written about him. Of the vast number of his works, only a few were published. After his death, the name of the composer was soon forgotten, and the surviving manuscripts gathered dust in the archives. Perhaps we would never know anything about this brilliant man. But, fortunately, this did not happen. True interest in Bach arose in the 19th century. Once, F. Mendelssohn found in the library the notes of the Matthew Passion, which interested him very much. Under his direction, this work was successfully performed in Leipzig. Many listeners were delighted with the music of the still little-known author. We can say that this was the second birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1850 (on the 100th anniversary of the composer's death) the Bach Society was founded in Leipzig. The purpose of this organization was to publish all Bach manuscripts found in the form complete collection essays. As a result, 46 volumes were collected.

Bach's organ work. Summary

For the organ, the composer created excellent works. This instrument for Bach is a real element. Here he was able to liberate his thoughts, feelings and emotions and convey all this to the listener. Hence the enlargement of the lines, concert quality, virtuosity, dramatic images. The compositions created for the organ are reminiscent of frescoes in painting. All of them are presented mainly close-up. In the preludes, toccatas and fantasies, there is a pathos of musical images in free, improvisational forms. Fugues are characterized by a special virtuosity and unusually powerful development. Bach's organ work conveys the high poetry of his lyrics and the grandiose scope of magnificent improvisations.

Unlike clavier works, organ fugues are much larger in volume and content. The movement of the musical image and its development proceed with increasing activity. The unfolding of the material is presented as a layering of large layers of music, but there is no particular discreteness and gaps. On the contrary, continuity (continuity of movement) prevails. Each phrase follows from the previous one with increasing tension. So are the climaxes. Emotional uplift eventually intensifies to highest point. Bach is the first composer who showed the patterns of symphonic development in major forms of instrumental polyphonic music. Bach's organ work seems to fall into two poles. The first is preludes, toccatas, fugues, fantasies (large musical cycles). The second - one-part They are written mainly in the chamber plan. They reveal mainly lyrical images: intimate and mournful and sublimely contemplative. The best works for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach - and fugue in D minor, prelude and fugue in A minor, and many other compositions.

Works for clavier

When writing compositions, Bach relied on the experience of his predecessors. However, here, too, he showed himself as an innovator. Bach's clavier creativity is characterized by scale, exceptional versatility, and the search for expressive means. He was the first composer to feel the versatility of this instrument. When composing his works, he was not afraid to experiment and implement the most daring ideas and projects. When writing, he was guided by the whole world musical culture. Thanks to him, the clavier has expanded significantly. He enriches the instrument with new virtuoso technique and changes the essence of musical images.

Among his works for organ, the following stand out:

• Two-part and three-part inventions.
• "English" and "French" suites.
• "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue".
• "The Well-Tempered Clavier"

Thus, Bach's work is striking in its scope. The composer is widely known all over the world. His works make you think and reflect. Listening to his compositions, you involuntarily immerse yourself in them, thinking about the deep meaning underlying them. The genres to which the maestro turned throughout his life were the most diverse. This is organ music, vocal-instrumental, music for various instruments (violin, flute, clavier and others) and for instrumental ensembles.