Johann Sebastian Bach

Life
Born: 21 March 1685
Died: 28 July 1750
Biography
Johann Sebastian Bach was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, a control of harmonic and motivic organization from the smallest to the largest scales, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.
While Bach's fame as an organist was great during his lifetime, he was not particularly well-known as a composer. His adherence to Baroque forms and contrapuntal style was considered "old-fashioned" by his contemporaries, especially late in his career when the musical fashion tended towards Rococo and later Classical styles. A revival of interest and performances of his music began early in the 19th century, and he is now widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition.
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List of choral works
- Bach works published at CPDL sorted alphabetically by title, see Johann Sebastian Bach compositions
- Bach works at CPDL listed by BWV number, see Johann Sebastian Bach/BWV list
- Bach Cantatas sortable by BWV number and calendar, see Sortable list of cantatas (Johann Sebastian Bach)
- Automation of this page, see /Automation
Cantatas (BWV1-BWV 224 and BWV 249)
Chorale Harmonizations (BWV 250-BWV 438)
Editions with different harmonizations
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Chorales in cantatas, arranged differently |
Passions, Oratorios, Magnificat |
Masses |
Motets |
Lieder, songs, arias |
Other works |
Editions with texts translated to other languages
Vocal Arrangements based on Bach's works
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Misattributed works
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Click here to search for this composer on CPDL
Other works not listed above (See Template:CheckMissing for possible reasons and solutions)
- Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV 371
- Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot, BWV 298
- Jesus, priceless treasure
- Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns, BWV 363
- Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV 371
- O Food to pilgrims given
- O Salutaris
- O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God
- Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV 416
- Verleih' uns Frieden gnädiglich, BWV 42
- Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio), BWV 248
Publications
- 1708 – Cantata Gott ist mein König (BWV 71)
- 1726-1731 – Clavier-Übung I
- 1727-1737 – Picander's publication of cantata librettos
- 1735-1739 – Clavier-Übung II and Clavier-Übung III
- 1736 – Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesängbuch (BWV 439-507)
- 1741 – Goldberg Variations
- 1747 – Canonische Veränderungen über das Weynacht-Lied, Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her (BWV 769)
- 1748 – Das Musikalische Opfer
- 1751 – Die Kunst der Fuge
- 1784-1787 – Johann Sebastian Bachs vierstimmige Choralgesänge, 371 chorales, edited by C. P. E. Bach
- 1801 – Das wohltemperierte Klavier, Teil 1 and Teil 2
- 1851-1899 – Johann Sebastian Bach's Werke, 46 volumes
- 1892 – 185 Bach Chorales, reprint of pp. 177-276 of Bachs-Werke Ausgabe, vol. 39 (1892), in alphabetical order
- 1898 – 389 Choralgesänge
Recordings of interest
BWV | Title | Performers | Orchestra | Medium | Label | Notes |
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35, 54, 170 | Bach: Cantatas for alto | Andreas Scholl, Marcel Ponseele, Markus Markl | Collegium Vocale Orchestra | 1 CD 1999 | Harmonia Mundi 314902016440 | |
172, 68, 1 | Bach Kantaten (1) | Arleen Augér, Ortrun Wenkel, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam | Rotzsch, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum | CD 1981-1983 | Berlin Classics 0021502BC | Highlights: Arleen Augér, Peter Schreier, Ludwig Güttler trumpet, good tempos and control of Thomanerchor by Rotzsch |
137, 21 | Bach Kantaten (3) | Arleen Augér, Ortrun Wenkel, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam | CD 1981-1983 | Leipzig Classics BC-2175-2 | ||
140, 61, 36 | Bach: Kantaten (7) | Arleen Augér, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Lorenz | CD 1980-1983 | Berlin Classics 0020992BC | ||
110, 71 | Bach: Kantaten (8) | Arleen Augér, Ortrun Wenkel, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Lorenz | CD 1981-1982 | Berlin Classics 0021002BC | ||
79, 80, 192, 50 | Bach Kantaten (9) | Arleen Augér, Ortrun Wenkel, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam | CD 1980-1982 | Berlin Classics 0021762BC | ||
244 | Matthäus-Passion | Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Siegfried Vogel, Johannes Künzel, Hermann Christian Polster | Mauersberger & Mauersberger, Dresdner Kreuzchor & Thomanerchor; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig | 3 CD 1970 | Leipzig Classics | One of the best recordings: clarity of Schreier, especially the passion of the combined choirs. The last chorus is especially moving, given the history of Dresden in the decades before 1970. See review here. |
245 | Johannes-Passion | Hermann Prey, Evelyn Lear, Ernst Haefliger, Hertha Töpper | Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor & Münchener Bach-Orchester | 2 CD 1964 | Deutsche Grammophon 453-007-2 | Definitely a romantic interpretation, but one that improves with age. |
External links
- Johann Sebastian Bach Home Page
- JSB's autograph scores at Bach Digital
- Bach Cantatas Website: Free PDF vocal scores to nearly every Bach cantata
- The Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA) edition piece by piece (in PDF) on the site of the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- The (almost) complete BGA in PDF (complete books) - Russian site
- Parts for BWV 11, 43, 48, 213, 232 and complete Chorales at CCARH
- Johann Sebastian Bach bibliography