Life and work of Bach

From the 19th century up to the present day, interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach has not ceased. Creativity of unsurpassed genius impresses with its scale. The greatest composer is known all over the world. His name is known not only to professionals and music lovers, but also listeners who do not show special 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 perfectly knew the choral polyphony of the Renaissance, German organ music, features of the Italian violin style. He carefully got acquainted with the new material, developed and summarized the accumulated experience. On the other hand, Bach was an unsurpassed innovator, who managed to open new prospects for the development of the world musical culture. The work of Johann Bach had a strong influence on his followers: Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, Glinka, Taneyev, Onegger, Shostakovich and many other great composers.

Bach's creative heritage

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

• Organ music.
• Vocal and 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. In Weimar, the most outstanding organ compositions were composed. The Ketene period marks the appearance of a huge number of clavier and orchestral works. In Leipzig, however, most of the vocal-instrumental ones are written.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography and creativity

The future composer was born in 1685 in the small town of Eisenach, in a musical family. For the whole family it was a traditional profession. Johann's first music teacher was his father. The boy had a great voice and sang in the choir. At the age of 9 he turned out to be a round orphan. After the death of his parents, he was brought up by Johann Christophe (elder brother). At the age of 15 the boy graduated from the Oirduf Lyceum with distinction and moved to Lüneburg, where he began to sing in the choir of the "elect". By the age of 17 he learned to play different instruments: viola, harpsichord, organ, 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 his reluctance to feel dependent on these or other 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 appear, as well as spiritual cantatas.

Weimar period

Since 1708, Bach began to serve as a court organist to the Weimar Duke. In parallel, he works as a chamber musician in the chapel. Life and work of Bach during this period are very fruitful. These are the years of the first composer's maturity. There were the best organ works. It:

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

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

The Ketene period

Since 1717 the musician has settled in Ketene. Here he occupies a high-ranking position as the head of chamber music. He, in fact, is the manager of the whole musical life at court. But he does not like too little town. Bach seeks to move to a larger and more promising city in order to give his children the opportunity to enter the university and get a good education. In Ketene there was no qualitative organ, there was also no choir. That's why Bach's clavier creativity is developing here. The composer also pays much attention to ensemble music. Works written in Ketene:

• 1 volume "CTK".
• English suites.
• Sonatas for violin solo.
• French suites.
• "Brandenburg Concerts" (six pieces).
• "Chromatic fantasy and fugue."

Leipzig period and the last years of life

Since 1723, the maestro lives in Leipzig, where he directs the choir (holds the position of a cantor) at the school at the Church of St. Thomas in Thomas. He takes an active part in the public circle of music lovers. The "collegium" of the city constantly arranged concerts of secular music. What masterpieces at that time replenished the work of Bach? Briefly it is necessary to indicate the main works of the Leipzig period, which by right can be considered the best. It:

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

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

• 2 volume "CTK".
• The Italian concert.
• Partitas.
• "The Art of the Fugue."
• Aria with different variations.
• Organ mass.
• "Musical Offering".

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

Characteristics of the style

The style of Bach's creativity was formed on the basis of various music schools and genres. Johann Sebastian organically intertwined in his works the best consonance. In order to understand the musical language of Italian and French composers, he rewrote their compositions. His creations were full of texts, rhythms and forms of French and Italian music, a North German counterpoint style, and also a Lutheran liturgy. Synthesis of various styles and genres harmoniously combined with deep piercing of human experiences. His musical thought was distinguished by a unique uniqueness, universality and a kind of cosmic. Creativity Bach refers to the style, which is firmly established in the musical art. This is the classicism of the era of high baroque. The Bakhov musical style is characterized by the possession of an extraordinary melodic system, where the main idea dominates in music. Thanks to the skill of counterpoint technique, several melodies can interact simultaneously. The German composer was a true master of polyphony. He was prone to improvisation and brilliant virtuosity.

Main genres

Bach's work includes various traditional genres. It:

• Cantatas and oratorios.
• Passion and Mass.
• Preludes and Fugues.
• Choral treatments.
• Dance suites and concerts.

Of course, he borrowed these genres from his predecessors. However, he gave them the widest scope. Maestro skillfully updated them with new musical expressive means, enriched 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 expressive properties of large organ improvisations. It's 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 secular cantatas of the composer are difficult to distinguish from comedy interludes (at this time in Italy they were reborn in opera-buffa). Some of Bach's cantatas, created in the spirit of witty genre scenes, anticipated the German Singspiel.

The ideological content and circle of images of Johann Sebastian Bach

Creativity of the composer is rich in its figurative content. From the pen of this master come out as extremely simple, and extremely majestic creations. Bach's art contains both simple-hearted humor, deep sorrow, philosophical reflection, and dramatic drama. Genius Johann Sebastian in his music reflected such significant aspects of his era as religious and philosophical problems. With the help of an 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 Scriptures. His reference book was the Bible, written in two languages (Latin and German). He held fasts, confessed, observed church holidays. A few days before his death he took Communion. The main hero of the composer is Jesus Christ. In this ideal image, Bach saw the embodiment of the best qualities inherent in man: purity of thoughts, strength of spirit, loyalty to the chosen path. The sacrificial feat of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind was for Bach the most intimate. In the composer's work this theme was the most important.

Symbols of Bach's works

In the Baroque era, musical symbols appeared. It is through her that the composer's complex and amazing world is revealed. Bach's music was perceived by contemporaries as a clear and understandable speech. This was due to the presence in it of steady melodic revolutions, expressing certain emotions and ideas. Such sound formulas are called musical-rhetorical figures. Some passed on the affect, others imitated the intonations of human speech, others were of an iconic nature. Here are some of them:

• Anabasis - the ascent;
• Circulatio - rotation;
• Catabasis - descending;
• Exclamatio - exclamation, ascending sixth;
• Fuga - running;
• Passus duriusculus - a chromatic course used to express suffering or grief;
• Suspiratio - sigh;
• Tirata is an arrow.

Gradually the musical and rhetorical figures become a kind of "signs" of certain concepts and feelings. So, for example, the descending figure of catabasis was often used for the purpose of conveying sadness, sadness, mourning, death, position in a coffin. The gradual ascending movement (anabasis) was used to express ascension, elevated spirit and other moments. Motifs-symbols are observed in all the works of the composer. In the works of Bach, the Protestant chant predominated, to which the maestro addressed throughout his life. It also has a symbolic meaning. Work with the chant was conducted in a wide variety of genres - cantatas, passionaries, preludes. Therefore, it is quite logical that the Protestant chant is an integral part of Bakhov's musical language. Among the important symbols found in the music of this artist, it should be noted stable combinations of sounds that have constant meanings. In the work of Bach, the symbol of the cross prevailed. It consists of four differently directed notes. It is noteworthy that if you decipher the composer's name (BACH) with notes, then the same graphic pattern is formed. B - B flat, A - la, C - do, H - c. A great contribution to the development of Bach's musical symbols was made by such researchers as F. Busoni, A. Schweitzer, M. Yudin, B. Yavorsky and others.

"Second birth"

While living creativity Sebastian Bach was not appreciated. Contemporaries knew him more than an organist, rather than a composer. About him there was not written a single serious book. Of the vast number of his works, only a few have been published. After death, the name of the composer was soon forgotten, and the surviving manuscripts were gathering dust in the archives. Perhaps we would not have learned anything about this genius man. But, fortunately, this did not happen. True interest in Bach appeared in the 19th century. Once F. Mendelson discovered in the library notes of the "Passion for Matthew", which he was very interested. Under his management this work was successfully performed in Leipzig. Many listeners were delighted with the music of a little-known author. It can be said that this was the second birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1850 (on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of the composer), the Bach Society was established in Leipzig. The purpose of this organization was to publish all the found Bach manuscripts in the form of a complete collection of works. As a result, 46 volumes were collected.

Bach's organ creativity. Summary

For the organ, the composer created excellent works. This tool for Bach is a real element. Here he was able to liberate his thoughts, feelings and emotions and bring it all to the listener. Hence the enlargement of lines, concerts, virtuosity, dramatic images. The compositions created for the organ resemble frescoes in painting. All of them are presented mainly close-up. In the preludes, tokatas and fantasies, the pathos of musical images are observed in free, improvisational forms. Fugam has a special virtuosity and an unusually powerful development. Bach's organ creativity conveys the high poetry of his lyrics and the grandiose scope of magnificent improvisations.

In contrast to 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 deployment of the material is presented in the form of stratification of large layers of music, but there is no special discreteness and breaks. On the contrary, continuality prevails (continuity of movement). Each phrase follows from the previous one with increasing tension. Culminating moments were also built. Emotional recovery eventually increases to the highest point. Bach is the first composer who manifested the laws of symphonic development in large forms of instrumental polyphonic music. Bach's organ creativity seems to split into two poles. The first is foreplay, tokaty, fugue, fantasy (big music cycles). The second one-part choral preludes. They are written mostly in the chamber plan. They reveal mainly lyrical images: intimate-sorrowful and sublime-contemplative. The best works for the organ of Johann Sebastian Bach are tokata and fugue in D minor, prelude and fugue in A minor and many other works.

Works for Clavier

When writing compositions, Bach relied on the experience of his predecessors. However, here he showed himself as an innovator. Clavier creativity of Bach is characterized by its 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, I was guided by the whole world musical culture. Thanks to him, the artistic means of the clavier greatly expanded. He enriches the instrument with new virtuosic technique and changes the essence of musical images.

Among his works for the organ are:

• Two-part and three-part inventions.
• "English" and "French" suites.
• "Chromatic fantasy and fugue."
• "Well tempered clavier."

Thus, Bach's work is amazing in its scope. The composer is widely known all over the world. His works make you think and think. Listening to his compositions, you involuntarily plunge into them, thinking about the profound meaning underlying them. Genres, to which the maestro addressed throughout his life, were the most diverse. It is organ music, vocal-instrumental, music for various instruments (violin, flute, clavier and others) and for instrumental ensembles.