Bach performance. Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) was a German composer and organist. During his lifetime he was famous as an organist and harpsichordist; his composer's work was perceived by his contemporaries in connection with the practical activities that took place in a typical musician of the 17th-18th centuries. setting of the church, courtyard and city. He spent his childhood in Eisenach, in 1695–1702 he studied in Ohrdruf and Lineburg. At the age of 17 he played the organ, clavier, violin, viola, sang in the choir, was an assistant to the cantor. In 1703–07 organist at Neukirche in Arnstadt, in 1707–08 organist at Blasiuskirche in Mühlhausen, in 1708–17 court organist, chamber musician, from 1714 court accompanist in Weimar, in 1717–23 court bandmaster in Köthen, in 1723– 50 cantors Thomaskirche and city music director in Leipzig (1729–41 head of the Collegium musicum).

Bach is one of the greatest representatives of the world humanistic culture. The work of Bach, a universal musician, distinguished by the inclusiveness of genres (except for opera), summarized the achievements of the musical art of several centuries on the verge of baroque and classicism. A brightly national artist, Bach combined the traditions of the Protestant chant with the traditions of the Austrian, Italian, and French musical schools. Bach, an unsurpassed master of polyphony, is characterized by the unity of polyphonic and homophonic, vocal and instrumental thinking, which explains the deep interpenetration of various genres and styles in his work.

The leading genre in Bach's vocal and instrumental work is the spiritual cantata. Bach created 5 annual cycles of cantatas, which differ in belonging to the church calendar, in textual sources (psalms, choral stanzas, "free" poetry), in the role of the chorale, etc. Of the secular cantatas, the most famous are "Peasant" and "Coffee". Developed in the dramaturgy cantata, the principles found their embodiment in the masses, the Passion. The “high” mass in h-moll, the Passion according to John, the Passion according to Matthew became the culmination of the centuries-old history of these genres. Organ music occupies a central place in Bach's instrumental work. Synthesizing the experience of organ improvisation inherited from his predecessors (D. Buxtehude, J. Pachelbel, G. Böhm, J. A. Reinken), various variational and polyphonic methods of composing and contemporary principles of concert performance, Bach rethought and updated the traditional genres of organ music - toccata , fantasy, passacaglia, chorale prelude. A virtuoso performer, one of the greatest connoisseurs of keyboard instruments of his time, Bach created an extensive literature for the clavier. Among the clavier compositions, the most important place is occupied by the Well-Tempered Clavier - the first experience in the history of music of the artistic application developed at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. tempered system. The greatest polyphonist, in HTK fugues Bach created unsurpassed examples, a kind of school of contrapuntal skill, which was continued and completed in The Art of Fugue, on which Bach worked over the last 10 years of his life. Bach is the author of one of the first clavier concertos - the Italian Concerto (without an orchestra), which fully approved the independent significance of the clavier as a concert instrument. Bach's music for violin, cello, flute, oboe, instrumental ensemble, orchestra - sonatas, suites, partitas, concertos - marks a significant expansion of the expressive and technical capabilities of the instruments, reveals a deep knowledge of the instruments and universalism in their interpretation. 6 Brandenburg concertos for various instrumental ensembles, which implemented the genre and compositional principles of the concerto grosso, were an important step on the way to a classical symphony.

During Bach's lifetime, a small part of his works were published. The true scale of Bach's genius, which had a strong influence on the subsequent development of European musical culture, began to be realized only half a century after his death. Among the first connoisseurs are the founder of Bach studies I.N. Forkel (published in 1802 an essay on the life and work of Bach), K.F. Zelter, whose work to preserve and promote Bach's heritage led to the performance of the Passion according to Matthew under the direction of F. Mendelssohn in 1829. This performance, which had historical significance, served as an impetus for the revival of Bach's work in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1850, the Bach Society was formed in Leipzig.

Compositions:
For soloists, choir and orchestra – John Passion (1724), Matthew Passion (1727 or 1729; final rev. 1736), Magnificat (1723), High Mass (h minor, circa 1747–49; 1st rev. 1733) , 4 short masses (1730s), oratorios (Christmas, Easter, about 1735), cantatas (about 200 spiritual, more than 20 secular ones have survived); for orchestra - 6 Brandenburg Concertos (1711–20), 5 overtures (suites, 1721–30); concertos for instruments and orchestra - for 1, 2, 3, 4 claviers, 2 for violin, for 2 violins; chamber instrumental ensembles - 6 sonatas for violin and clavier, 3 sonatas for flute and clavier, 3 sonatas for cello and clavier, trio sonatas; for organ - 6 organ concertos (1708–17), preludes and fugues, fantasies and fugues, toccatas and fugues, c-moll passacaglia, chorale preludes; for clavier - 6 English suites, 6 French suites, 6 partitas, Well-Tempered Clavier (Vol. 1 - 1722, Vol. 2 - 1744), Italian Concerto (1734), Goldberg Variations (1742); for violin - 3 sonatas, 3 partitas; 6 suites for cello; spiritual songs, arias; compositions without specifying the performing staff - Musical Offering (1747), The Art of the Fugue (1740–50), etc.

He created the Brandenburg and Violin Concertos, in Leipzig some of these works were arranged for the clavier with accompaniment, and in the mid-30s the Italian Concerto was written. This was preceded, starting from Weimar, by intensive work to assimilate the experience of Italian masters, primarily Vivaldi, whose at least nine violin concertos Bach arranged for clavier and organ. The transcription of Vivaldi's concerto in h-moll for four violins is Bach's concerto for four claviers.

The thirteen clavier concertos written by Bach during the Leipzig period belong entirely to him. Here he is the pioneer of this genre. At that time, the clavier was gradually entering the musical life of a large German city with a tradition of public concerts and a relatively wide circle of lovers of musical art. Several concertos were written for the Telemann Society, where Bach performed as a conductor from 1729. These works of the master not only "came in time" in his era, but formed a new, very significant genre line in the history of music, stretching to the present day.

Seven concertos for one clavier with accompaniment: No. 1 (according to the numbering adopted in the edition of the Bach Society) - d-moll, No. 2 - E-dur, No. 3 - D-dur, No. 4 A-dur, No. 5 - f-moll, No. 6 - F-dur, No. 7 - g-moll and one c-moll "ny - for two claviers with accompaniment - represent transcriptions of Bach's own violin concertos.

Most popular in contemporary piano repertoire concert No. 1 in d-moll, two parts of which were included in the cantata "Great sorrow leads us." This work is extremely organic, beautiful in clavier texture and, according to the fair remark of F. Wolfrum, “the least reminds of its “violin” origin.”

Perfect examples of Bach's clavier-concert style - double concert C-dur and both triple concerto - C-dur and d-moll written by the master especially for these ensembles.

When performing and studying all these wonderful works, one should not forget that Bakhovsky differs from the modern concerto not only in terms of timbre-dynamic possibilities, structure of forms, technique, but also in another role of the solo instrument: it is nothing more than an “obligate part” in the general ensemble (strings and accompanying clavier - basso continuo). This is already reflected in a certain “universality”, generalization of thematicism (violin - clavier; clavier - organ). The principle of competition (concert) operates here just as immutably as with the Italians; hence the greater or lesser thematic saturation of the whole fabric and the almost incessant active melodic movement in the parts of the bowed ones. In the extreme parts, the main, most prominent thematic performances are entrusted to tutti or the unison of solo and tutti. In addition, the strings lead the voices that counterpoint the melodic lines of the soli, and participate in "episodes" of a developmental nature. On the other hand, in the medium slow parts of the three-movement cycle (also following the Italian model), the tutti modestly recede into the background or fall silent altogether (Adagio of the double concerto C-dur), and the solo clavier comes into sovereign rights and sonorously sings his lyrical melody with accompaniment (left-hand part ). In terms of structure, these middle parts are rather homophonic and are usually built in the old two-part or variation form (on an ostinato bass). Between the two vibrant Allegri they create a captivatingly poetic contrast.

The first parts of the cycles are most impressive in scope and concert in presentation, energetic in tone, and intense in thematic development. They contain the most elements that can serve as material for future sonata-symphonic forms. First of all, this is a motivic fragmentation with contrapuntal, modulating development and a typical tonal plan of thematic passages: a tonic-dominant antithesis in the first part of the form, a turn into a subdominant sphere - in the middle and a return to the main key - towards the end. However, thematically, such an Allegro is still very far from the sonata-symphony. His theme is often close in type to polyphonic forms (the core and the subsequent neutral movement). If the theme is a period, then most often it is a period of the expansion type, with the dissolution of the initial construction in modulating sequences. In addition, the Allegro theme is essentially one, and it is precisely its implementations that form the reference line of the entire tonal plan. Between them are parts of the form, similar to the middle type of development; we could call them "thematic rarefaction" (a term by V. A. Zuckerman). In this sense, the structure of the first part of the concerto is “two-faced”: thematically, it still gravitates toward a rondo with developmental episodes; tonally, it is already approaching the sonata.

After the lofty lyrics of Adagio, with its characteristic slow development of the song image, the finals of the concerts again plunge us into the sphere of energetic movement, high and even tone. The original tonality, tempo, rondo-shaped features of the three-part form return, active concert performance by the strings. This is how the second great contrast of the concert cycle arises. But it is not quite symmetrical to the first one (Allegro - Adagio). In the finals, there is more brilliance, a surge of energy, a “big touch”, and more than once the naturalness with which associations arise here, leading to images of a festival, folk dance, has been rightly emphasized in literature. But precisely because of this, the finals are more elementary than the first parts in terms of thematics and development, in particular modulation; they have less depth and intensity of internal development, although this is almost always compensated by excellently "organized" imitative polyphony. All taken together leads to a peculiar result - incomplete symmetry of contrasting close-up images.

Bach's Clavier Concertos are concertos written by the composer for harpsichord (often performed on the piano nowadays), string orchestra and basso continuo. Concertos for one to four claviers and orchestra are included in Schmieder's catalog respectively under the numbers BWV 1052-1065.

The creation of clavier concertos dates back approximately to the 30s of the 18th century. From 1729, Bach headed the Musical Student Society at the University of Leipzig, participating in its concerts as a conductor and soloist. It was for these performances that the concertos for one, two, three and four harpsichords with an orchestra were created. The vast majority of these works are author's adaptations of previously written compositions for other instruments (judging by the nature and texture of solo parts, mainly violin concertos). The content of the music of the clavier concertos, the nature of the thematics, the methods of development, the structural layout clearly and convincingly testify to their belonging to Bach's pen.

2.1 Concerto No. 1 for clavier and orchestra (D minor) BWV 1052
2.2 Concerto No. 2 for clavier and orchestra (E major) BWV 1053
2.3 Concerto No. 3 for clavier and orchestra (D major) BWV 1054
2.5 Concerto No. 5 for clavier and orchestra (F minor) BWV 1056

Concerto No. 1 for clavier and orchestra (D minor) BWV 1052
Consists of three parts:
Allegro (¢) ~ 8 min.
Adagio (3/4) ~ 6 min.
Allegro (3/4) ~ 8 min.
The concerto is transcribed from the lost Violin Concerto BWV 1052R.
This concert belongs to the most popular works of Bach. Although the original, which has not survived, was obviously intended for the violin, the clavier version impresses with the perfection of writing and, as the German musicologist Philipp Wolfrum points out,
"least of all reminds of its violin origin"
The concerto in D minor stands out for its breadth of scale and depth of drama. The first movement is based on an energetic harsh melody, presented by a powerful unison of the orchestra and the soloist. Its sharply characteristic motif is being actively developed. The new gloomy theme of the "toccata" character appears twice in the dominant and main keys, like a side part of the sonata form.
A gloomy concentrated expression distinguishes the second movement, Adagio in G minor, based on the reception of a continuous bass.
The third movement, Allegro, is, as in most of Bach's concertos, a kind of figurative reprise of the first movement. The widely developed, mobile and resilient main theme, the “toccata” motifs of the soloist in the episodes evoke direct associations with the thematics of the first Allegro, emphasizing the dramatic character common to the entire work.

Concerto No. 2 for clavier and orchestra (E major) BWV 1053
Consists of three parts:
Allegro (c) ~ 9 min.
Siciliano (12/8) ~ 5 min.
Allegro (3/8) ~ 7 min.
The concerto is probably transcribed from a lost oboe concerto BWV 1053R.
The question of the origin of the Clavier Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053 has not yet been exactly clarified. In the texture of his solo part there are many features close to the specifics of Bach's clavier and organ writing, so the existence of an earlier violin version is questioned. At the same time, all parts of the concerto are also found in Bach's cantatas.
The second movement, Siciliana in C sharp minor, takes it into the realm of elegiac sadness. Using the genre of Italian dance Siciliana with its characteristic "swaying" rhythm, Bach creates an intermezzo.
The structure, dramaturgy and figurative structure of the finale, Allegro, exactly repeat the first part, creating a kind of "arch". But, as usual in the final parts, the dance element is more clearly revealed here - the rhythmic pulsation of the music resembles a moving French paspier dance.
Concerto No. 3 for Clavier and Orchestra (D Major) BWV 1054

Consists of three parts:
Allegro (¢) ~ 8 min.
Adagio e sempre piano (3/4) ~ 6 min.
Allegro (3/8) ~ 3 min.
The concerto is an arrangement of the violin concerto BWV 1042
Clavier Concerto No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1054 - adaptation of the Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1043, according to A. Schweitzer,
"full of invincible cheerfulness, which in the first and last parts pours out in a triumphant song."
The main theme of the first movement, which opens with a catchy appealing intonation, combines festivity and energy, brightly set off by a dramatic middle section, ending with a pathetic recitative.
The second movement, Adagio e piano sempre in B minor, belongs to the most amazing pages of Bach's concertos.
The finale of the concerto is Allegro, a mobile minuet in the form of a simple rondo.

Concerto No. 5 for clavier and orchestra (F minor) BWV 1056

Consists of three parts:
Allegro (2/4) ~ 3 min.
Largo (c) ~ 2 min.
Presto (3/4) ~ 4 min.
Clavier Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056 is also a transcription of a lost violin concerto. This wonderful work is distinguished by a combination of dramatic tension, which from the very first bars attracts the attention of the listener, and the ultimate laconism of expression.
The first movement is permeated by the stern tread of the main theme with characteristic roll calls - "echo" between the soloist and the orchestra - a magnificent example of Bach's thematicism.
The second part - Largo in A flat major - "lyrical digression". The subtlety and transparency of the instrumentation contribute to the creation of the overall color: a beautiful sublime melody, colored with figurations, is entrusted to the soloist from beginning to end, accompanied by light accompanying string chords.
The third movement, Presto, returns to dramatic imagery again. But in the finale, dance features are also noticeable: a quick motor movement in three-part meter is somewhat reminiscent of a paspier (an old French dance similar to a minuet)
Text from Wikipedia.

Johann Sebastian Bach is the most talented composer of the 18th century. More than 250 years have passed since his death, and interest in his music has not faded to this day. But during his lifetime, the composer never received a well-deserved recognition. Interest in his work appeared only a century after his death.

Johann Sebastian Bach is the most remarkable member of the famous Bach musical family and one of the greatest composers of all time. Deprived at the age of 10 of his father, Johann Ambrose Bach (1645 - 1695), Johann Sebastian was placed in the care of his older brother Johann Christoph, an organist in Ohrdruf (Thuringia), who laid the foundation for his musical studies. After the death of his brother, 14-year-old Johann Sebastian went to Lüneburg, where he entered the gymnasium choir as a treble and received a higher school education. From here he often traveled to Hamburg to get acquainted with the playing of the organist Reinken, as well as Celle, and to listen to the famous court chapel. In 1703 Bach became a violinist at the court chapel in Weimar. In 1704 he became an organist in Arnstadt, from where he traveled to Lübeck in 1705 to listen to and study with the famous organist Buchstegude. In 1707, Johann Sebastian became organist in Mühlhausen, in 1708 he became court organist and chamber musician in Weimar, a position he held until 1717.

The beginning of an independent life

At the age of 15, Bach entered the prestigious Lüneburg school of church choristers, which was located at the church of St. Michael, and at the same time, thanks to his beautiful voice, young Bach was able to earn some money in the church choir. In addition, in Lüneburg, the young man met Georg Böhm, a famous organist, communication with whom had an impact on the composer's early work. He also repeatedly traveled to Hamburg to listen to the play of the largest representative of the German organ school A. Reinken. The first works by Bach for clavier and organ belong to the same period. After successfully completing school, Johann Sebastian receives the right to enter the university, but due to lack of funds, he did not have the opportunity to continue his education.

Johann's abilities were not limited only to composing skills. Among his contemporaries, he was considered the best performer of the harpsichord and organ. It was for improvising on these instruments that he received recognition (even from his rivals) during his lifetime. They say that when Louis Marchand, a harpsichordist and organist from France, on the eve of the Dresden competition in playing these instruments, heard Bach perform, he hastily left the city.

life path

Johann began his career in Weimar, where he was accepted into the court chapel of Duke Johann Ernst of Saxony as a violinist. However, this did not last long, as such work did not satisfy the creative impulses of the young musician. Bach in 1703, without hesitation, agrees to move to the city of Arnstadt, where he was in the church of St. Boniface was initially offered the post of superintendent of the organ, and later the post of organist. A decent salary, work only three days a week, a good modernized instrument tuned to the latest system, all this created the conditions for expanding the musician's creative possibilities not only as a performer, but also as a composer. During this period, he created a large number of organ works, as well as capriccios, cantatas and suites. Here Johann becomes a true organ expert and a brilliant virtuoso, whose playing aroused unbridled delight among the listeners. It is in Arnstadt that his gift for improvisation is revealed, which the church leadership did not like very much. Bach always strived for perfection and did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with famous musicians, for example, with the organist Dietrich Buxtehude, who served in the city of Lübeck. After receiving a four-week vacation, Bach went to listen to the great musician, whose playing impressed Johann so much that, forgetting about his duties, he stayed in Lübeck for four months. Upon returning to Arndstadt, the indignant leadership gave Bach a humiliating trial, after which he had to leave the city and look for a new job.

The next city on Bach's life path was Mühlhausen. Here in 1706 he won a competition for the position of organist in the church of St. Vlasia. He was accepted with a good salary, but also with a certain condition: the musical accompaniment of the chorales must be strict, without any kind of "decorations". The authorities of the city further treated the new organist with respect: they approved the plan for the reconstruction of the church organ, and also paid a good reward for the festive cantata “The Lord is my Tsar” composed by Bach, which was dedicated to the inauguration ceremony of the new consul. Staying in Mühlhausen in Bach's life was marked by a happy event: he married his beloved cousin Maria Barbara, who later gave him seven children.

In 1708, Duke Ernst of Saxe-Weimar heard the magnificent game of the Mühlhausen organist. Impressed by what he heard, the noble nobleman immediately offered Bach the positions of court musician and city organist with a salary much higher than before. Johann Sebastian began the Weimar period, which is characterized as one of the most fruitful in the composer's creative life. At this time, he created a large number of compositions for clavier and organ, including a collection of choral preludes, Passacaglia in c-moll, the famous Toccata and Fugue in d-moll, Fantasia and Fugue in C-dur, and many other great works. It should also be noted that the composition of more than two dozen spiritual cantatas also belongs to this period. Such effectiveness in Bach's composing work was associated with his appointment in 1714 as vice-kapellmeister, whose duties included regular monthly updating of church music.

In 1717, Bach left Weimar to get a job in Köthen as a court bandmaster with Prince Anhalt of Köthen. In Köthen, Bach had to write secular music, because, as a result of the reforms, no music was performed in the church, except for the singing of psalms. Here Bach occupied an exceptional position: as a court conductor he was well paid, the prince treated him like a friend, and the composer repaid this with excellent compositions. In Köthen, the musician had many students, and for their education he compiled the Well-Tempered Clavier. These are 48 preludes and fugues that made Bach famous as a master of clavier music. When the prince married, the young princess showed dislike for both Bach and his music. Johann Sebastian had to look for another job.

Settlement in Leipzig

Bach moved to this city in 1723 and stayed there forever. At the Church of St. Thomas, he received the position of director of the choir. Conditions for Bach were again shy. In addition to many duties (educator, composer, teacher), he was ordered not to leave the city without the permission of the burgomaster. He also had to write music according to the rules: not too operatic and long, but at the same time such that would arouse reverence in listeners. But, despite all the restrictions, Bach, as always, continued to create. He created his best compositions in Leipzig. The authorities of the church considered the music of Johann Sebastian too colorful, humane and bright, they allocated little money for the maintenance of the school. The only consolation of the composer was creativity and family. His three sons also turned out to be excellent musicians. Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife, had a great soprano voice. His eldest daughter also sang well.

Bach's organ work

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. Everything in them is presented mainly in 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 the 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 is one-movement chorale preludes. 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 are the toccata and fugue in D minor, the prelude and fugue in A minor, and many other compositions.

Personal life

Johann Sebastian belonged to the largest German musical dynasty, whose pedigree is usually counted from Veit Bach, a simple baker, but very fond of music and perfectly performing folk melodies on his favorite instrument - the zither. This passion from the founder of the family was passed on to his descendants, many of them became professional musicians: composers, cantors, bandmasters, as well as a variety of instrumentalists. They settled not only in Germany, some even went abroad. Within two hundred years, there were so many Bach musicians that any person whose occupation was connected with music began to be named after them. The most famous ancestors of Johann Sebastian whose works have come down to us were: Johannes, Heinrich, Johann Christoph, Johann Bernhard, Johann Michael and Johann Nikolaus. Johann Sebastian's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was also a musician and served as organist in Eisenach, the city where Bach was born.

Johann Sebastian himself was the father of a large family: from two wives he had twenty children. He first married his beloved cousin Maria Barbara, daughter of Johann Michael Bach, in 1707. Maria bore Johann Sebastian seven children, three of whom died in infancy. Maria herself also did not live a long life, she died at the age of 36, leaving Bach four young children. Bach was very upset by the loss of his wife, but a year later he again fell in love with the young girl Anna Magdalena Wilken, whom he met at the court of the Duke of Anhalt-Keten and proposed to her. Despite the big difference in age, the girl agreed and it is obvious that this marriage was very successful, since Anna Magdalena gave Bach thirteen children. The girl did an excellent job with the housework, cared for the children, sincerely rejoiced at the success of her husband and provided great assistance in the work, rewriting his scores. The family for Bach was a great joy, he devoted a lot of time to raising children, making music with them and composing special exercises. In the evenings, the family very often arranged impromptu concerts, which brought joy to everyone. Bach's children had excellent natural gifts, but four of them had exceptional musical talent - these are Johann Christoph Friedrich, Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann and Johann Christian. They also became composers and left their mark on the history of music, but none of them could surpass their father either in writing or in the art of performing.

Composer's death

In 1749, the composer's health deteriorated. Bach Johann Sebastian, whose biography ends in 1750, began to suddenly lose his sight and turned to the English ophthalmologist John Taylor for help, who performed 2 operations in March-April 1750. However, both were unsuccessful. The composer's vision never returned. On July 28, at the age of 65, Johann Sebastian passed away. Modern newspapers wrote that "death was the result of an unsuccessful operation on the eyes." Currently, historians believe the cause of the death of the composer was a stroke complicated by pneumonia. Carl Philipp Emmanuel, son of Johann Sebastian, and his student Johann Friedrich Agricola wrote an obituary. It was published in 1754 by Lorenz Christoph Mitzler in a musical magazine. Johann Sebastian Bach, whose brief biography is presented above, was originally buried in Leipzig, near the Church of St. John. The grave remained untouched for 150 years. Later, in 1894, the remains were transferred to a special storage in the church of St. John, and in 1950 - to the church of St. Thomas, where the composer still rests.

• - Bach was a recognized organ specialist. He was invited to check and tune instruments in various temples in Weimar, where he lived for quite some time. Each time impressing clients with the amazing improvisations he played to hear what the instrument in need of his work sounded like.
• - Johann was bored during the service to perform monotonous chorales, and without restraining his creative impulse, he impromptu inserted his small embellishing variations into the established church music, which caused great displeasure of the authorities.
• - Better known for his religious works, Bach also succeeded in composing secular music, as evidenced by his "Coffee Cantata". Bach presented this work full of humor as a small comic opera. Originally titled "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht" ("Shut up, stop talking"), it describes the lyrical hero's addiction to coffee, and, not coincidentally, this cantata was first performed in the Leipzig coffee house.
• - At the age of 18, Bach really wanted to get a place as an organist in Lübeck, which at that time belonged to the famous Dietrich Buxtehude. Another contender for this place was G. Handel. The main condition for taking this position was marriage to one of Buxtehude's daughters, but neither Bach nor Handel dared to sacrifice themselves like that.
• - Johann Sebastian Bach really liked to dress up as a poor teacher and in this form visit small churches, where he asked the local organist to play the organ a little. Some parishioners, hearing an unusually beautiful performance for them, frightenedly left the service, thinking that the devil himself appeared in their temple in the form of a strange man.
• - The Russian envoy in Saxony, Hermann von Keyserling, asked Bach to write a work to which he could quickly fall asleep soundly. This is how the Goldberg Variations appeared, for which the composer received a golden cube filled with a hundred louis. These variations are still one of the best "sleeping pills" to this day.
• - Johann Sebastian was known to his contemporaries not only as an outstanding composer and virtuoso performer, but also as a man with a very difficult character, intolerant of the mistakes of others. There is a case when a bassoonist, publicly insulted by Bach for an imperfect performance, attacked Johann. A real duel took place, as both were armed with daggers.
• - Bach, who was fond of numerology, liked to weave the numbers 14 and 41 into his musical works, because the first letters of the composer's name corresponded to these numbers.
• - Thanks to Johann Sebastian Bach, not only men sing in church choirs today. The first woman who sang in the temple was the wife of the composer Anna Magdalena, who has a beautiful voice.
• - In the middle of the 19th century, German musicologists founded the first Bach Society, whose main task was to publish the composer's works. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the society dissolved itself and the complete works of Bach were published only in the second half of the twentieth century at the initiative of the Bach Institute, established in 1950. In the world today there are a total of two hundred and twenty-two Bach societies, Bach orchestras and Bach choirs.
• - Researchers of Bach's work suggest that the great maestro composed 11,200 works, although the legacy known to posterity includes only 1,200 compositions.
• - To date, there are more than fifty-three thousand books and various publications about Bach in different languages, about seven thousand complete biographies of the composer have been published.
• - Everyone knows that Beethoven suffered from hearing loss, but few people know that Bach went blind in his declining years. Actually, the unsuccessful operation on the eyes, performed by the charlatan surgeon John Taylor, caused the death of the composer in 1750.
• - Johann Sebastian Bach was buried near the Church of St. Thomas. Some time later, a road was laid through the territory of the cemetery and the grave was lost. At the end of the 19th century, during the reconstruction of the church, the remains of the composer were found and reburied. After World War II, in 1949, Bach's relics were transferred to the church building. However, due to the fact that the grave changed its place several times, skeptics doubt that the ashes of Johann Sebastian are in the burial.
• - To date, 150 postage stamps dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach have been issued worldwide, 90 of them published in Germany.
• - Johann Sebastian Bach, the great musical genius, is treated with great reverence all over the world, monuments to him are erected in many countries, only in Germany there are 12 monuments. One of them is located in Dornheim near Arnstadt and is dedicated to the wedding of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara.

Major works by Bach

Vocal works (accompanied by orchestra):

• - 198 church cantatas
• - 12 secular cantatas
• - 6 motets
• - Christmas and Easter oratorios
Grand Mass in h-moll VI. 4 Small Masses and 5 Sanctuses VII. Magnificat D-dur VIII. Passion for Matthew and John IX. Funeral ode

Works for orchestra and chamber music:

• - 4 overtures (suites) and 6 Brandenburg concertos
• - 7 concertos for clavier and orchestra
3 concertos for two claviers and orchestra 2 concertos for three claviers and orchestra 1 concerto for four claviers and orchestra III. 3 concertos for violin and orchestra IV. 6 solo sonatas for violin 8 sonatas for violin and clavier 6 sonatas for flute and clavier 6 solo sonatas (suites) for cello 3 sonatas for viola da gamba and clavier 3 sonatas for trio

Works for clavier:

• - Partitas, French and English suites, inventions for two and three voices, symphonies, preludes, fugues, fantasies, overtures, toccatas, capriccios, sonatas, duets, Italian concerto, Chromatic fantasy and fugue
• - Well-Tempered Clavier
• - Goldberg variations
• - The Art of the Fugue

Works for organ:

• - Preludes, fantasies, toccatas, fugues, canzones, sonatas, passacaglia, concertos on Vivaldi themes
• - Choral Preludes
• - III. Choral Variations