Johann Sebastian Bach - a short biography of the composer. The most famous work of Johann Sebastian Bach The most famous work of Bach for organ

From the 19th century to the present day, interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach has not subsided. The creativity of the 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 familiarized himself with new material, developed and generalized the accumulated experience. On the other hand, Bach was an unsurpassed innovator who managed to open up new perspectives 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 has 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. Bach's work can be roughly 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. The most outstanding organ compositions were composed in Weimar. The Keten period marks the emergence of a huge number of clavier and orchestral works. In Leipzig, most of the vocal and instrumental ones are written.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography and creativity

The future composer was born in 1685 in the small town of Eisenach, into a musical family. It was a traditional profession for the whole family. 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 an orphan. After the death of his parents, he was raised by Johann Christoph (older brother). At the age of 15, the boy graduated from the Ohrdruf Lyceum with honors and moved to Luneburg, where he began to sing in the choir of the "chosen few". By the age of 17, he learned to play different harpsichord, organ, violin. Since 1703 he has lived 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 associated with the unwillingness to feel dependent on certain employers. He served as a musician (as organist or violinist). The working conditions also constantly did not suit him. At this time, his first compositions for clavier and organ appeared, as well as sacred cantatas.

Weimar period

In 1708, Bach began serving as court organist to the Duke of Weimar. At the same time he works as a chamber musician in the chapel. 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 have appeared. This:

• Prelude and fugue in c minor, a minor.
• 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 transcriptions 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 Keten. Here he holds a high-ranking position as head of chamber music. He is, in fact, the ruler of all musical life at court. But he is not satisfied with a too small town. Bach strives 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 high-quality organ in Keten, and there was also no choir chapel. Therefore, Bach's clavier music develops here. The composer also pays a lot of attention to ensemble music. Works written in Keten:

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

Leipzig period and last years of life

Since 1723, the maestro has lived in Leipzig, where he directs the choir (holds the position of cantor) at the school at the Church of St. Thomas in Tomaszul. Takes an active part in the public circle of music lovers. The "collegium" of the city constantly organized concerts of secular music. What masterpieces at that time enriched the work of Bach? It is worth briefly indicating the main works of the Leipzig period, which can rightfully be considered the best. This:

• Passion for John.
• Mass 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:

• 2 volume "HTK".
• Italian concert.
• Partitas.
• "The Art of the Fugue".
• Aria with different 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 musical schools and genres. Johann Sebastian organically weaved the best harmonies into his works. In order to understand the musical language of the Italians, he also copied their compositions. His creations were saturated with texts, rhythms and forms of French and Italian music, North German counterpoint style, and Lutheran liturgy. The synthesis of various styles and genres was harmoniously combined with the deep penetration of human experiences. His musical idea stood out for its special uniqueness, versatility and a certain cosmic character. Bach's work belongs to a style that is firmly established in the art of music. This is the classicism of the high baroque era. Bach's musical style is characterized by possession of an extraordinary melodic system, where the main idea dominates in the music. Thanks to the mastery of the counterpoint technique, several melodies can interact at the same time. 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 with features of other genres. The clearest example is Chromatic Fantasy in D minor. The work was created for the clavier, but it contains dramatic recitation of theatrical origin and expressive properties of large organ improvisations. It is easy to see that Bach's work "bypassed" 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 comedy sideshows (at that time in Italy they were reborn into an opera buffa). Some cantatas by Bach, created in the spirit of witty genre scenes, anticipated the German singspiel.

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 simple-minded humor, deep sorrow, philosophical reflection, and sharpest drama. The genius Johann Sebastian in his music reflected 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:

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

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

Bach's symbolism

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

• anabasis - climbing;
• circulatio - rotation;
• catabasis - descent;
• exclamatio - exclamation, ascending sixth;
• fuga - running;
• passus duriusculus - a chromatic move used to express suffering or grief;
• suspiratio - sigh;
• tirata - 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, position in the coffin. A gradual upward movement (anabasis) was used to express ascension, uplifted spirit and other moments. Motives-symbols are observed in all the works of the composer. In the works of Bach, the Protestant chorale prevailed, to which the maestro addressed throughout his life. It also has a symbolic meaning. The 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, it should be noted the stable combinations of sounds that have constant meanings. The symbol of the cross predominated in Bach's work. It consists of four multidirectional notes. It is noteworthy that if you decipher the composer's surname (BACH) with notes, then the same graphic pattern is formed. B - B flat, A - A, C - C, H - B. Such researchers as F. Busoni, A. Schweitzer, M. Yudina, B. Yavorsky and others made a great contribution to the development of Bach's musical symbols.

"Second birth"

During his lifetime, the work of Sebastian Bach was not appreciated at its true worth. 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 have been published. After his death, the composer's name was soon forgotten, and the surviving manuscripts were gathering dust in the archives. Perhaps we would never have learned anything about this brilliant man. But, fortunately, this did not happen. True interest in Bach arose in the 19th century. Once F. Mendelssohn discovered in the library the sheet music of "St. 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 a 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 found Bach manuscripts in the form of a complete collection. As a result, 46 volumes were collected.

Bach's Organ Works. Summary

The composer has created excellent works for the organ. This instrument is a real element for Bach. Here he was able to liberate his thoughts, feelings and emotions and convey all this to the listener. Hence the enlargement of lines, concertness, 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 preludes, toccata and fantasies, there is a pathos of musical images in free, improvisational forms. Fugues are characterized by a special virtuosity and an 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 in the form of a layering of large layers of music, but there is no particular discreteness and breaks. On the contrary, continuity (continuity of movement) prevails. Each phrase follows from the previous one with increasing tension. The climaxes are constructed in the same way. The emotional uplift eventually intensifies to its highest point. Bach is the first composer who showed the laws of symphonic development in large forms of instrumental polyphonic music. Bach's organ work seems to split into two poles. The first is preludes, toccatas, fugues, fantasies (large musical cycles). The second - one-part. They are written mainly in a chamber plan. They reveal mainly lyrical images: intimate and sorrowful and sublimely contemplative. The best works for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach - 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, too, he proved himself to be an innovator. Bach's keyboard work is characterized by scale, exceptional versatility, and a search for expressive means. He was the first composer to experience 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 entire world musical culture. Thanks to him, the claviers have expanded significantly. He enriches the instrument with new virtuoso technique and changes the essence of musical images.

Among his works for organ stand out in particular:

• 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, reflecting on the deep meaning underlying them. The genres to which the maestro turned throughout his life were very diverse. This is organ music, vocal and instrumental music for various instruments (violin, flute, clavier and others) and for instrumental ensembles.

From an early age, Bach felt his vocation in the organ field, tirelessly studied the art of organ improvisation, which was the basis of his composing skills. As a child, in his native Eisenach, he listened to the organ playing of his uncle, and then, in Ohrdruf, his brother. In Arnstadt, Bach himself began to work as an organist, and undoubtedly already there he tried to compose for the organ, although his choral arrangements, which embarrassed the Arnstadt parishioners with their unusualness, did not come down to us. The composer also served as organist in Weimar, where his distinctive organ style was fully formed. As you know, it was in the Weimar years that exceptional activity in the field of Bach organ creativity occurred - most organ works were created: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Toccata, adagio and Fugue in C major, Prelude and Fugue in A minor, Fantasy and Fugue in G minor , Passacaglia c-moll and many others. Even when, due to circumstances, the composer switched to another work, he did not part with a portable - a portable organ. One should not forget that, accompanied by the organ, Bach's oratorios, cantatas, and passions sounded in the church. It was through the organ that Bach was known to his contemporaries. In organ improvisations, he reached the highest perfection, shaking everyone who could hear him. The renowned organist Jan Reinken, already in his declining years, having heard Bach play, said: "I thought that this art has long died, but now I see that it lives in you!"

The main features of the organ style

In the Bach era, the organ was the “king of all instruments” - the most powerful, full-bodied and colorful. It sounded under the spacious vaults of church cathedrals with their spatial acoustics. Organ art was addressed to a wide audience of listeners, hence such qualities of organ music as oratorical pathos, monumentality, concert quality. This style demanded expanded forms, virtuosity. Organ works are like monumental (fresco) painting, where everything is shown in close-up. It is not surprising that Bach created the most magnificent instrumental works specifically for organ: Passacaglia in c minor, Toccata, adagio and fugue in C major, Fantasy and fugue in g minor, and others.

Traditions of German organ art. Choral preludes.

Bach's organ art grew on rich soil, because it was German masters who played the most important role in the development of organ music. In Germany, organ art has reached an unprecedented scale, and a whole galaxy of remarkable organists has emerged. Bach had a chance to hear many of them: in Hamburg - J. Reinken, in Lubeck - D. Buxtehude, who was especially close to Bach. From his predecessors, he adopted the main genres of German organ music - fugue, toccata, choral prelude.

In the organ work of Bach, 2 genre varieties can be distinguished:

• choral preludes as predominantly small compositions;
• "Small" polyphonic cycles as works of large form. They consist of an introductory piece and a fugue.

Bach wrote over 150 chorale preludes, most of which are contained in 4 collections. A special place among them is occupied by the "Organ Book" - the earliest (1714-1716), consisting of 45 treatments. Later, the collection “Piano Exercises” appeared, which included 21 arrangements, some of which were designed for organ performance. The next collection - of 6 pieces - is known as Schübler's Chorales (named after the publisher and organist Schübler, a student of Bach). The last collection of chorale adaptations - "18 Chorales" - the composer prepared for publication shortly before his death.

With all the diversity of Bach's choral preludes, they are united by:

• small scale;
• the dominance of the melodic principle, since the genre of choral processing is associated with vocal tunes;
• chamber style. In the chorale preludes, Bach emphasized not the enormous resources of powerful organ sound, but its brilliance, timbre richness;
• widespread use of polyphonic techniques.

The range of images of choral preludes is associated with the content of the underlying chorales. In general, these are samples of philosophical Bach's lyrics, reflections on a person, his joys and sorrows.

Prelude Es-dur

Her music bears a stately calm, enlightened character, develops smoothly and unhurriedly. The theme of the chorale is rather monotonous in rhythmic and melodic terms. It is based on moving along stable steps of the fret with multiple repetitions of the same sound. However, Bach begins his prelude not with a chorale melody, but with his own theme - more melodious, flexible and mobile, and at the same time akin to the chorale.

Developing, this theme is continuously enriched in tone and rhythm. Widely chanted phrases appear in it, the range expands. Along with this, instability is aggravated in it, the motive of sighing is sequentially repeated, which becomes a means of forcing expression.

The tonal plan of the prelude covers related flat keys. Ladotonal development is directed from light major colors to a darker minor color in the middle, and then to the return of the original light sound.

The sparse, clear texture of the prelude is based on two main melodic lines, far behind from each other (this creates a sense of spatial breadth). The middle voices, where the theme of the chorale is presented, are included later and also have melodic independence.

Prelude in f-moll

("I appeal to you, Lord")

In this prelude, the melody of the chorale is placed in the upper voice, it dominates, defining the entire appearance of the work. Bach was responsible for the harmonization of the melody and the creation of the texture of the accompaniment.

The theme of the chorale is notable for its songwriting, based on smooth soft intonations. Rhythmic monotony, accentuated by the smooth movement of the bass, gives the music austerity and composure. The main mood is deep concentration, sublime sadness.

Three planes are clearly distinguished in the texture: the upper voice (the theme of the chorale itself, the sound of which in the middle register resembles singing), the bass line and the middle voice - intonationally very expressive and rhythmically mobile. 2-part form. The first section is clearly divided into sentences and ends with a clear cadence. The second is developing more continuously.

Two-part polyphonic cycles

Two-part compositions, consisting of some kind of introductory piece (preludes, fantasies, toccata) and fugues, were already encountered by composers of the pre-Bach generation, but then they were more the exception than the rule, the pattern. Either independent, unrelated fugues, toccata, fantasies, or one-part compositions prevailed. mixed type... They freely combined prelude-improvisational and fugue episodes. Bach broke this tradition by delimiting contrasting spheres in two individual but organically interconnected parts of a polyphonic cycle. In the first part, a free, improvisational beginning was concentrated, in the second - a fugue - a strictly organized one. Musical development in a fugue always obeys the laws of logic and discipline, proceeds in a strictly defined "channel". A well-thought-out system of fugue compositional techniques had already developed before Bach, in the works of his predecessors, the German organists.

The introductory parts of the polyphonic cycle did not have such a "predestination". They developed in the practice of free foreplay on the organ, that is, they differed improvisational nature - complete freedom to express emotions. They are characterized by:

• "General forms" of movement - virtuoso passages, harmonic figurations, that is, movement along the sounds of chords;
• sequential development of small melodic cells;
• free change of pace, episodes of different nature;
• bright dynamic contrasts.

Each Bach polyphonic cycle has its own unique look, individual artistic solution. The general and obligatory principle is harmonious unity of its two constituent parts. This unity is not limited to general tonality. So, for example, in the most popular Bach organ cycle - Toccate and fugue d-moll- the unity of the composition follows from the many-sided internal connections of toccata and fugue.

The music of toccata gives the impression of a powerful force, rebellion. The majestic pathos captures from the very first sounds entry- small, but very effective, setting the tone for everything that follows. The theme of the introduction begins as if immediately from the climax ("top-source"), on ff, in a powerful organ unison. It is based on declamatory, oratorical, invocative intonations, which, due to strong sonority and significant pauses, sound very impressive.

The same intonations underlie fugue themes- descent along the scale of the minor scale from the V step to the opening tone. Thanks to the non-stop ostinat run of the 16s, the fugue music has an active, energetic and motor character. In its theme there is a clear similarity with the second section of toccata - the presence of a latent two-part voice, repeated repetition of the sound "la", the same rhythmic pattern. In essence, both themes are perceived as two versions of one thematic material (the fugue theme is like a mirror image of the 2nd section of the toccata).

On a larger scale, the unity of toccata and fugue lies in the very cycle compositions... The culmination of the entire work is the final section of the fugue - a large coda of a pathetic nature. Here the images of toccata return, and polyphonic techniques give way to homophonic-harmonic ones. Massive chords and masterly passages sound again. Thus, in the cycle, there is a feeling of three-partness (toccata - fugue - toccata coda).

In addition, the fugue d-moll has another feature that emphasizes its relationship with toccata - the abundance of interludes. Interludes mainly consist of broken chords and their sequential development. Thanks to this, the polyphonic style of the fugue somewhat approaches the homophonic-harmonic one, echoing the improvisational style of the toccata.

The unification of the two parts of a polyphonic cycle may not be based on kinship, but, on the contrary, on a bright contrasting comparison of their musical images. This is how, for example, the g-minor organ cycle is built.

Fantasy and fugue in g-moll

Music fantasies its origins are associated with the austere and majestic images of Bach's choral works - his B minor Mass or Passions. It juxtaposes two contrasting emotional spheres. The first is tragic. Combining powerful chords with a monophonic recitative in a tense tessitura is like alternating a choir with a lead voice. Musical development takes place in an atmosphere of growing tension. Thanks to the organ point, sharply unstable, dissonant chords appear, recitative phrases are gradually becoming more and more saturated with drama.

The second theme is all the opposite of the first one. Against the background of the measuredly calm moves of the lower voice, the upper voices imitate a small lyrical melody based on a diminished triad. Minor scale, softness of sounding give the music a touch of sublime detachment. It ends with a thoughtful and sad descending second intonation.

Almost all further continuation of the fantasy is occupied by the complex development of the first theme. The drama of the overall sound is aggravated by a short reprise of the second theme, raised to a higher register.

The tragedy of fantasy is opposed by energy and activity fugue... She is distinguished by her dance character and clear connections with everyday secular music. The closeness to folk-genre origins is manifested, in particular, in the reprise structure of the theme, its completeness, in the periodicity of rhythmic accents. The theme features wide, “brisk” leaps to fifths, octaves, which, in combination with a springy elastic rhythm, create a very dynamic image. The energy of movement is also supported by the palatonal development: the tonic and dominant of the main key are compared with the tonic and dominant of the parallel major.

The form of the fugue is based on a reprisal threefoldness. The first part consists of an exposition and a counter-exposition, followed by a large middle developmental part and an abbreviated reprise. Each topic is preceded by detailed sideshows.

The organ cycle C-major is also distinguished by a huge internal contrast, the composition of which has been expanded by the inclusion of another, third, movement.

Toccata, adagio and fugue in C major

The line of figurative development is directed here from the stately pathetics of toccata to the sublime lyrics of Adagio, then to the powerful Grave (the final section of Adagio) and, finally, to the danceable dynamics of the fugue.

The basic principle of construction toccata- improvisation. It consists of several relatively complete sections, which differ from each other in the type of melodic movement (these are either virtuoso passages, or the sequential development of small melodic turns, or chord figuration - movement along the sounds of chords). At the same time, there is a clear unifying logic in toccata: a steady increase from beginning to end - the final majestic peak. It is achieved by gradually building up the overall sonority, thickening the texture (due to the branching of voices, their calls in different registers). At the last stage of this movement, the lowest organ sounds - the organ pedal - are activated.

V Adagio everything is in contrast to the toccata: minor key (parallel a-minor), chamber sounding - in the spirit of choral preludes, the same type of texture throughout (leading voice and accompaniment), homogeneous thematicism, lack of virtuoso brilliance, bright climactic ups. A deeply focused mood is maintained throughout the Adagio.

The final 10 bars of the Adagio are drastically different from the previous one. The character of the music becomes majestic and solemn here.

Large 4-voice fugue written written on the topic of broad extent. It is diatonic, based on dance turns, which, in combination with the 6/8 meter, give the music a jig-like feel. The theme is carried out 11 times: 7 times in the exposition, 3 - in development and 1 time in a reprise. Thus, the majority of development is occupied by interludes.

Free-form toccata consists of several episodes, clearly delimited from one another. Differing in texture, dynamic, register relation, they are related:

• the mood of stately pathos;
• a steady increase in dramatic tension, reaching a high intensity in the conclusion of the toccata;
• by the nature of the thematism.

Vocal and instrumental works: about 300 spiritual cantatas (199 survived); 24 secular cantatas (including Hunting, Coffee, Peasant); motets, chorales; Christmas oratorio; Passion for John, Passion for St. Matthew, Magnificat, Mass in B minor ("High Mass"), 4 short masses.

Arias and songs - from the second Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach.

For orchestra and orchestra with solo instruments:

6 Brandenburg concerts; 4 suites ("overtures"); 7 concerts for harpsichord (clavier) and orchestra; 3 concerts for two harpsichords and orchestra; 2 concerts for three harpsichords and orchestra; 1 concert for four harpsichords and orchestra; 3 concertos for violin and orchestra; concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord.

Works for violin, cello, flute with clavier (harpsichord) and solo: 6 sonatas for violin and harpsichord; 6 sonatas for flute and harpsichord; 3 sonatas for viola da gamba (cello) and harpsichord; trio sonatas; 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin; 6 suites (sonatas) for cello solo.

For clavier (harpsichord): 6 "English" suites; 6 "French" suites; 6 partitas; Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue; Italian concert; The Well-Tempered Clavier (2 volumes, 48 ​​preludes and fugues); Goldberg variations; Inventions for two and three voices; fantasies, fugues, toccata, overtures, capriccio, etc.

For organ: 18 preludes and fugues; 5 toccatas and fugues; 3 fantasies and fugues; fugue; 6 concerts; Passacaglia; pastoral; fantasies, sonatas, canzona, trio; 46 chorale preludes (from the Organ notebook by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach); Schuebler's Chorales; 18 chorales ("Leipzig"); several cycles of choral variations.

Musical offering. The art of the fugue.

MAIN DATES OF LIFE

1685 March 21 (Gregorian March 31) Johann Sebastian Bach, the son of the city musician Johann Ambrose Bach, was born in the Thuringian city of Eisenach.

1693-1695 - Education at school.

1694 - Death of his mother, Elizabeth, née Lemmerhirt. Secondary marriage of the father.

1695 - Death of the father; moving to the elder brother Johann Christoph in Ohrdruf.

1696 - early 1700- Education at the Ohrdruf Lyceum; singing and music lessons.

1700, March 15- Moving to Luneburg, admission as a scholar (chorister) to the school of the church of St. Michael.

1703, April- Moving to Weimar, service in the chapel of the "Red Castle". August- Moving to Arnstadt; Bach is an organist and a singing teacher.

1705-1706, October - February- A trip to Lubeck, studying the organ art of Dietrich Buxtehude. Conflict with the Arnstadt consistory.

1707, June 15.- Confirmation as organist in Mühlhausen. 17 October- Marriage to Maria Barbara Bach.

1708, spring- Publication of the first work, "Elective Cantata". July- Moving to Weimar to serve as the court organist of the ducal chapel.

1710, Nov.22- The birth of the first son, Wilhelm Friedemann (the future "Gaulish Bach").

1714, March 8- Birth of the second son, Karl Philip Emanuel (the future "Hamburg Bach"). Drive to Kassel.

1717, July- Bach accepts the offer of the Ketenian prince Leopold to become the conductor of the court chapel.

September- A trip to Dresden, his success as a virtuoso.

October- Return to Weimar; resignation, by order of the Duke arrest from 6 November to 2 December. Moving to Keteya. Drive to Leipzig.

1720, May- Trip with Prince Leopold to Carlsbad. Early July- Death of his wife Maria Barbara.

1723, February 7.- Performance of cantata No. 22 in Leipzig, as a test for the position of cantor in Tomaskirche. 26 March- First performance of "The Passion According to John". May- Assumption of the office of cantor of the church of St. Thomas and the school teacher.

1729, February- Performance of the "Hunting Cantata" in Weissenfels, receiving the title of Saxe-Weissenfel Court Kapellmeister. April 15- First performance of "St. Matthew Passion" in Tomaskirche. Disagreements with the Tomaszule council, and then with the magistrate, due to the order in the school. Bach directs the Telemann student circle, Collegium musicum.

1730, October 28- Letter to a former school friend G. Erdman describing the unbearable circumstances of life in Leipzig.

1732 - Performance of "Coffee Cantata". 21st of June- The birth of the son of Johann Christoph Friedrich (the future "Bückeburg Bach").

1734, end of December- Performance of the "Christmas Oratorio".

1735, June- Bach with his son Gottfried Bernhard in Mühlhausen. The son passes the test for the position of organist. September 5th the last son of Johann Christian (the future "London Bach") was born.

1736 - The beginning of a two-year "struggle for the prefect" with the rector Tomashule I. Ernesti. 19 november In Dresden, a decree was signed conferring the title of court royal composer to Bach. Friendship with the Russian ambassador G. Keyserling. December 1- A two-hour concert in Dresden on the Silbermann organ.

1738, April 28- "Night Music" in Leipzig. Bach completes his Mass.

1740 - Bach stops managing the Musical Collegium.

1741 - In the summer, Bach was with his son Emmanuel in Berlin. Drive to Dresden.

1742 - The publication of the last, fourth volume of "Exercises for the clavier". August 30- Performance of the "Peasant Cantata".

1745 - Testing of a new organ in Dresden.

1746 - Son Wilhelm Friedemann becomes director of urban music in Halle. Bach's trip to Zschortau and Naumberg.

1749, January 20.- The betrothal of Elizabeth's daughter to Bach's pupil Altnikol. The beginning of the composition "The Art of the Fugue". Summer- Illness, blindness. Johann Friedirch enters the Buckeburg Chapel.

1750, January- Unsuccessful eye surgery, complete blindness. Composing counterpoints to "The Art of Fugue" and Fugue on the theme of B-A-C-H. Completion of the chorale processing.

BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bazunov S. A. I. S. Bach, his life and musical activity. SPb., 1894.

Besseler G. Bach as an innovator. Sat. "Selected Articles by Musicologists of the German Democratic Republic". Compiled by N. Notovich. Per. with him. M., 1960.

Belza I. High Mass. Introductory article for the edition: Bach I.S.Massa in B minor. Arranged for Piano Singing. M., 1955.

Wolfrum F. Johann Sebastian Bach. Introductory article by E. Braudo. Per. with it., v. 1-2. Pb. - M., 1912.

Galatskaya V.S. and I.S.Bach. M., Muzgiz, 1958.

Galatskaya VS Musical literature of foreign countries, vol. 1. M., "Music", 1967, p. 49-133.

Druskin M.S.Bach passives. L., "Music", 1972.

Kershner L. Folk-song origins of Bach's melody. M., 1959.

Konen V, Bach Johann Sebastian. "Musical encyclopedia", t. 1. M., "Soviet encyclopedia", 1973, p. 353-364.

Livanova T. History of Western European music before 1789 M.-L., Gosmuzizdat, 1940, p. 386-449.

Livanova T. Bach's Dramaturgy and Its Historical Connections. Part I. Symphony. M.-L., 1948.

"Materials and documents on the history of music", v. II, XVIII century. Per. with him. Ed. M.V. Ivanov-Boretsky. M., 1934.

Milstein J. The Well-Tempered Clavier of JS Bach and the Peculiarities of Its Performance. M., "Music", 1967.

"Musical aesthetics of Western Europe in the 17th-18th centuries." M., "Music", 1971.

Rozenov E. K. I. S. Bach (and his family). M., 1912.

Rosenschild K. History of foreign music. Issue first. Until the middle of the 18th century. 3rd edition. M., "Music", 1973, p. 406-533.

Roizman L. Modern organ culture and its originality. Sat. "Questions of Music and Performing Arts", vol. 5. M., "Music", 1969.

Forkel Johann Nikolaus. About the life, art and works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Per. with him. E; Sazonova. Editing, afterword and comments by N. Kopchevsky. M., "Music", 1974.

Hammerschlag J. If Bach kept a diary. Budapest, Corvina, 1965.

Khubov G. N. Sebastian Bach. Edition 4.M., Gosmuzizdat, 1963.

Schweitzer L. I. S. Bach. Per. with him. Ya.S. Druskin, translation revision and afterword by M. S. Druskin. M, 1964.

Yampolsky I. M. Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J. S. Bach. M., 1963.

Bach-Dokumente, Herausgegeben vom Bach-Archiv Leipzig, Band I, Schriftstucke von der Hand Johann Sebastian Bachs. Vorgelegt und erlautert von W. Neumann und H.-J. Schulze, Leipzig, 1963. Band II, Fremdschriftliche und gedruckte Dokumente zur I phensgeschichte I. S. Bachs, 1685-1750. Leipzig, 1969. Band III, Dokumente zum Nachwirken I. S. Bachs, 1750-1880. Leipzig, 1972.

Schmieder W. Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der Werke Iohann Sebastian Bachs (BWV), Leipzig, 1971.

Arnstadtes Bachbuch, I. S. Bach und seine Verwanden in Arnstadt. Arnstadt, 1957,

Bach. Opracowal Wladislaw Duleba. Teksty Bohdarr Pociej. Krakow, 1973.

Besseler H. I. S. Bach. Berlin, 1956.

Buchet E. I. S. Bach, l "oeuvre et la vie. Paris, 1963.

Der Thomaskantor, Aus dem Leben und Schaffen I. S. Bachs. Berlin, 1950.

Forkel I. N. Uber lohann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke. Berlin, 1968.

Frank H. I. S. Bach, Die Geschichte eines Lebens. Bertin, 1961.

Geiringer K, Iohann Sebastian Bach Jhe Culmination of an Era. London, 1967.

Iohann Sebastian Bach und Leipzig zu seiner Zeit. Leipzig, 1950.

Iohann Sebastian Bach. Das Schaffen des Meisters im Spiegel einer Stadt. Leipzig, 1950.

I. S. Bach, 1750-1950. Dresden, 1950.

Neumann W. Auf den Lebenswegen I. S. Bachs. Berlin, 1962.

Neumann W. Bach, Eine Bildbiographie. Munchen, 1960.

Spitta Ph, I, S, Bach, Bd. l - 2. Leipzig, 1873-1880.

The numbers in brackets everywhere indicate the number of the given work according to the book "BWV": W. Schmieder. Thematisch-sistematische Verzeichnis der Werke lohann Sebastian Bachs. Liepzig, 1971.

Translated by Ksenia Stebneva.

Translated by Ya. S. Druskin.

Some biographers attribute Bach's trip to Dresden to the fall of 1714. We stick to the generally accepted date: September 1717. In 1714 Friedemann was only four years old, it is unlikely that he could have been taken by his father to Dresden.

See Art. B. Kuznetsov "Einstein and Mozart". "Soviet Music", 1971, e 12, p. 38.

Cit. according to the book: Hammerschlag. If Bach kept a diary, p. 43.

Translated by Ksenia Stebneva.

Emphasized by us. CM.

A. V. Lunacharsky. In the world of music. Articles and speeches. Ed. 2. M., "Soviet composer", 1971, p. 312, 314.

V. D. Konen, Bach. "Musical encyclopedia", t. 1. M., "Soviet encyclopedia", 1973, p. 357.

Riemann was mistaken: not six, but five sons survived the father.

The author of the story does not always give the exact age at which the children of Bach died. Now, according to documentary evidence, the dates of birth and death of children have been clarified: Christiana Sophia (29.VI.1723-1.VII.1726); Christian Gottlieb (14.IV.1720-21.IX1728); Ernst Andreas (30.X.-1.XI.1727); Regina Johanna (10.X.1728-25.IV.1733); Christian Benedict (1.I.-4.I.1730); Christian Dorothea (18.III.1731-31.VIII.1732); Johann August (5.XI.-6.XI.1733).

In the report of Mitsler's magazine, in addition to Bach, another conductor of the college is mentioned - Johann Gottlieb Gerner; he was now serving as organist at St. Thomas.

G. Chicherin "Mozart. M.," Music ", 1970, p. 181.

35 rebounds, of which 3 this month

Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach is the great German composer of the 18th century. More than two hundred and fifty years have passed since the death of Bach, and interest in his music is growing. During his lifetime, the composer did not receive the well-deserved recognition as a songwriter, but was known as a performer and, especially, as an improviser.

Interest in Bach's music arose almost a hundred years after his death: in 1829, under the direction of the German composer Mendelssohn, Bach's greatest work, St. Matthew Passion, was publicly performed. For the first time - in Germany - a complete collection of Bach's works was published. And musicians from all over the world play Bach's music, marveling at its beauty and inspiration, skill and perfection. “Don't be a stream! “The sea should be his name,” the great Beethoven said about Bach.

Bach's ancestors have long been famous for their musicality. It is known that the composer's great-great-grandfather, a baker by profession, played the zither. From the Bach family came flutists, trumpeters, organists, violinists. Eventually every musician in Germany was called Bach and every Bach a musician.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in the small German town of Eisenach. He received his first violin skills from his father, a violinist and city musician. The boy had an excellent voice (soprano) and sang in the choir of the city school. No one doubted his future profession: little Bach was to become a musician. At nine years old, the child was left an orphan. His elder brother, who served as a church organist in the city of Ohrdruf, became his tutor. The brother sent the boy to the gymnasium and continued to teach music. But that was an insensitive musician. The classes were monotonous and boring. For an inquisitive ten-year-old boy, it was excruciating. Therefore, he strove for self-education. Learning that his brother kept a notebook with works of famous composers in a locked cabinet, the boy secretly took out this notebook at night and rewrote the notes in the moonlight. This tedious work lasted six months; it greatly damaged the eyes of the future composer. And what was the chagrin of the child when his brother found him one day doing this and took away the already rewritten notes.

At the age of fifteen, Johann Sebastian decided to start an independent life and moved to Luneburg. In 1703 he graduated from high school and received the right to enter the university. But Bach did not have to use this right, since he needed to get a livelihood.

During his life, Bach moved from city to city several times, changing his place of work. Almost every time the reason turned out to be the same - unsatisfactory working conditions, humiliating, dependent position. But no matter how unfavorable the situation was, he was never abandoned by the desire for new knowledge, for improvement. With tireless energy, he constantly studied the music of not only German, but also Italian and French composers. Bach did not miss the opportunity to personally get acquainted with outstanding musicians, to study the manner of their performance. Once, having no money for the trip, young Bach went to another city on foot to listen to the play of the famous organist Buxtehude.

The composer also steadfastly defended his attitude to creativity, his views on music. Despite the admiration of the court society for foreign music, Bach studied and widely used German folk songs and dances in his works. Having perfectly learned the music of composers from other countries, he did not blindly imitate them. Extensive and deep knowledge helped him improve and polish his composing skills.

Sebastian Bach's talent was not limited to this area. He was the best organ and harpsichord performer among his contemporaries. And if, as a composer, Bach did not receive recognition during his lifetime, then in improvisations on the organ his skill was unsurpassed. Even his rivals had to admit this.

It is said that Bach was invited to Dresden to compete with the then famous French organist and harpsichordist Louis Marchand. On the eve of the preliminary acquaintance of the musicians, both of them played the harpsichord. That same night, Marchand hastily left, thereby recognizing the undeniable superiority of Bach. Another time, in the city of Kassel, Bach amazed his listeners by playing a solo on the organ pedal. Such success did not turn Bach's head, he always remained a very modest and hardworking person. When asked how he achieved such perfection, the composer replied: "I had to work hard, whoever is as diligent will achieve the same."

Since 1708, Bach settled in Weimar. Here he served as court musician and city organist. During the Weimar period, the composer created his best organ works. Among them are the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor, the famous Passacaglia in C minor. These works are significant and deep in content, grandiose in their scale.

In 1717 Bach moved with his family to Köthen. At the court of the Prince of Kothensky, where he was invited, there was no organ. Bach wrote mainly clavier and orchestral music. The composer's duties were to lead a small orchestra, accompany the prince's singing and entertain him with the harpsichord. Cope with his duties without difficulty, Bach devoted all his free time to creativity. The works for the clavier created at that time represent the second peak in his work after organ works. In Köthen, two-part and three-part inventions were written (Bach called the three-part inventions "synphonies"). The composer intended these pieces for lessons with his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann. Bach was also guided by pedagogical goals in the creation of the "French" and "English" suites. In Köthen, Bach also completed 24 preludes and fugues, which constituted the first volume of a large work entitled The Well-Tempered Clavier. The famous Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor was also written during this period.

In our time, Bach's inventions and suites have become obligatory pieces in the programs of music schools, and the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier have become mandatory in schools and conservatories. Designed by the composer for a pedagogical purpose, these works are, moreover, of interest to a mature musician. Therefore, Bach's pieces for clavier, starting with the relatively easy inventions and ending with the most complex Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, can be heard at concerts and on the radio performed by the world's best pianists.

From Köthen in 1723, Bach moved to Leipzig, where he remained until the end of his life. Here he took the position of cantor (director of the choir) of the singing school at the Church of St. Thomas. Bach was obliged to serve the main churches of the city with the help of the school and be responsible for the condition and quality of church music. He had to accept conditions that were embarrassing for himself. Along with the duties of a teacher, educator and composer, there were the following instructions: "Do not leave the city without the permission of the mayor." As before, his creative possibilities were limited. Bach had to compose such music for the church, which would "not be too long, and also ... opera-like, but that aroused awe in the audience." But Bach, as always, sacrificing a lot, never compromised on the main thing - his artistic convictions. Throughout his life, he created works that are striking in their deep content and inner wealth.

So it was this time. In Leipzig, Bach created his best vocal and instrumental compositions: most of the cantatas (Bach wrote about 250 cantatas in total), St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, Mass in B minor. "Passion", or "passions" according to John and Matthew is a story about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ in the description of the evangelists John and Matthew. Mass is close in content to the Passion. In the past, both Mass and "Passion" were choral chants in the Catholic Church. For Bach, these works go far beyond the scope of the church service. Bach's Mass and Passion are monumental works of a concert character. They are performed by soloists, choir, orchestra, organ. In terms of their artistic significance, the cantata, Passion and Mass represent the third, highest peak of the composer's work.

The church authorities were clearly unhappy with Bach's music. As in previous years, she was found too bright, colorful, human. Indeed, Bach's music did not respond, but rather contradicted the strict church environment, the mood of detachment from everything earthly. Along with major vocal and instrumental works, Bach continued to write music for the clavier. The famous "Italian Concerto" was written almost at the same time as Mass. Bach later completed the second volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, which included 24 new preludes and fugues.

In addition to his enormous creative work and service in the church school, Bach took an active part in the activities of the “Musical Collegium” of the city. It was a society of music lovers that organized concerts of secular, not church music, for the residents of the city. Bach performed with great success in concerts of the Musical Collegium as a soloist and conductor. Especially for the concerts of the society, he wrote many orchestral, clavier and vocal works of a secular nature.

But the main work of Bach - the head of the school of singers - brought him nothing but grief and trouble. The funds allocated by the church for the school were paltry, and the singing boys were starving and poorly dressed. The level of their musical abilities was also low. Singers were often recruited without taking into account the opinion of Bach. The school's orchestra was more than modest: four trumpets and four violins!

All petitions for help to the school, submitted by Bach to the city authorities, were ignored. The cantor was responsible for everything.

The only joy was still creativity, family. The grown up sons - Wilhelm Friedemann, Philip Emmanuel, Johann Christian - turned out to be talented musicians. During the life of their father, they became famous composers. Anna Magdalena Bach, the composer's second wife, was distinguished by great musicality. She had an excellent ear and a beautiful, strong soprano. Bach's eldest daughter also sang well. For his family, Bach composed vocal and instrumental ensembles.

The last years of the composer's life were overshadowed by a serious eye disease. After an unsuccessful operation, Bach went blind. But even then he continued to compose, dictating his works for recording. The death of Bach remained almost unnoticed by the musical community. He was soon forgotten. The fate of Bach's wife and youngest daughter was sad. Anna Magdalena died ten years later in a house of contempt for the poor. The youngest daughter Regina eked out a miserable existence. In the last years of her difficult life, Beethoven helped her. Bach died on July 28, 1750.

He is one of those rare and wonderful people who could record Divine light.

Born: March 21, 1685
Place of birth: Eisenach
Country: Germany
Died: 28 July 1750

Johann Sebastian Bach (German Johann Sebastian Bach) - German composer and organist, representative of the Baroque era. One of the greatest composers in the history of music.

During his life, Bach wrote over 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 the death of Bach, his music was not very popular, but in the 19th century 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.

Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child in the family of musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The Bach family is known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many of Johann Sebastian's ancestors were professional musicians. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. Johann Ambrosius's work included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later his father. The boy was taken by his elder brother Johann Christoph, who served as organist in neighboring Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and the clavier. Johann Sebastian was very fond of music and did not miss an opportunity to study it or study new works.

While studying at Ohrdruf under the leadership of his brother, Bach got 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 the maintenance of the organ, and may have taken part in it himself.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Luneburg, where in 1700-1703. studied at the singing school of 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 Lubeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time. Bach's first works for organ and clavier also belong to the same years.

In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received the position of court musician from the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. During his seven months of service in Weimar, his reputation as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the post of organ superintendent 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 only had to work 3 days a week and his salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was well maintained and tuned to a new system that expanded the capabilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works, including the famous Toccata in D minor.

In 1706 Bach decided to change his job. He was offered a more profitable and high position as organist in the church of St. Blasius in Mühlhausen, a large city in the north of the country. On October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara from Arnstadt. In this marriage, seven children were born, three of whom died in childhood. Two of the survivors - Wilhelm Friedemann and Karl Philipp Emanuel - became famous composers.

The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They without hesitation approved his plan for the restoration of the church organ, which required large expenses, and for the publication of the festive cantata "The Lord is my Tsar" (this was the only cantata printed during Bach's lifetime), written for the inauguration of the new consul, he was given a large reward.

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach again changed jobs, this time getting a job as court organist and organizer of concerts in Weimar. Probably the factors that forced him to change jobs were his high salary and a well-chosen composition of professional musicians.

In Weimar began a long period of composing clavier and orchestral works, in which Bach's talent flourished. During this period, Bach absorbs musical influences from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach 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.

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 chorales.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist and master of the harpsichord. After a while, Bach again went in search of a more suitable job. The Duke of Anhalt-Köthensky hired Bach as Kapellmeister. The Duke, being a musician himself, 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, at Köthen, Bach composed orchestral suites, six solo cello suites, English and French clavier suites, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. During the same period, the famous Brandenburg Concerts were written.

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

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 was appointed cantor of this church, while simultaneously serving as a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and giving weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas.

The first six years of his life in Leipzig were very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas. Most of these works are written in the 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.

Writing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach amassed an extensive repertoire for performances in the main churches of Leipzig. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the 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 increasing role in public musical life; they were often headed by well-known professional musicians. For most of the year, the Collegium of Music held two-hour concerts twice a week at Zimmermann's coffee shop, 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 from the 1730s, 40s and 50s, were composed specifically for performance in Zimmermann's coffee shop. Such works include, for example, "Coffee Cantata" and a collection of claviers, as well as many concerts 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 rest of the parts, the melodies of which were almost entirely borrowed from the composer's best cantatas. Although the entire mass was never performed 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 a musical theme and asked him to compose something on it. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-part 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 richercars, canons and trios based on a theme dictated by Frederick. This cycle has been called "The Musical Offering".

Another major cycle, The Art of the Fugue, was not completed by Bach. During his lifetime, he was never published. The cycle consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on one simple theme. In this cycle, Bach used all the instruments and techniques for writing polyphonic pieces.

Bach's last work was a choral prelude for organ, which he dictated to his son-in-law, practically on his deathbed. The title of the prelude is "Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit" ("Here I appear before Your throne"), this piece is often completed by the execution of the unfinished Art of the Fugue.

Over time, Bach's eyesight became worse and worse. Nevertheless, he continued to compose music, dictating it to his son-in-law Altnikkol. In 1750 Bach underwent two operations, but both were unsuccessful. Bach remained blind. On July 18, he unexpectedly briefly regained his sight, but in the evening he had a blow. Bach died on July 28, possibly due to complications after surgery.

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

Bach wrote over 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the famous works has been assigned a BWV number (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both spiritual and secular.
During his lifetime, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in the traditional "free" genres of that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined features of different musical styles, with which he became acquainted during his life. The composer was influenced by both the music of North German composers (Georg Boehm, Dietrich Buxtehude) and the music of southern composers. Bach rewrote for himself the works of many French and Italian composers in order to understand their musical language, later he even transposed several Vivaldi 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 toccatas and fugues, but also composed the unfinished Book of Organ, a collection of 46 short choral preludes, in which various techniques and approaches to composing works on choral themes. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for organ, however, after Weimar many famous works were written (6 trio sonatas, 18 Leipzig chorales). Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for organ, but also consulted on the construction of instruments, testing and tuning new organs.

Bach also wrote a number of works for the harpsichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections that demonstrate various techniques and methods of composing polyphonic works. Most of Bach's clavier works, published during his lifetime, were contained in collections called "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 the systems of tuning instruments, which make it equally easy to perform music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament scale.
15 two-part and 15 three-part inventions are small works arranged in ascending order of the number of characters in the key. They were intended (and are used to this day) for learning to play keyboards.
Three collections of suites: "English Suites", "French Suites" and "Partitas for Clavier."
"Goldberg Variations" is a melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. Variations are based on the tonal plan of the theme rather than the melody itself.
Various pieces like "French Style Overture", "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", "Italian Concerto".

Bach wrote music for both individual instruments and ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, 6 suites for cello, partita for solo flute - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound creations. In addition, Bach composed several pieces for solo lute. He also wrote trio sonatas, sonatas for solo flute and viola da gamba, accompanied only by the bass general, as well as a large number of canons and richercars, mostly without specifying the instruments for performance. The most significant examples of such works are the cycles "The Art of the Fugue" and "The Musical Offering".

The most famous works of Bach for orchestra are "Brandenburg Concertos". Six concerts were written in the genre of concert grosso. Other extant works of Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, concertos for one, two, three and even four harpsichords.

For a long period of his life, every Sunday Bach in the church of St. Thomas directed the performance of the cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to the Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach performed cantatas by other composers, in Leipzig he composed at least three complete annual cycles of cantatas, one for every Sunday of the year and every church holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which only about 195 have survived. Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are written for one voice, some for the choir; some require a large orchestra to play, and some require only a few instruments. The most famous of Bach's spiritual cantatas are Christ lag in Todesbanden, Ein feste Burg, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben. In addition, Bach composed a number of secular cantatas, usually timed to coincide with some events, for example, for a wedding. Among the most famous secular cantatas of Bach are two "Wedding Cantatas" and a comic "Coffee Cantata".

Passion for John (1724) and Passion for Matthew (c. 1727) - works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended to be performed at Vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Passions are one of the most ambitious vocal works of Bach. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have fully survived to this day.

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 smaller in scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and famous (D major, 1730).

The most famous and significant Mass of Bach is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which is a complete cycle of the Ordinary. This Mass, like many other works of the composer, includes revised early works. The Mass was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime - for 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, we have survived 4 short two-part Masses by Bach, as well as separate parts like "Sanctus" and "Kyrie".

The rest of Bach's vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Bach's music is one of the best creations of mankind recorded on Voyager's golden disc.