Johann Sebastian Bach
1685 AD ~ 1750 AD
The great composer Johann Sebastian Bach was a successful The pioneering master who completely integrated the musical styles of different ethnic groups in Western Europe. He has gathered the essence of traditional music from Italy, France and Germany, making the music perfect and perfect. Bach himself was not famous during his lifetime and was largely forgotten fifty years after his death. But his fame has grown steadily over the past century and a half, and today he is generally regarded as one of the two or three greatest composers of all time and space, and some consider him the greatest of them all.
Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. God-given opportunity, he was born in an environment where musical talent was valued and musical achievements were encouraged. His family had already been famous in the music industry many years before he came to this world. His father was an excellent violinist, two of his grandfather's brothers were gifted composers, and several of his uncles and sisters were respected musicians.
Bach lost his mother at the age of nine and became an orphan at the age of ten. Because of his beautiful voice and financial constraints, he received a scholarship to attend St. Michael's School in Lüneburg when he was a teenager. He graduated from the Saint-Michel School in 1702 and became a violinist in a chamber orchestra the following year. Over the next twenty years he worked in many professions. During his lifetime, Bach was primarily known as an outstanding organist, although he was also a composer, teacher, and orchestra conductor. In 1723, when Bach was thirty-eight years old, he began to serve as cantor of the choir at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He held this role for the remaining twenty-seven years of his life. In 1750, his heart stopped beating.
Bach never held a high position, but he was always able to support his family. He was far less famous than Mozart and Beethoven (or even Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin) during his lifetime. Not all of Bach's employers appreciated his talents. The Leipzig church hoped to hire a "first-class musician", but they failed to hire the two candidates they originally identified, so they had no choice but to let Bach serve as the cantor of the choir! But a few years ago, he wanted to resign from his position as organist and first violinist in the Duke of Weimar's court to find a new position. The Duke was so upset about this that he was thrown into prison. Bach spent more than three weeks behind bars before the Duke finally showed mercy and released him.
When Bach was twenty-one years old, he married his uncle and his second sister. They had seven children together. However, when Bach was thirty-five, his wife died unfortunately. The following year he was married again, but instead of helping to raise his first seven children, his second wife gave birth to thirteen more. After Bach's death, he left only nine children, four of whom became truly famous musicians. This is truly a home for musical genius!
Bach was a prolific composer. His works include nearly 300 cantatas; a set of 48 fugues and preludes that make up the Well-Tempered Clavier; at least 140 other preludes; more than 100 other harpsichord pieces; 23 minor concertos; 4 overtures; 33 sonatas; 5 masses; 3 sacred pieces and many other pieces. In total, Bach composed more than 800 serious pieces of music.
Bach was a religious man and a Lutheran. He wanted his music to serve the church, and most of his compositions were religious music. He has no intention of innovating in musical form, but pushing existing forms to the top.
In the half century after Johann Sebastian Bach's death, his music was largely ignored (but it is worth noting that the greatest musician of the era, Haydn ·Mozart and Beethoven greatly admired Bach's talent). New musical styles developed, and Bach's "old" music was temporarily silenced. But after 1800, there was a renewed interest in Bach's music, and from then on, his reputation and fame grew day by day. In today's secular age, Bach is far more famous than he was during his lifetime. It is indeed a strange thing that a composer who two hundred years ago was considered old-fashioned in terms of style and themes is widely praised today. What is the reason?
First, Bach is generally considered to be the highest-level artist among all famous composers. He was familiar with all the musical forms of his time and could use any of them with ease, reaching the level of proficiency. For example, his artistic proficiency in melodic combination (a method of playing two or more different tunes at the same time) is unprecedented and unprecedented. In addition, his orchestral works are highly logical, varied, with touching themes and rich melodies, for which he is even more praised.
Most serious music students find the structural depth and complexity of Bach's works to be infinitely more fascinating than the more accessible works of most other composers. Many people with a casual interest in music think of him as a bastard, but it should be noted that his followers are not a handful of musical luminaries, and his recordings probably sell better than those of any other classical composer except Beethoven. From a long-term perspective, the works of Bach or Beethoven will have far more audiences than the works of a popular "popular" composer, because "popular" is just a flash in the pan and fleeting.
Bach’s music can be said to be an important pillar of the European music palace. For the music of the entire Baroque period, Bach's musical achievements can be said to be the dome that stands on this palace; for the subsequent development of European music, although Bach did not have real influence until the 19th century , but once this influence occurred, it had a profound impact on the development of European music. Only when Bach takes on new cultural significance in a new historical and cultural context will his musical works have a "revelation" significance to modern music. For future generations, it is impossible to understand European music without studying Bach; without in-depth study of Bach's works, it is difficult to become a rigorous and proficient musician; if one cannot understand through the simplicity of Bach's music, Forms, refined techniques and even the "shell" of religious music form, to experience the deep thoughts and emotions contained in Bach's music, it is difficult to fully understand the essence of Bach's music...
In Bach In the era he lived in, Germany was politically divided, economically backward, and its culture and art were lackluster. Foreign cultures, such as those from France, Italy, and England, have an absolute advantage in Germany, and its own national culture is looked down upon. Engels once described, "From that time on, sticks and whips have dominated the country; like the whole of Germany, the German peasants have been reduced to an extremely humble status." Under such circumstances, the church has naturally become a place where people can place their spiritual emotions. place.
In Thuringia, Germany, "Bachs" once became synonymous with musicians. This is because the Bach family can be traced back to several generations, and their profession is a music profession that forms a guild. According to legend, they belong to a special social class such as music artists. Bach's social status in the lord's court was that of a servant, listed on the same list as the cook. He does not have the social status of a free musician, and the works he creates do not directly become a source of economic income, but belong to the lord. Even if he became Thomas's court musician, it would be difficult for him to maintain his life in Leipzig, and he would have no inheritance after his death, unlike Beethoven who left stocks after his death. Apart from being performed in churches, his works were rarely performed at the time and remained unknown for a long time after his death.
Many of his works were written for the rulers and praised them. However, he was not satisfied with his humiliating status and current situation, so he constantly changed his benefactors in search of better performance. A home for your own artistic talents. He even said that he had to live in an environment where he was hated and jealous by others, and he also had conflicts with benefactors in the court and the church, so he also had an arrogant and stubborn side.
Bach served as organist at the church in Arnstadt in 1703 and also composed music for the court. Since then, he has written many famous works. The Toccata in D minor composed in 1704 has a certain power, as if it is speaking in a very powerful language. In the middle modulation, he made outstanding use of many diminished seventh chords, which were as powerful as the wind. In the past, some people believed that this was his late work. Just because he brought the woman who later became his wife to sing in church, he resigned voluntarily after being listed as a crime by the city council.
In 1708 he served as organist at the Weimar court. At this time, although his status was also very low, as an organist, his status and reputation gradually increased. In Dresden, Bach was invited to compete in improvisation with a French player. Although the Frenchman ran away, he became a good example for German musicians to win their first victory in competition with foreigners.
In 1717, Bach served as the music director of the Kuiden court for the first time in his life. Since Duke Quiden was very fond of music, he even used one-thirtieth of the national expenditure to form an 18-piece band. Bach served at the Quaiden court for six years, and all his important instrumental compositions were completed during this period. The "Brandenburg Concerto" he dedicated to the Marquis of Brandenburg is full of life and has a proud and gorgeous aristocratic character. In addition, he also wrote "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", three sonatas for solo violin, three "Partita" (Partita), etc. In addition, in 1721, Bach wrote orchestral suites in C major and D minor, and a French suite; in 1722, he wrote the first volume of "The Well-Tempered Clavier"; in 1723, he wrote two and three creative pieces, etc. The creations of this period are considered to have broad and bold ideas and technical techniques.
Bach arrived in Leipzig, a prosperous commercial city, in 1723. It was also a free city at the time and could not legally accept the rule of the Duke of Saxony there. There he played a self-composed church cantata, which greatly impressed the city's councilors, and he got the job of music director of St. Thomas Church. In addition, he serves as music director for three other churches. During this period, he wrote many excellent musical works for the church, such as the famous "John Passion" and "Matthew Passion". In addition, in order to obtain the position of court composer, he once wrote a great work "Mass in B minor". Like "The Passion of John" and "The Passion of Matthew", this work is a religious work, but its musical spirit is so broad that it seems to speak to all mankind and has far exceeded the limitations of religion.
In a sense, it can be said that Bach’s fame depends on his joy of suffering.
The tragic experience of Jesus expressed in the Passion not only has a certain epic nature, but is also a manifestation of real-life emotions. This kind of religious music expresses sad, heavy, and depressing emotions. It should be said that only the Germans at that time had emotions. This kind of emotion, from what we can hear, is only written by the Germans the most deeply. Of course, since Bach himself was a Protestant, and religion was obviously his spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to separate this kind of emotional expression from some kind of religious feeling. It’s just that the religious atmosphere created by Bach in the Passion is no longer in the ordinary sense, but a religious atmosphere that allows one to experience certain social emotions and mentality at that time. Even Bach himself has played an emotionally powerful role in it. Through his own musical expression, he sometimes lyrically depicts the details of Jesus' tragic experience, and sometimes unfolds the epic breadth and grandeur. So much so that the audience in Leipzig complained that an opera-like work was being performed in the church.
In the "Matthew Passion", Bach used two sets of choruses and two sets of orchestral music to dramatically oppose each other, leaving the theme of the psalm to float freely above them. This work also has a strong lyricism. The closing chorus of the work is very powerful. It uses two choruses and eight voices to describe people's emotions when Jesus was buried. The broad bass part is like a vast river bed on which the melody flows. The feeling of polyphony is maintained, while the huge chorus sings freely and broadly, full of power:
Even in his instrumental works such as "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", "D minor" "Toccata Fugue", you can also feel an emotional expression that breaks through the constraints and has impact. Among them, the tune of "Toccata Fugue in D minor" is free and bold, with a large melody line and a wide range. It is like the ups and downs of a recitative tone, turbulent and full of exciting emotions. "Chromatic Fantasia Fugue" is more inwardly focused, not seeking superficial magnificence, but a rich inner portrayal, with a stronger expression.
Since German religion is the soil of German music, and German religious organ music has also developed very well in history, Bach still maintains the typicality of polyphonic music and plays a leading role in his creations. . However, this way of thinking about polyphonic music is precisely the way of thinking about polyphonic music that was established on the basis of the development of tonal harmony music to a considerable level. It is different from the polyphonic music with traces of church modes in the past. Upon careful analysis, there are clear harmonic structures and functions. From another perspective, it may be that Bach's approach to integrating polyphony in the field of polyphony finally developed it to perfection.
In terms of the melodic characteristics of the music, since his music is polyphonic, imitation techniques are important. As a result, the music is continuously interwoven and developed, but it lacks the methods of later classical music. Whole, clear paragraphs and structure. And this is exactly the characteristic of Bach. Obviously, we cannot use phrases and sections to analyze Bach. In addition, from the perspective of the development of harmony, the major and minor functional system harmony was finally determined and formed by Bach. Even by the middle of the 18th century, the achievements that harmony could achieve at that time were attributed to Bach, who was even called "the creator of harmony" by Beethoven.
It was not until 1892, when the young Mendelssohn first performed the Matthew Passion, which had been dormant for nearly a hundred years, in Berlin that Bach's artistic value became more understood. Wagner once said that Bach is a record of the inner spiritual life of the German people in a completely bleak and tragic century. From the perspective of German history, the Protestant Chorale occupies a special position in German folk songs. Bach's music combines his works with German national culture through Protestant chants. It is worth mentioning that Bach wrote many secular cantatas. In his "Peasant Cantata", the works all use folk dance music and popular folk songs. This is an indispensable aspect of understanding Bach. In a sense, in Bach's music, it is the pulse of the German people that beats, and this is also the soul of Bach's music.
J.S. Bach is a devout religious believer. Most of his music expresses worship of the Lord and the harmony of the world created by the Lord. It expresses not emotion but faith. J.S. Bach believes that everything in the world is the creation and gift of God, and is bathed in the light of God. What music should sing is the harmony created by God, and the look up to the light of God in the harmony. According to J.S. Bach, music is his ladder to heaven and to dialogue with God. Music itself is a miracle of heaven. Music is a hidden rational way that makes people feel the existence of God.
In addition to the organ music, masses, passions, and motets created directly for religious ceremonies, instrumental music in J.S. Bach's music often expresses complex balanced relationships through contrast and changes in rhythm. . Through this balanced relationship, polyphony, counterpoint, and changes are achieved to achieve an extremely rich cycle. His music is the most complex at the same time. It is based on the complex changes of the most basic points, lines and surfaces, which is close to mathematics and logic. Therefore, studying the authority of Bach, the famous organist Schweizer believes that Bach's music is an ontological phenomenon as incredible as the universe itself.
Bach is the greatest musician in modern Europe for several reasons:
First, he liberated music from the position of religious attachment and made it popular. .
Music does not always sing the praises of God, but also sings the praises of ordinary life.
Second, he developed polyphonic music into main-key music, which greatly enriched the expressive power of music.
Third, he established the principle of twelve equal temperaments for keyboard instruments.
Fourth, in addition to vocal works, Bach laid the stylistic foundation for almost all styles of modern Western music.
Without Bach, the development of modern music would have been delayed for many years.
Bach is a famous German composer who had a profound impact on the entire German music culture and even the world's music culture for nearly three hundred years. However, the composer's name "Bach" means "brook" or "trickle" in German. For this reason, Beethoven said: "His name should not be called the creek (Bach), but the sea (Meer)." Yes, as Beethoven said, Bach's music is like the majestic sea , integrating German classical melody, harmony and rhythm into an ocean of music. Bach's works are deep, tragic, broad and intrinsic, full of the atmosphere of real life in Germany in the first half of the 18th century. He composed many large-scale vocal works full of dramatic elements, among which "Matthew Passion" and "Mass in B Minor" are the most influential works. In these works, Bach, as a devout Protestant, expressed his pity and sympathy for human disasters and suffering through religious music forms (passions, masses, motets, cantatas, etc.), as well as his hope for a peaceful and happy future. desire. Compared with the works of his predecessors, Bach's works, which are full of religious content and polyphonic musical thinking, reveal people's inner world more broadly, but at the same time, his music has never deviated from the German musical tradition. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is one of Bach's important legacies in the field of "pure music". As a work with a German spirit, "The Well-Tempered Clavier" embodies that rigorous German thinking. In addition, Bach's "French Suite", "English Suite" and six "Brandenburg Concertos" and other orchestra works also express the composer's prayer and desire for peace and a better life. These works aroused strong sentiments deep in the hearts of the German people. Therefore, people respect Bach as the "Father of German Music".
Bach’s musical works are vast. Although most of them have been lost, there are quite a few left, about five hundred. There are many composers with prolific works in the history of music, but until today, there are very few people who can compare with them in the music world. In addition to operas, Bach's creations involved all musical genres of the time. Among them, the most vocal works are composed of more than 300 religious cantata, more than 20 secular cantata, three Passions (vocal music based on the account of the Passion of Jesus in the Gospels of the Bible.) and oratorios (rich in content). It is a dramatic and epic large-scale vocal suite), mass (this is a polyphonic vocal concert piece used in Catholicism.) (among which the "Mass in B minor" is the most famous), chorale (a kind of church hymn) Hymns sung by a crowd were mixed in four parts. After the 16th century, they were transformed into instrumental music or oratorios. Instrumental music works include organ music, fortepiano music, six Brandenburg Concertos, four orchestral suites, as well as piano concertos for one or several pianos, violin concertos with orchestra accompaniment, unaccompanied violin sonatas, and unaccompanied violin sonatas. Accompanying cello suites, flute sonatas, etc.
Bach's musical works are all-encompassing, covering all musical fields at that time except opera (this is completely different from Handel, whose road to success started from opera). Although most of the works have been lost long ago, more than 500 works remain.
The main representative works include: "The Well-Tempered Clavier" (The Well-Tempered Clavier), "The Art of Fugue" (The Art of Fugue), "Brandenburg Concerto" ( Brandenburg Concertos) 6 pieces, "Violin Concertos" two pieces, "Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas and Suites" 6 pieces, "Unaccompanied Cello Sonatas and Suites" 6 pieces, "French Suite", "English Suite", "Peasant Cantata" "(Peasant Cantata), "Coffee Cantata" (Coffee Cantata), "Matthew Passion" (Matthauspassion), "Mass in B Minor", etc.