Bach's Musical Universe: The Composer and His Work
Title | Bach's Musical Universe: The Composer and His Work PDF eBook |
Author | Christoph Wolff |
Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
Pages | 400 |
Release | 2020-03-24 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 0393651797 |
A concentrated study of Johann Sebastian Bach’s creative output and greatest pieces, capturing the essence of his art. Throughout his life, renowned and prolific composer Johann Sebastian Bach articulated his views as a composer in purely musical terms; he was notoriously reluctant to write about his life and work. Instead, he methodically organized certain pieces into carefully designed collections. These benchmark works, all of them without parallel or equivalent, produced a steady stream of transformative ideas that stand as paradigms of Bach’s musical art. In this companion volume to his Pulitzer Prize–finalist biography, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, leading Bach scholar Christoph Wolff takes his cue from his famous subject. Wolff delves deeply into the composer’s own rich selection of collected music, cutting across conventional boundaries of era, genre, and instrument. Emerging from a complex and massive oeuvre, Bach’s Musical Universe is a focused discussion of a meaningful selection of compositions—from the famous Well-Tempered Clavier, violin and cello solos, and Brandenburg Concertos to the St. Matthew Passion, Art of Fugue, and B-minor Mass. Unlike any study undertaken before, this book details Bach’s creative process across the various instrumental and vocal genres. This array of compositions illustrates the depth and variety at the essence of the composer’s musical art, as well as his unique approach to composition as a process of imaginative research into the innate potential of his chosen material. Tracing Bach’s evolution as a composer, Wolff compellingly illuminates the ideals and legacy of this giant of classical music in a new, refreshing light for everyone, from the amateur to the virtuoso.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Title | Johann Sebastian Bach PDF eBook |
Author | Christoph Wolff |
Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
Pages | 644 |
Release | 2002 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN | 9780199248841 |
Now available in paperback, this landmark biography was first published in 2000 to mark the 250th anniversary of J. S. Bach's death. Written by a leading Bach scholar, this book presents a new picture of the composer. Christoph Wolff demonstrates the intimate connection between Bach's life and his music, showing how the composer's superb inventiveness pervaded his career as a musician, composer, performer, scholar, and teacher.
YEAR OF WONDER: Classical Music for Every Day
Title | YEAR OF WONDER: Classical Music for Every Day PDF eBook |
Author | Clemency Burton-Hill |
Publisher | Headline Home |
Pages | 448 |
Release | 2017-10-05 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 1472251830 |
As featured in the Telegraph and on Radio 4's Today programme. 'A magnificent treasury . . . a fascinating tour de force.' Observer 'Year of Wonder is an absolute treat - the most enlightening way to be guided through the year.' Eddie Redmayne Classical music for everyone - an inspirational piece of music for every day of the year, celebrating composers from the medieval era to the present day, written by award-winning violinist and BBC Radio 3 presenter Clemency Burton-Hill. Have you ever heard a piece of music so beautiful it stops you in your tracks? Or wanted to discover more about classical music but had no idea where to begin? Year of Wonder is a unique celebration of classical music by an author who wants to share its diverse wonders with others and to encourage a love for this genre in all readers, whether complete novices or lifetime enthusiasts. Clemency chooses one piece of music for each day of the year, with a short explanation about the composer to put it into context, and brings the music alive in a modern and playful way, while also extolling the positive mindfulness element of giving yourself some time every day to listen to something uplifting or beautiful. Thoughtfully curated and expertly researched, this is a book of classical music to keep you company: whoever you are, wherever you're from. 'The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.' Clemency Burton-Hill Playlists are available on most streaming music platforms including Apple Music.
The Music of the Spheres
Title | The Music of the Spheres PDF eBook |
Author | Jamie James |
Publisher | Springer Science & Business Media |
Pages | 292 |
Release | 1995-06 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9780387944746 |
For centuries, scientists and philosophers believed the universe was a stately; ordered mechanism - mathematical and musical. The smooth operation of the cosmos created a divine harmony (perfect, spiritual, eternal) which composers sought to capture and express. With The Music of the Spheres, readers will see how this scientific philosophy emerged, how it was shattered by changing views of the universe and the rise of Romanticism, and to what extent (if at all) it survives today. From Pythagoras to Newton, Bach to Beethoven, and on into the twentieth century, it is a spellbinding examination of the interwoven fates of science and music throughout history.
Bach
Title | Bach PDF eBook |
Author | Christoph Wolff |
Publisher | Harvard University Press |
Pages | 484 |
Release | 1991 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN | 9780674059269 |
More than two centuries after his lifetime, J. S. Bach's work continues to set musical standards. Noted Bach scholar Christoph Wolff offers new perspectives on the composer's life and remarkable career.
Andreas Werckmeister's Musicalische Paradoxal-Discourse
Title | Andreas Werckmeister's Musicalische Paradoxal-Discourse PDF eBook |
Author | Andreas Werckmeister |
Publisher | Contextual Bach Studies |
Pages | 174 |
Release | 2017 |
Genre | Composition (Music) |
ISBN | 9781498566346 |
This book provides extensive commentary and an English translation of 17th-century German music theorist Andreas Werckmeister's final treatise, the Musicalische Paradoxal-Discourse. Topics discussed include theological reflections on music, numerology in musical intervals, music notation and solmization, and tunings.
Interpreting Bach's Well-tempered Clavier
Title | Interpreting Bach's Well-tempered Clavier PDF eBook |
Author | Ralph Kirkpatrick |
Publisher | Yale University Press |
Pages | 154 |
Release | 1984-01-01 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9780300038934 |
This book sets forth the provocative theories of a musician who has been called the outstanding harpsichordist of this century. The late Ralph Kirkpatrick reveals here his approach to a deeper comprehension of music, showing how his methods are applied to the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier of J.S. Bach. "This book is brilliant and important."--Clavier "All keyboardists performing classical repertoire can greatly benefit from Kirkpatrick's scholarship, dry wit, and stubborn dedication."--Keyboard "That Mr. Kirkpatrick's extraordinarily perceptive mind knew the subject matter thoroughly is beyond dispute. . . Valuable insights into the analysis, teaching and performance of all Western music, especially Bach's monumental Well-Tempered Clavier."--Arthur Lawrence, The American Organist "We are fortunate to have this book by Ralph Kirkpatrick. . . From it we gain insight into the musical mind of one of the outstanding performers of our century."--The Music Review "The real matter of the book is good old-fashioned musicianship."--Denis Arnold, London Review of Books