Johann Sebastian Bach created more than 1000 works. He was born in the Bach family, they have long been famous for musicality. At 9, his mother died, at 10 - his father. He was raised by his older brother, who taught him to play the clavier and organ. At the age of 15, he studied at the vocal school of St. Michael, then famous. In 1707, the musician decided to marry his cousin Maria Barbara. They became the parents of 7 children, but 3 of them died at an early age.
Trying to take a higher position, get a good salary and work with the best musicians, he repeatedly moved from one place to another.
His works were very popular, constantly published. After his death, his popularity began to decline, but he was greatly appreciated by major composers, Mozart and Beethoven.
And now the most famous works of Johann Sebastian Bach are performed by the best musicians of the world.
10. Chromatic fantasy and fugue
This was one of the composer's most innovative works. This is music for harpsichord, created in 1720, but the final version was ready in 1730.
«Chromatic fantasy and fugue"Full of expression, and this despite the fact that in that era aesthetic attitudes were such that feelings should have been awakened gradually.
Creating these works, the author adhered to the traditions of organ art, i.e. monumentality and improvisational scope, but at the same time it develops the techniques that were used to create violin music, as well as the dramatic recitation of spiritual cantatas.
"Chromatic" it was called by contemporaries of the composer.
9. Well-tempered clavier
The collection includes 48 fugues and preludes. All of them are arranged in a certain order, in semitones. It has only 2 volumes.
He finished the first part of this collection in 1722, while the composer was in Keten, and the second part took much more time, it was completed in 1744.
There is a legend that Bach was able to come up with the first part so quickly, because lived where he could not play an instrument. He was bored and worked on his works.
Both parts were quickly distributed in handwritten form, but in the printing house it was published only in 1801, i.e. 51 years after his death.
His works were forgotten for a while, because by the time of his death, the style in which he wrote music was out of fashion.
«Well-Tempered Clavier"- the first collection of works for all twenty-four keys, although there have been attempts to create something similar before.
8. Christmas oratorio
«Christmas oratorio"Consists of 6 parts. They are all uniform, i.e. first we hear a magnificent, solemn choir or an instrumental play, a symphony with a very festive character. And in the end, each part has a church choir.
All parts have their own gospel narrative. The oratorio was written in 1734, on the basis of cantatas composed by him earlier. It was first performed during the Christmas holidays in 1735 at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. The basis is the plot outlined in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the recitations are full of cordiality and sublimity.
7. Passion according to John
The word "passions" (passion) once meant pain and suffering. In the Middle Ages, they began to call one of the genres of sacred music.
In this creation "Passion for John"Used the 18th and 19th chapters of the Gospel of John, which we hear in recitative. There is also a poetic text of the arias, but it is not known who wrote it.
This is the first work of Bach in this genre, and it is not yet so perfect as “Passion for Matthew”. In total there are 68 rooms, the first part of which accounts for 20.
During the life of the author, they could be heard only in the church. And because of this, Bach had a conflict with the authorities. In Leipzig, there was such an order that in all even years the passions had to be performed in the church of St. Nicholas, and the rest - in the church of St. Thomas.
In 1724, “Passion for John” was supposed to please the audience in 1 church, but Bach did not like it. The second instrument was better and there was much more room for the choristers, and he tried to make a premiere in the church of St. Thomas, because of which there was a dispute.
The composer had to make concessions, but they promised him that the instrument would be put in order by this time.
6. Passion for Matthew
The first version of the spiritual oratorio appeared in 1727-29, and the second - in 1736. This is one of the largest works of the composer, which consists of 78 parts.
«Matthew Passion”Include arias, recitations, choirs and chorales. All action lasts 3 hours. Bach wrote this piece for Lutheran worship, but now it is most often performed on a concert stage.
It uses the texts of 26 and 27 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew in the form of a recitative, and the rest is a poetic rethinking of the Bible, a way of conveying the feelings of the main characters.
This work is the pinnacle of Bach's work. In total, the composer had 4 or 5 passions, but only 2 of them completely reached us.
5. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
This is one of Bach's most popular works. However, there is no certainty that this particular composer wrote it. They began to doubt authorship in the 1980s, as in this work there are elements of style that are not found in Bach's music or are atypical for him.
But one of the reputable researchers, Christoph Wolf, is confident that “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor"Belongs to Bach, it was simply created by him in the early period of creativity. It is believed that it was written between 1703 and 1707, when he was in Arnstadt.
4. Goldberg variations
This piece of music consists of Aria and 30 variations for harpsichord. It is believed that the author wrote them at the request of the Russian envoy Herman Karl von Keyserling, who patronized the composer.
Why exactly "Goldberg Variations? In honor of the young Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who performed them for the customer.
There is a version that the diplomat made this order for a reason. When Kaiserling fell ill, he began to have insomnia. Music could distract him from the disease. Bach decided to write variations for him, and the count was delighted with them, calling them his variations. He did not stint on the reward. He presented the composer with a golden goblet filled with louis. But not all researchers believe in the veracity of this version.
3. The Art of Fugue
This work was supposedly written for clavier, consists of 14 fugues and 4 canons. It was created in the period from 1742 to 1749.
They were conceived as polyphonic designs made in one key in D minor. One of the fugues is performed very rarely, because she almost copies another - 16 and 17.
It is believed that "The Art of Fugue"Was created for the clavier, but most often it can be heard on the piano.
2. Concerto No. 1 for clavier and orchestra (D minor)
This is one of the most popular works of the composer. Its original has not been preserved, but it is believed that it was written for violin.
In the first part we hear a stern energetic melody. The second part is characterized by gloomy and concentrated expression. The third part is mobile and elastic, it only emphasizes the dramatic nature of the work.
«Concerto No. 1 for clavier and orchestra (D minor)»Striking in its drama, breadth of scale.
1. Brandenburg concerts
This is a cycle that includes 6 concerts. Bach gave them to Christian Ludwig Brandenburg of Sweden. And, although this happened in 1721, it is possible that they were written earlier when he worked in Keten.
This gift was made for a reason. The composer hoped to become the court leader of the orchestra. He rewrote "Brandenburg concerts»Calligraphic handwriting. But the Margrave did not answer him.
The manuscript lay for over 100 years in his library until it was accidentally discovered. Concerts are composed in the Italian style, now they are most often performed by a chamber orchestra.