Front cover image for Johann Sebastian Bach : the learned musician

Johann Sebastian Bach : the learned musician

We see Bach's life and his surroundings, from his birth in 1685 through his school years, and finally to his 27 year sojourn in Leipzig
Print Book, English, ©2000
W.W. Norton, New York, ©2000
Biography
xvii, 599 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
9780393048254, 9780393047202, 9780393322569, 039304825X, 0393047202, 0393322564
42682699
General Abbreviationsxii
Acknowledgmentsxii
List of Illustrations
xiii
Prefacexv
Prologue: Bach and the Notion of ``Musical Science''1(464)
Springs of Musical Talent and Lifelong Influences
13(20)
Eisenach, 1685-1695
Ambrosius Bach and His Family
13(8)
In the Ambience of Home, Town, Court, School, and Church
21(12)
Laying the Foundations
33(20)
Ohrdruf, 1695-1700
In the Care of His Older Brother
33(9)
Sebastain's Musical Beginnings
42(11)
Bypassing a Musical Apprenticeship
53(24)
From Luneburg to Weimar, 1700-1703
Choral Scholar at St. Michael's in Luneburg
53(7)
Bohm, Reinken, and the Celle Court Capelle
60(6)
The Interim: Thuringian Opportunities
66(5)
Early Musical Achievements
71(6)
Building a Reputation
77(40)
Organist in Arnstadt and Muhlhausen, 1703-1708
At the New Church in Arnstadt
77(15)
``First Fruits'' and the Buxtehude Experience
92(10)
At the Blasius Church in Muhlhausen
102(15)
Exploring ``Every Possible Artistry''
117(30)
Court Organist and Cammer Musicus in Weimar, 1708-1714
The First Six Years at the Ducal Court
117(19)
Clavier Virtuoso and Organ Expert
136(11)
Expanding Musical Horizons
147(40)
Concertmaster in Weimar, 1714-1717
A Career Choice
147(8)
Mostly Music for ``The Heaven's Castle''
155(14)
``Musical Thinking'': The Making of a Composer
169(6)
High and Low Points
175(12)
Pursuing ``the Musical Contest for Superiority''
187(50)
Capellmeister in Cothen, 1717-1723
Princely Patronage
187(20)
Travels and Trials
207(18)
A Canon of Principles, and Pushing the Limits
225(12)
Redefining a Venerable Office
237(68)
Cantor and Music Director in Leipzig: The 1720s
A Capellmeister at St. Thomas's
237(16)
Mostly Cantatas
253(35)
``The Great Passion'' and Its Context
288(17)
Musician and Scholar
305(36)
Counterpoint of Practice and Theory
Performer, Composer, Teacher, Scholar
305(6)
Music Director at the University
311(8)
Professorial Colleagues and University Students
319(12)
Materials and Metaphysics
331(10)
Traversing Conventional Boundaries
341(50)
Special Engagements: The 1730s
At a Crossroads
341(10)
Director of the Collegium Musicum and Royal Court Composer
351(22)
The Clavier-Ubung Project
373(8)
At the Composer's Desk
381(10)
A Singing Bird and Carnations for the Lady of the House
391(26)
Domestic and Professional Life
Family and Home
391(18)
Balancing Official Duties and Private Business
409(8)
Contemplating Past, Present, and Future
417(48)
The Final Decade: The 1740s
Retreat but No Rest
417(14)
The Art of Fugue, the B-Minor Mass, and a Place in History
431(11)
The End
442(12)
Estate and Musical Legacy
454(11)
Epilogue: Bach and the Idea of ``Musical Perfection''465(8)
Notes473(38)
Music Examples511(34)
Appendixes
1. Chronology
525(10)
2. Places of Bach's Activities
535(4)
3. Money and Living Costs in Bach's Time
539(4)
4. The Lutheran Church Calendar
543(2)
Bibliography545(10)
Genre Index of Bach's Works555(9)
Title Index of Bach's Works564(9)
General Index573