Description
In the obituary that appeared soon after his death, Johann Sebastian Bach was described as "the world-famous organist" and "the greatest organist...we have ever had." In Hamburg, Dresden, and other big cities, Bach dazzled audiences with his organ playing, performing passages with his feet that many thought impossible for the hands. One eyewitness declared that he had never seen anything like it. His extant organ works--more than 250 chorale settings and free pieces--are filled with bold, dramatic passages and fully independent pedal parts. They represent the most important body of music in the organ repertoire and the only genre that Bach turned to continuously throughout his life, from his earliest efforts as a teenager in Ohrdruf to his final deathbed revisions as a cantor in Leipzig.In this new survey, leading musicologist George B. Stauffer traces the evolution of Bach's organ works within the broad spectrum of his development as a composer. With detailed discussions of the individual pieces, the book shows how Bach initially drew on contemporary models from Germany and France before evolving a personal idiom based on the concertos of Antonio Vivaldi. In Leipzig, he went still further, synthesizing national and historical styles to produce cosmopolitan masterpieces that exude sophistication and elegance. Serving as a backdrop to this growth was the emergence of the Central German pre-Romantic organ, which inspired Bach to write pieces with unique chamber-music, choral, and orchestral qualities. Stauffer follows these developments step-by-step, showing how Bach's unending quest for novelty, innovation, and refinement resulted in organ works that continue to reward and awe listeners today.
Table of Contents
PrefaceAbbreviations and TermsIntroduction: The World of Bach's Organ MusicCentral German Music Culture ~ Grandest Machine of All ~ Transmission of Bach's Organ WorksPart I - Learning the Craft: Eisenach, Ohrdruf, Lüneburg, and Weimar (1685-1703)1 - The Young BachEisenach ~ Ohrdruf ~ Lüneburg ~ Weimar2 - Study and Models Ohrdruf: Johann Christoph Bach and Thuringian Circles ~ Lüneburg: Georg Böhm and North German Circles 3 - Initial Efforts Neumeister Chorales ~ Free WorksPart II - The "First Fruits": Arnstadt and Mühlhausen (1703-1708) 4 - Bach in Arnstadt and MühlhausenOrganist at the New Church ~ Lübeck Pilgrimage ~ Organist at St. Blasius's Church5 - Chorale-based WorksChorale Settings ~ Chorale Partitas6 - Free Works Multi-sectional Praeludia ~ Prelude-Fugue Pairs ~ Independent Fugues ~ Unica Part III - "The Golden Years": Weimar (1708-1717) 7 - Bach in Weimar Organist and Chamber Musician at the Weimar Court ~ Chapel Organ and Other Instruments ~ New Connections, New Influences ~ Eclectic Blends and Hybrid Forms8 - The Orgel-Büchlein Compositional History ~ Function in Weimar ~ Musical Style: Melody Chorales, Canonic Chorales, Florid-Melody Chorales, Unique Settings9 - Concerto Transcriptions Incomparable Things ~ Challenges of Transcription Process ~ The Music: Vivaldi Transcriptions, Johann Ernst Transcriptions ~ Bach versus Vivaldi10 - Large Chorale Settings Fore-Imitation Settings ~ Florid-Melody Settings ~ Chorale Trios ~ Cantus Firmus Settings ~ Eclectic Blends ~ Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig11 - Small Chorale Settings Miscellaneous Manual Works ~ Chorale Fughettas ~ Congregational Accompaniment: Figured-Bass and Interlude Settings12 - Free Works: Prelude-Fugue Pairs Prelude and Fugue Ideal ~ Modification of North German and French Idioms ~ Adoption of Italian Concerto Principles13 - Free Works: Independent Fugues and Singular Pieces Independent Fugues ~ Experimental Forms ~ The Great PassacagliaPart IV - The Organist as Capellmeister: Cöthen (1717-1723) 14 - Bach in Cöthen Capellmeister at the Cöthen Court ~ Repertory ~ New Stylistic Developments ~ Organ Inspections and Performances15 - Organ Teacher, Consultant, and Recitalist Didactic Works ~ Organ Pedagogue ~ Organ Examiner and Consultant ~ Organ Recitalist16 - Bach's Art of Registration The German Tradition ~ Full Organ ~ All the Remaining Diverse Variations ~ Hymn Accompaniment ~ Particular Stops and CombinationsPart V - The Grand Synthesis: Leipzig (1723-1750) 17 - Bach in LeipzigSt. Thomas Cantor and Director of Music ~ Fusion of Styles ~ New Role of Revision and Recycling ~ Central German Organ18 - Cantata and Passion Movements with Obbligato Organ and Miscellaneous Trios Obbligato Organ Repertory ~ Performance Considerations ~ Musical Style ~ Trio Transcriptions and Compositions ~ Function of the Pieces ~ Stylistic Aspects19 - Six Sonatas The Genesis of the Collection ~ Pedagogical Use ~ Musical Style ~ Performance Issues ~ Postscript20 - Free Works: Prelude and Fugues An Unorthodox Transcription ~ Four Monumental Works21 - Free Works: Singular Pieces Singular Pieces ~ Prelude and Fugues: Final Directions22 - Clavier-Übung III The Clavier-Übung Series ~ Genesis of the Original Print ~ The Music ~ Structure of the Collection ~ Duets ~ Reception of the Music23 - Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" The Canonic Variations Project ~ The Music ~ Organizational Schemes 24 - The Schübler Chorales The Problematic Original Print ~ Hand-Corrected Copies ~ The Music ~ Structure of the Collection ~ Significance of the Settings25 - Nineteen Large Chorales of Various Kinds The Leipzig Chorale Portfolio ~ Why These Settings? ~ The Revisions ~ Unanswered Questions ~ Search for Perfection Appendix: Three Central German Organs, specifications
