The two Baroque compositions I sampled were the St Mathew Passion, and the St John Passion both composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. The first piece composed by the legend Bach during his stay in Leipzig, Germany at around 1923 was the St John Passion. The piece was later performed in the Easters of 1724-25, 32 and 49. The piece was mainly made up of parts of the Gospel of John, hence the name St John Passion. St Matthew Passion on the other hand similarly contained content from the Gospel of Matthew and was performed in the Good Fridays of 1727 and 29 and again 1736 and 1742 but after a few revisions (Sayre, 2013).
When I heard this music for the first time, specifically a composition by Bach, I felt a spiritual feeling about the music. The composition to me had a progressing melody, which ascended to a point where it in some instances climaxed and then stopped suddenly or in other cases suddenly came to a halt at its peak. The melody then resumed with a different rhythm and arrangement but the feeling of ascending was still present. The arrangement of the composition gave me a feeling like the song was taking me on a journey and an adventurous one at that. The journey felt adventurous to me mainly because of the ascending nature of the melody.
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Despite the name, dance suites were meant for listening as opposed to being meant for dancers. The dance suites consisted of an “overture”, which was a slow movement, a moderate tempo known as the “Allemande.” A “Courante” which was very lively, the “Sarabande”, which was the slowest part of the composition and the “Gigue”, which is upbeat and lively and easily recognizable from its stand-out rhythm (Carter, 2011). Experts are of the opinion that “Baroque music expresses an order, the fundamental order of the universe. It is always lively and tuneful.” The music, according to experts, has a somber feel to it, especially the passions of Bach (Sayre,
In the 17th century, Johann Sebastian Bach changed the music of the classical world forever. Growing up, he was a poor boy with several siblings, and his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was a musician who had been playing instruments all of his life. Young Bach soon followed in his father’s footsteps but instead of the violin, he played the organ everyday for hours on end. Bach was no stranger to the steps he would have to take to be a musician, because of his father’s career path, he knew how hard it would be to become a well-known musician. He started his musical path by playing the organ for ceremonies and royals. He persevered until he eventually reached the best music halls in Europe. He taught at a music school to train students to be
Bach’s complex compositional style incorporates religious and numerological symbols that fit perfectly together in a puzzle of musical code. Demanding unfaltering facility in dexterity, precise pitch, particularly in the multiple stoppings, as well as sensitivity to implied polyphonic and harmonic textures. These exceptional works may be the closest thing we have to a “perfect” composition, so why is it that musicians have drastically different alterations and interpretations of his works? It is as if quality, intensity, duration, and even pitch are subject to the performer’s adaptation. By mapping out these alterations performers make to Bach’s music, it becomes possible to map out their respective musical personalities.
mark on the musical world. From Mozart, to Beethoven, to Chopin, to Brahms, each famous
Johann Sebastian Bach is known as the most influential organists of all time. More so, he is considered one of the greatest composers in music history. Born into a family of musicians, he was instructed by his father, Johann Ambrosius, who worked as a musician in Eisenach. Bach already had the thriving urge to take on various musical positions. His family of musicians stretches back as far as seven generations. Johann was born on March 31, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. Some of his best known compositions are “Mass in B minor” and “The Well-Tempered Clavier”.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of musicians. It was only natural for him to pick up an instrument and excel in it. His father taught him how to play the violin and harpsichord at a very young age. All of Bach’s uncles were professional musicians, one of them; Johann Christoph Bach introduced him to the organ. Bach hit a turning point in his life when both of his parents died at the age of ten years old. Bach’s older brother Johann Christoph Bach took him in and immediately expanded his knowledge in the world of music. He taught him how to play the clavichord and exposed him to great composers at the time. At the age of fourteen, Bach and his good friend George Erdmann were awarded a choral scholarship to the prestigious
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21st 1685. He is the son of Johann Ambrosius. For many years, members of the Bach family had held positions such as organists, town instrumentalists, or Cantors.
The Baroque Period (1600-1750) was mainly a period of newly discovered ideas. From major new innovations in science, to vivid changes in geography, people were exploring more of the world around them. The music of the baroque period was just as extreme as the new changes. Newly recognized composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi were writing entirely new musical ideas and giving a chance for new voices to be heard that were normally not thought of sounds. Their musical legacy is still recognized today, and is a treasured discovery of outstanding compositions being reiterated with every performance of them.
Most of Bach's choral compositions took the form of the Lutheran cantata, which appeared earlier in Italy, but reached its full potential in Germany. The cantata was a relatively new form that combined biblical text and contemporary poetry. Composers set the text to the chorale melodies of early Lutheran tunes.
On November 13, 2015 Dr. David Earll of the University of Wisconsin Platteville faculty performed a Tuba and Euphonium Recital. The program for the recital included various 20th century works and their composers along with pieces from Antonio Capuzzi from the classical era and Sebastian Bach during the Baroque Era, whom was discussed in class. Works that were played include: “T. Rex for Tuba and Piano” by Mark Schultz, “My Mountain Top for Tuba and Tape” by Andy Scott, “Double-Bass Concerto (adapted for Euphonium)” by Antonio Capuzzi, “Alarum” by Edward Gregson, “Silhouette for Tuba and Piano” by John Harmon, and “Flute Sonata in Eb Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach. My favorite piece was “T. Rex” by Mark Schultz. I believe that brass instruments
Bach’s fame continued to increase until both his keyboard and vocal work were known throughout Europe. Approximately two hundred books were written about him in the 19th century, a very large number for any posthumous compsoer. A major biography was published by Philipp Spitta in 1873 (Domling : The Bach Tradition of the 19th and 20th Centuries,” in Johann Sebastian Bach: Life Times and Influence, 161) as well as a complete edition of his works published in 1900 that took fifty years to complete (Dents Arnold, “Bach,”New Oxford Companion to Music, 1983 ed.) . The performance of the St. Matthew passion in Paris in 1885 and of the B minor mass in Rome in 1889 were milestones in the international recognition of Bach (Schweltzer, J.S Bach, 259). Bach societies appeared throughout Europe in the second half of the century to perform his music(J.S Bach, “Great Composers 1300-1900,
Bach was born on March 21st, 1685 in Germany then later died in July 28th, 1750 in Leipzig and he was a composer of the Baroque era. One of the neat things about Bach that you may not know is that he was one of the most celebrated northern German musicians of his time. He was regarded in his time as one of the greatest composers of his time. Bach came from a long line of composers over at least 300 years. When he was 10 years old he lost both of his parents and was brought up by his older brother. His brother was a church organist which made Bach eventually become an amazing organist as well by learning from his brother. Throughout Bache’s life he held 3 jobs which was working for the duke then for the prince then for the became the director of music at St. Thomas Church and school in
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21st, in l685. He was born in Eisenach, which is in Germany. He was of German nationality. He died on July 28th, 1750, in Leipzig, Germany. My favorite composition is “Toccata and Fugue in D minor”. It thought to be written somewhere during the first part of the 18th century, between 1703-1707. It is played mostly on the organ, and made up of two parts: The toccata and the fugue. The toccata represents a musical form for different keyboard instruments, it is intended to expose the technique of the musician’s touch. Bach’s take on the toccata is characteristic, because it has a lot of fast arpeggios (notes of a chord played in succession rather than at the same time), and runs up and
The style of variations has, over time become more and more diverse. Variations had become noticeably more involved with composers during the baroque period with several German composers having a large impact on variations are composed. Although some composers focused only on variations some German composers during the Baroque period several such as Scheidt, Pachelbel, and J. S. Bach were integral to the further development of variations. From their choice of music to where these composers studied, almost all of it had a huge impact on variations.
During the Renaissance the focus shifted on Classical Antiquity (hence the name) and people tried emulate that in new art and architecture. While the emphases, was still on formality and hierarchy just like during the Baroque, the focus was more on clear division, strong contrast, and a simpler style, unlike the complex, ornamental style of the Baroque. In simple terms, the polyphony gave way to a single melody accompanied by subordinate harmony. Revealing the shift in modulation, such as between the first and second theme of a sonata became increasingly important. The knowledge of the older musicians with their technical expertise was needed, but the newer style came from the younger musicians. C.P.E. Bach proved a great combination of these
People create music in all kinds of different ways, if every piece of music sounded the same it would not be enjoyable. Many people reinvent older composed music and take their own approach to it. There are plenty of instruments that people can use to make an old sound, sound new. People can be very innovative and resourceful when it comes to recreating a new sound with an older composed piece. John Sebastian Bach is one of the many composers whose music is being recreated in a new way.