Where do I start listening to Bach?

Where do I start listening to Bach?

There is no better entry to Bach than the first piece in his Well-Tempered Clavier. Close your eyes and let this music seep in: it’s short, sweet, and will centre your mind.

What is one of Bach’s best known choral works?

Perhaps the best-known and best-loved of Bach’s cantatas are Wachet auf and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (the latter containing the time-honoured chorale often performed in English as ‘Jesu, joy of man’s desiring’).

What can you learn from Bach?

His music is the essence of beauty, organization, and spirituality. A composer study of Bach will enrich your child in many ways. Not only will they learn about the man and his music, they will learn about the Baroque Era, geography, and much more.

What country was Johann Sebastian Bach from?

Roman
Johann Sebastian Bach/Nationality

What made Bach so great?

An extremely important reason that Bach is so good is his intense study of music itself. He referenced so many composers, both older and contemporary. Listen to the use of melody and phrasing in his organ works to see how Bach developed his own take in due course.

What are the five famous songs of Johann Sebastian Bach?

Here is some of his best music.

• Goldberg Variations.
• Concerto for Two Violins.
• The Well-Tempered Clavier.
• “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” from Cantata BWV 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.
• Six Suites for Solo Cello.
• Brandenburg Concertos.
• Mass in B minor.
• Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

What was Johann Sebastian Bach’s primary instrument?

Though Bach was a fluent performer of violin, viola, and many keyboard instruments, his primary instrument was the organ, and his reputation during his lifetime was based mostly on that part of his activity.

Can you play Bach on guitar?

Bach played many instruments including the organ, harpsichord, clavichord, violin and viola. Not only is playing Bach on guitar fun, it also poses a rewarding challenge!

How is Bach taught?

His father, Johann Ambrosius, worked as the town musician in Eisenach, and it is believed that he taught young Johann to play the violin. At the age of seven, Bach went to school where he received religious instruction and studied Latin and other subjects. His Lutheran faith would influence his later musical works.

What type of music is Bach known for?

He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.

Who was the first person to conduct all of Bach’s cantatas?

W. G. Whittaker, The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, 2 Vols, Oxford UP, 1959. Long out of print but for many years one of the standard references in the English language. Whittaker was the first person to conduct all of the cantatas in public and his love and understanding shine through on every page.

Who is JS Bach?

JS Bach is firmly established as one of the all time great composers of the Western classical tradition, described by Wagner as “the most stupendous miracle in all music.” Johann Sebastian was from a hugely musical family. 53 Bachs were cantors (choir leaders), town musicians or organists over a period of time spanning 300 years!

When did Bach become an organist?

In 1700 (at the age of 15 years old) Bach became a chorister at St. Michael’s Church, Luneburg. JS Bach was mainly known in his lifetime as a virtuosic organist. In 1703 he was appointed organist at St Boniface’s Church, Arnstadt. The link between faith and music was a strong one in Bach’s opinion.