Johann Sebastian Bach - Thesis Example

?Johann Sebastian Bach, a talented musician and composer, was much less known inter vivos than, for example, Mozart or Beethoven. But he was probablythe first musician who successfully combined the best of Italian, French and German music traditions. He did not become well known to the general public during his lifetime and was forgotten in half a century after his death. Surprisingly, Bach’s fame has been growing through years and nowadays he is recognized as one of the greatest composers of all time. Interest in Bach’s music revived and these days it is much more popular than it was during the composer’s life. It’s a paradox, but the composer who has become old-fashioned soon after his death has started to become more and more popular over two hundred and fifty years, moreover, in modern popular culture societies. This paper is to carry out at least a general research into the causes of Bach’s recognition, his influence on other composers and present-day popularity. Most musicologists agree that Bach’s music technique was brilliant and certainly better than the other great composers had. He was familiar with all the musical works of his time and used them perfectly. Nobody can compete with Bach in the art of counterpoint, when two or more different melodies are performed simultaneously. Bach’s creative works are admired for a diversity and conformity of orchestrations, clear expression of sounding themes and melodies. Bach was a prolific composer. His works include around 300 cantatas, compositions of 48 preludes, 140 other preludes, more than 100 works for harpsichord, 23 concerts, 4 overtures, 5 masses, 3 oratorios and many plays. He wrote more than 800 major musical works in all. Being a deeply religious Lutheran, Bach wanted his music to be played in church and dedicated most of his works to religious music. He did not try to discover new music forms, but brought to perfection the existing ones. He was the best organ and harpsichord performer among his contemporaries. And if Bach did not receive recognition during his lifetime as a composer, then his organ improvisation were unmatched. It had to admit even his rivals (Benstock, 1992, p. 18). In the last years of his life and after death Bach’s composer fame began to fade: his style was considered old-fashioned compared to blooming classicism. His was better known and remembered as a performer, teacher and father of Bach, Jr., primarily Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose music was widely known. However, many of the major composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin knew and loved the works of Johann Sebastian. For example, when visiting St. Thomas’ schools, Mozart heard one of the motets (BWV 225) and exclaimed: “There is so much to learn!” Later he asked the notes and studied them long and happily. Beethoven greatly appreciated Bach’s music. As a child he played preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier and, later, called Bach a true father of harmony. It was also he who was so amazed by Bach’s music that exclaimed - “not a brook, but a sea” (the word Bach in German means brook). Chopin used to lock in a room and played music of Bach before his own concerts. The works of Johann Sebastian’s had an effect on many composers through ages. Some themes from the works of Bach, for example, the theme from Toccata and Fugue in D minor, were reused in music of the 20th century (Bridges, 2002, p. 35). The biography, written in 1802 by Johann Nikolaus Forkel who knew Bach personally, has spurred interest to Bach’s music in the general public. But a real revival of Bach’s music began with the performance of St. Matthew Passion in 1829, Berlin, organized by Felix Mendelssohn. The audience later called Bach a great true Protestant, brilliant and erudite genius. They learned to appreciate him in full measure again. Mendelssohn continued to promote Bach’s music in subsequent years, which resulted in a growth of the composer’s popularity. In 1850, the Bach Society was founded, which set the goal of collecting, deep study and popularization of Bach’s heritage. In the next half-century that society has done an extensive work on compiling and publishing the collection of the composer’s works (Jones, 2007, p. 78). Since then, Bach’s reputation keeps on high. The 20th century witnessed the continued acknowledgement of musical and educative value of his works. Genuine interest in Bach’s music has created a new movement among performers: a widespread idea of ??an authentic performance. These artists, for example, use harpsichords instead of modern pianos and smaller choirs as it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries, wanting to recreate exactly the music of Bach’s era. In our time, Bach’s Inventions and Suites have become mandatory pieces for music schools’ programs and the Preludes and Fugues of The Well-Tempered Clavier - for conservatories. Originally intended by the composer for educational purposes, these works are, in addition, of profound interest for mature musicians. Therefore, Bach’s plays for harpsichord, beginning with relatively easy Inventions to complex The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue can be heard at concerts and on radio, performed by the best world pianists (Fromm, 2008, p. 544). Some composers have expressed their respects to Bach including into the themes of their works the B-A-C-H Motive (B flat-A-C- B natural). For example, Liszt wrote a prelude and fugue in this manner; Schumann wrote six fugues on the same motive. Bach himself used it, for example, in Contrapunctus 14 of The Art of Fugue. Many composers followed his example. Some just used certain themes from his works. The examples are Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, the prototype of which is The Goldberg Variations, 24 Preludes and Fugues of Shostakovich, inspired by The Well-Tempered Clavier and Cello Sonata in D major of Brahms, the finale of which contains “music quotes” from The Art of Fugue (Wilson Quarterly, 2008, p. 88). Top recognition of his genius is that Bach’s music was recorded among the best creations of mankind on the Voyager Golden Disc. Nowadays, classical music is treated not just a pure esthetic delight. Classical Baroque music allows the brain to work better, soothing and keeping it from negative emotions. This is what a huge number of researchers state. Researches and experiments’ outcomes gave birth to a new branch of science even – Music Therapy. Experts distinguish the greatest positive impact of the classic melodies, such as works of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, etc., on spatial thinking, attentiveness, concentration and analytical capabilities of the brain. It is still remains unclear why the classics are responsible for the improvement of such mental abilities. According to their conclusions, classical music deeply influences mood and job satisfaction - these states improve by 63 and 50 percent respectively. Neuroscientists say that classical music helps to concentrate, favorably effects the brain functions and, therefore, in their opinion, is best suited to reading rooms and operating suites even, helping to create a working atmosphere. Environmental factors play an important role in activating the abilities of the brain. Classical music is a simple and effective way to improve your internality, the U.S. researchers say (Pouliot, 2008, p. 148). Conclusions Eternity in every second – this is the best characteristic of Bach’s music. His genius made headway in Germany, breaking the notorious thesis of the “German wretchedness” of the day. Northern Baroque would be unthinkable without Bach’s oeuvre. Musicologists and scientist dispute for a long time about the nature of Bach’s success. Simplifying their arguments, it’s possible to say that Bach, with his total devotion to music, religiousness and constant hard work over personal development, carved his way into eternity. We can like or dislike his music, but regardless of our opinion and tastes in will be among timeless values of humanity. References Benstock, S. L. (1992). Johann Sebastian: A Tercentenary Celebration. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Bridges, R. S. (2002). Bach and Bach Again. Strings, 17(3), 34+.  Fromm, H. (2008). J. S. Bach in the Twenty-first Century: the Chapel Becomes a Larder. The Hudson Review, 60(4), 543+. Jones, R. (2007). The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach. New York: Oxford University Press. Pouliot, J. S. (2008). The Power of Music. World and I, 13(5), 146+.  Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. (2008). Bach the Unknowable. The Wilson Quarterly, 32(2), 86+.  Read More