Customer Reviews

Bach Among the Theologians

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Pelikan is a truly amazing and articulate thinker. He seems to intuitively know what is important--whether providing a theological overview of Chrisitan history or, as here, focusing in on a single subject. What I found especially refreshing in BACH AMONG THE THEOLOGIANS is Pelikan's appreciation of Bach as a highly creative man who was truly a man of his own time. He puts to rest (for me anyway) the somewhat artificial argument about the sacred and secular strains in Bach's work. This "tension" ultimately does not seem to have been as big a deal for Bach as it has become for modern historians, musicians, theologians, etc. Perhaps, because Bach's sense of the sacred was much more encompassing than we highly compartmentalized moderns ever allow it to be. In any case, the fact that so many highly divergent groups want to claim Bach as their own is probably sufficient proof of Bach's transcendant greatness.

This is a highly readable--though thoughtful and concentrated--book that deserves to be more broadly available. Perhaps some publisher will see fit to reissue it in paperback. I'd preorder a copy today if that was the case.

I read this book (which I borrowed from the library) 4 years ago, and I am still looking for my own copy. It is an invaluable book for any Bach lover. Pelikan connects Bach musical interpretation of texts with the work of a theologian. His main thesis is that Bach was just as important of a theologian as he was a musician. Interesting reading. This is a 'must have' book!

Excellent in-depth survey of Bach's work in light of theological influences of his time. He wrote music, whether sacred or secular, in a vocation that was to the glory of God. (I am trying to secure reprint permission from Dr. Pelikan through Wipf & Stock publishers (Eugene, OR). If that happens it will be back in print. Otherwise, I have one lonely copy.) P.S. They allowed a small reprint. I have a few extra copies now.

This book is a 'must have' for any Bach lover. Pelikan talks about Bach's musical interpretation of text, and his understanding of his faith. His main premise is to place Bach 'Among the theologians' in history, where he rightfully belongs.

Pelikan's work is an unsentimental look at the influence of Pietism and evangelical thought on a composer who has been too often oversimplified as "staunchly Lutheran." He questions the assumptions we make based on a standardized "psychobiography."

Not surprisingly, there is not an in-depth engagement with the music (he relies heavily on Spitta, Schweitzer, etc.), but Pelikan does offer some excellent textual analyses. He promotes a re-reading of Bach's career, demonstrating that a lack of sacred output in Cöthen did not necessarily define a "low point" for the composer.

While the book as a whole seems to lack cohesion in some places, it does function very well as a set of separate essays. Particularly cogent are the chapters on ""Mediation on Human Redemption" in the St. Matthew Passion" and "Pietism, Piety and Devotion in Bach's Cantatas." The book is an important contribution to interdisciplinary dialogue about the figureheads of Classical music and should be embraced in that spirit.

Jaroslav Pelikan was one of the most prominent theologians and historians of early Christianity until his recent death in 2006. His insights into the theological currents of J.S.Bach's era are deep and tied closely to the texts in the church cantatas, passions and B Minor Mass. As a Lutheran (at least until his late conversion to the Eastern Orthodox church) and historian of the Reformation his view of these issues is invaluable. His knowledge of Bach's music is comprehensive and this book benefits from this unique combination. His explanation of Bach's Pietist sympathies, or lack thereof, is of particular interest. This book should be read by anyone who loves the music of Bach.

This book reaps a marvelous harvest from a sparklingly original idea. Pelikan goes to the root source of Bach's genius, his faith. What results is a crop of new ideas not only of the grandeur of Bach's music and the interior impetus of creative genius itself, but as well a rich exploration of the authentic reaches of theology. The great Capellmeister lives anew in these pages in a way I've not encountered since Evening in the Palace of Reason. Pelikan's chapter on themes and variations in the Passions, and his meditation on human redemption in the St Matthew Passion, are together worth twice the price listed here. I've studied and played Bach all my life. Bach Among the Theologians has given an arresting freshness to a nearly sixty year passion! Recommended with great gratitude.