The Cambridge Companion to Bach (Cambridge Companions to Music) [Paperback]

John Butt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0521587808 | ISBN-13: 978-0521587808

The Cambridge Companion to Bach goes beyond a basic life-and-works study to provide a late-twentieth-century perspective on J. S. Bach the man and composer. Benefiting from the insights and research of some of the most distinguished Bach scholars, this Companion covers cultural, social and religious contexts, surveys and analyzes Bach's compositional style, traces his influence, and considers the performance and reception of his music through the succeeding generations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fifteen varied essays by 11 authors provide a thoughtful, broad introduction to the music and person of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Cambridge Companion is divided into three main sections: the first concentrates on the biographical and historical details of Bach's life; the second aims at a general discussion of the music; and the last evaluates Bach's continuing influence on modern music. Representative topics in each section include a recounting of Bach's position as a supporter of monarchical absolutism ("Bach and the Domestic Politics of Electoral Saxony"), a discussion of scholarship throwing light on the authenticity of some of the early works ("The Early Works and the Heritage of the Seventeenth Century"), and an outline of developments in performance practice of Bach's music from his time to ours ("Changing Issues of Performance Practice"). The book provides valuable background material for those who may have casually encountered and enjoyed Bach's music, and the variety of viewpoints helps readers avoid an oversimplified impression of the great composer.

Review

'This present collection of essays is far from being a rehash of what is already easily accessible in other sources, but sheds new light on known facts or, better still, unearths new ones ... unreservedly recommended for serious music libraries.' Reference Reviews

'All fifteen contributions by international experts in their fields are informative and stimulating.' Archiv für Reformationsgeeschichte

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Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521587808
• ISBN-13: 978-0521587808
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #692,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( B ) > Bach, Johann Sebastian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another great oxford companion, March 31, 2000

By 

skeezer "skeezer" (Salem, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Bach (Cambridge Companions to Music) (Hardcover)

For those familiar with the "Oxford Companion to ..." series, you will see that this lives up to the name. There is a lot of good information on his works and life here. I only give it 4 stars because it works better as a reference-type book to scroll through once in a while, and not quality literature to read in a few sittings.

20 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Johann Sebastian Bach - The Bottom Line, December 11, 2002

By 

Charles Henry Higgensworth III (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Bach (Cambridge Companions to Music) (Paperback)

The life of Johann Sebastian Bach - straddling two centuries and placing an indelible mark on the development of symphonic music - is a complex and multifaceted saga, but Professor John Butt and his talented crew of co-authors get straight to the bottom of it. Bach grew up at the tail end of the 16th century. As a young student at the Latin Grammar School (where Martin Luther himself once studied) he was a classic child prodigy, dismissed by jealous teachers as excessively cheeky, and simultaneously made the butt of cruel jokes concocted by the lesser students who were deeply behind him. To make things far worse, both of his parents died when he was only nine, and for a period he was reduced to selling buns in the street and living in an abandoned caboose. However opportunity opened the door just a crack when he was a late teen. This came when he moved to the small town of Arnstadt to try his hand as an organist - a fateful journey during which illness and hunger almost took him, until a kindly cattle-farming family nursed him back to health on a hearty diet of potatoes, rump roast, and healthy dairy air. At Arnstadt he wrote most of his best-loved early pieces, and while he toiled in seeming anonymity at the rear of the church, the congregation was truly over the moon about him, often straining to hear his gentle melodies over the odious sound of the preacher muttering darkly about Sodom and Gomorrah. At the time the town was a real hole, but Bach's uplifting passion for music rectified the situation for him and kept him from going under. Soon many of his most famous baroque pieces were in the can. Bach's longest residence was of course in the city of Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, where he progressed from early middle age until his doddering later years as an old duffer. It was in Leipzig that his met his longtime Welsh companion, Fanny W. Tokus, who was to so ease his journey into the ranks of the elderly. Professor Butt's thoughtful scholarship made this book a real gas to read, and it's uplifting to think that someone so handicapped by his very nom de plume could persuade such an erudite and impressive group of credentialed co-writers to hitch their wagons to his tailpipe.