An Introduction to Bach Studies [Paperback]

Daniel R. Melamed (Author), Michael Marissen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2006

An Introduction to Bach Studies is a comprehensive guide to the resources and materials of Bach scholarship, both for students beginning work in the enormous literature on J. S. Bach, and for the Bach specialist looking for a convenient and up-to-date survey of the field. Covering a broad range of both primary and secondary sources, well-known Bach scholars Daniel R. Melamed and Michael Marissen draw on their extensive research experience to describe the principal tools of Bach research and how to use them. With clear descriptions and explanations, the multiple bibliographies and tables help students and instructors quickly find the most appropriate sources on Bach's life, his repertory, approaches to his music, and many other topics. Additionally, this volume provides insights into potentially confusing sources and detailed information on the technical topics important to all Bach scholars.
Concise and comprehensive, this user-friendly guide brings together useful bibliographic resources in one place, and is an indispensable resource for all who conduct research on Bach.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An Introduction to Bach Studies, edited by Daniel Melamed and Michael Marissen, is one of the most useful reference books on Johann Sebastian Bach to have appeared recently. Their personal touch and guidance throughout the various categories of research are engaging. The editors are to be commended for providing so much useful information clearly, intelligently, and concisely."--Notes

"Thanks to Daniel R. Melamed, Michael Marissen, and Oxford University Press, the bibliographically challenged among us can now negotiate the formidable thicket of Bach scholarship with ease. The title alone declares that this is no mere annotated bibliography; An Introduction to Bach Studies offers, in addition to brief but unfailingly intelligent assessments of the most important Bach literature, cogent summaries of recent developments on virtually every topic in this venerable field. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, this volume can't be beaten as a guide to the literature and as a blueprint for future scholarly work on Bach. I just wonder how we have got along without it for so long."--Music and Letters

About the Author

Daniel Melamed is Associate Professor of Music at Indiana University. His publications include J.S. Bach and the German Motet (1995), Bach Studies 2 (1995), Hearing Bach's Passions (Oxford, 2005), as well as many articles.
Michael Marissen is Associate Professor of Music at Swarthmore College. His publications include The Social and Religious Designs of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (1995) and Lutherism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach's St. John Passion (Oxford, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195304926
• ISBN-13: 978-0195304923
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a shocking omission, November 2, 2009

By 

David Eberhardt "davideberhardt" (baltimore, md) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: An Introduction to Bach Studies (Paperback)

this from Dave Eberhardt in baltimore- a Bach (and Rachmaninoff fan) from Baltimore). Was shocked to notice you have called Durr "the most authoritative on the cantatas" and left out the W. Gillies Whittaker- The Cantatas of JSB - 2 volumes (sp?)-Oxford U Press-

I suggest you put an errata in all future volumne (sp) of Bach Studies- when you read Whittaker- you will see what I mean. his exhaustive and perceptive analysis- from a conductor's point of view of each cantata is amazing. How could you have overlooked?

I had enjoyed Mr. Marissen's talk at the Riley Lewis "B Minor Mess" (I humorously call it) performance here in DC- and that led me to your volume- which I read w pleasure until....the cantata omission.

I got the Rifkin cd (one voice to a line) and....no, I don't think so- but interesting in that one can hear the lines better

I notice that Terri Towe's "Face of Bach" researches to the art depictions of our beloved master are also missing from this volume.

I know I will enjoy what is IN this volume But- I must point out this serious omission.

dave eberhardt, baltimore, md

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful to beginners in Bach research, November 6, 2008

By 

mjdisler (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Bach Studies (Paperback)

Given the nearly astronomical amount of writing on Bach - music, life, analysis - where does one begin? What are the most fundamental resources? What in the world does the "BWV" number connected with individual works represent? This book is a valuable bibliographic tool and gateway to the world of Bach research. It will help you know where to start looking, with brief comments on the significance of each item. RECOMMENDATION: Buy it NOW while the price is reasonable. Far too many music research books are apparently being shifted to "print-on-demand" by their publishers, with huge increases in price. Recommended on the Bach Page of www.iteachGuitar.com

4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You gotta be kidding., June 13, 2006

By 

Bob Stumbaugh "Bob" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Bach Studies (Hardcover)

What a waste of time. This collection is mired in typical Jacobs'School academic-speak. The language throughout is just like I remember it at IU grad school...people using big words to make themselves seem more important. Don't buy it. 1 star.