Mel Bay J. S. Bach for Mandolin [Paperback]

Johann Sebastian Bach & Robert Bancalari (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 1998

These arrangements of many pieces by J.S. Bach make a great composer's works accessible to the mandolinist. Since the bulk of the music has been adapted from various suites, sonatas, and partitas, the authors provides an explanation of each dance form and other similar pieces. Includes: 'Bauree Angloise' from Partita in A Minor for solo flute; 'Marche' from Anna Magdalena Back Book; 'Fantasie' from Partita No. 3 in A Minor; and more. In notation and tablature. Includes a CD which contains 13 of the 26 solos.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Johann Sebastian Bach was the first great musician to disregard the rules of harmony and rhythm that were strictly followed by other composers. This fact alone helped to make him the forerunner of musical composition as we know it today. Born the son of a violinist in Eisenach, Germany, in 1685, he received his first musical training on the violin. At the age of 10, he went to live in the home of his brother Christoph, who taught Johann to play the harpsichord and the organ. It was also at this time that Bach began school, where his boy-soprano voice was greatly admired and appreciated. When his voice changed, Bach concentrated on the violin; but the organ soon took his interest, and he decided to devote himself to church music. At the age of 18, Bach became the organist at Arnstadt and began his work in musical composition. After a short period of time, he moved to Muhlhausen where he married his cousin, Maria Bach. At Muhlhausen he began to experiment with changes in the music used in the church services of the German Protestant Church. It was also during this time that he began to become somewhat well known. It was this that gained for him the position as court organist and violinist to the duke at Weimar, where he remained for about nine years. During this nine-year period, he wrote many cantatas for the Church, suites for the clavichord and harpsichord, and fugues (musical compositions in which the first melody is continually repeated and imitated throughout the entire piece). In fact, because he wrote so many fugues for the organ and piano, he is often called "the Great Master of the Fugue." His next position at Köthen was during the period in which he produced much of his orchestral music and music for the clavichord and harpsichord. In 1720 his wife died; and a year later he married Anna Wulken, who was also a musician. She evidently helped him considerably in his work. In 1723 Bach went to Leipzig as music director of the Thomas-schule. During his stay at Leipzig, he wrote many of his church cantatas and oratorios. Among these is his famous Christmas Oratorio. In 1749 Bach became totally blind; and in the following year, 1750, he died. Historians tell us that Bach did not seem to associate very much with other musicians and was far more interested in his family of 20 children and in composing and directing his church choirs than in becoming "famous." In addition to his almost unequaled skill as a composer, he also was an excellent organ builder, as well as an expert music copyist. Since most of his life was spent within a few miles of his birthplace, we also now know that Bach’s music was not widely known throughout the world during his lifetime. In fact, many of Bach’s most beautiful works were unpublished and unperformed for almost 100 years, until two later composers (Mendelssohn and Schumann) discovered the beauties of his music and began to perform them and make them known to the world. Robert Bancalari has been a musician since the age of ten. He played viola for the Burbank Symphony at the age of fourteen and taught himself mandolin in his spare time. At seventeen, he took up the guitar and Hammond B-3 organ and has played with various R & B bands in the Los Angeles area ever since. He also enjoys studying Baroque music for recorder, lute, mandolin, guitar and viola da gamba.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Ind. (June 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786627964
• ISBN-13: 978-0786627967
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Baroque
  • #30 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Bach

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not my pick, January 8, 2007

By 

Alan J. Wood "Woody" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay J. S. Bach for Mandolin (Paperback)

Surprisingly disappointing considering the usual high standard of Mel Bay publications.
Of the 26 pieces included only 13 are to be heard on the cd. There are few of the more well-known or popular pieces from the Bach canon.The tracks on the cd do not follow the page numbers in the book - for instance the first item in the book is track 12 on the cd.
It would have been helpful if the pieces had been arranged from easiest to more difficult. There is nothing written to guide players who may be new to the music of Bach and certain effects such as trills can be heard but not really understood from the tab as there is no guide to the notation. This book could do with a complete revision.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delight and Perhaps Enlightening, January 20, 2008

By 

Bourbon "Mandoman" (TN Bluegrass capital of the world) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay J. S. Bach for Mandolin (Paperback)

I have rather enjoyed this book. While it does not present the material in a graded fashion, this is not required. All is self explanatory. As for the tracks not avaialable on the included CD they are easily accessed practically anywhere. This is a very strong study in it's choice of pieces. The work is up to you.

The highlight of the entire book is the wonderful transcription of Ciaccaona. The author claims this piece is from "Sonata no. 4 in D minor"
This can be misleading. This is from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for solo violin. Most Bach Heads will know this.

I am much pleased to see the entire Suite III from the Cello Suites on board. It is readily available by great celloists for your listening pleasure here on Amazon.

Anyone truly interested in Bach for mandolin should look for Schmuel Elbaz here on Amazon. He is an Israeli mandolinist with a CD of Sonatas and Partitas for solo Violin played on mandolin. Also look for Robert Bancalari's "Mandolin Classics" book. Very cool.

"J. S. Bach for Mandolin" is not a book for beginners, but meant for those who wish to expand they're horizons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting alternative to Bluegrass, but..., December 2, 2007

By 

C. Webster (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay J. S. Bach for Mandolin (Paperback)

If you are just looking for something specific to the mandolin to play other than Bluegrass this book will provide it.
On the plus side the book and notes are easy to read and it provides tab as well as notation for all songs. The songs seem to progress in difficulty as you go through the book, so the songs at the end are more difficult than the ones at the front.
On the Down Side there is no indication why the author chose these particular songs out of Bach's entire repertoire to include in the book. Don't be surprised if you don't recognize any of the pieces in the book. Personally I would have preferred the book be spiral bound so it stays open when I am attempting to play directly from the book.
Finally I really have to wonder why they chose to put the tracks on the CD in a different order than they are found in the book. The track name are all in CDDB so when you put it in iTunes you get the names of the songs, but it's still confusing.
In summary this is a perfectly serviceable book for a novice to intermediate mandolin player to play through to help break out of the Bluegrass box, but the over all package is not particularly spectacular.