Researched and created bySarah Ivie

Johann Sebastian Bach1685-1750

Picture of later life

Prior to Bach birth, his family was well known German musician family during the 17th-18th century. The families excelling music involvement and accomplishments were known for more than 100 years.

Bach was the youngest of eight. Born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, a city of Thuringia. During the Baroque Ages where music was center of life.

His father , Johann Ambrosius was director of musical services for the city.

Birth and beginning of Bach

The family hosted numerous musical concerts in their home. His father playing violin or trumpet while his uncles played the keyboard or organ.

With in few months and by the age 10 , both Bach parent died and he moved in with his older brother.

Johann Christoph was a organist in near by town, Ohrudf.

Bach sang in school choir and studied the organ taught by his other brother.

Childhood

While living with his brother, Bach contributed towards family finances by earning money during singing.

After 4 years, Bach moved to Luneburg to advance studies and spent great deal time listening to a variety of music. Thus allowing to learn diversity of musical styles on both sacred and theatrical.

Childhood to adolescence

At 18, Bach astounded audiences and received a position as organist.

He was nitrous for modifying the traditional Lutheran hymns

Organists Contract: Salary which included room and board, automatic deduction for hospital, church offerings and local taxes. Responsibility included: play for church on Sunday, play choir practice on Monday and thrusday, take proper care for instruments also preparation of church music involving choir members and instrumental mentalists.

At 20, Bach went to study with Danish organist.Bach was approved for 1 month although he spent 4 months, once returned he was reprimanded.

adolescence

Earlier picture of Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach moved to Muhlausen, obtaining Organist position in June that same year. Bach married Maria Barbara Bach, having the

ceremony on Oct. 17 1707.

Bach developed interest with composing vocal music. At 22, Bach first cantatas was performed on Feb. 4 1708.

After 1 year of Organist position, Bach’s great reputation grew him ambitious to find something more satisficing. Bach although keep a good working/ personal relationships with the pastor of the church.

Adulthood

In Weimar, Bach completed numerous jobs -Organist/ member of orchestra-making various organ transcriptions of Italian material

Bach combined earlier style with northern German/ French influences making unique and new development in music.

1713, Bach preformed organ concerts, preformed cantatas and was notorious for locking himself in room to write cantatas.

Bach by 1714, had numerous children. Throughout Bach life, he pushed for the improvement of organs.

adulthood

Bach dramatically changed positions by abruptly stopping productions of cantatas.

Although, great impression on Leopold von Anhalt-Kothen, Bach received new position.

Bach previous employer refused to let him leave, instead arrested Bach for a month prior to leaving. Bach received “without honor” discharge

Work in Weimar: great number of cantatas, most major organ compositions, started harpsichord compositions

Adulthood

Bach

Family

In Kothen 1717-1723Started new position, Kapellmeister

-Bach wrote lots of chamber music-Bach wife died and buried on July 7 which left

4 children to fend for. -Bach remarried co-worker, Anna Magdalena

on December 3 1721-Bach received position to become successor of

Leipzig cantor. -Bach continue to look for position that allowed

connections for educational needs for his children.

Adult hood

In Leipzig 1723-1750 Bach audition for a Saint Thomas school positions and on may

5 1723 signed a contract.

It is believed by some, “Bach's cantata in the 1720s is one of the most astonishing creative explosions in the history of Western music, even if one considers that Baroque composers were extremely productive in general.” work cited #3

Bach job required to teach Italian to schoolboys and train the singers. Bach was dissatisfied and his pay was lower than other positions. His family situation was not any better at this time in his life neither.

On the side, Bach participated as director of music society. This allow Bach to make more concert music and cantatas

Adulthood

Being seen as the beginning of bourgeois concert life was when the two music societies merged into one; (Becoming the basis of the later Gewandhaus orchestra tradition).

Bach performed his own harpsichord concertos at regular performances.

Bach composed a small number of church cantatas and oratorios, in 1735 his production slowed down to almost halt. The production of secular cantatas went on till at least 1742.

Most of these cantatas were homage cantatas for important persons or works for festive occasions (created by Bach on demand).

Adulthood

Bach really had become a dealer of books and music and he even occupied himself with the rental of musical instruments. In the 1740s, he also sold Silbermann fortepianos

Bach had been appointed court Chapel mister and composer in Dresden in 1736

Bach put only minimal energy into his cantor function and withdrew more and more to devote himself to projects of his own choice, particularly his instrumental monothematic cyclic works

Bach began a family genealogy, which traced the family tradition back to 16th century. People believe Bach during these years was very evident self-consciousness and a growing concern about his position in history. His work during this time assists that belief. Bach had been publishing his keyboard partitas since 1726, and in 1731.

later life

Photo of Bach in Later years

Bach became the center of a circle of a growing number of students leading to a kind of historical reflection. Bach was attacked in 1737 and accused of an old-fashioned, unnatural and overly learned style of composition. In spite of this, Bach clearly underwent a certain influence of the new style in his later works.

Bach finished his great B Minor Mass in 1749. More Likely, he was not active in his function as cantor

Bach was practically blind due to cataracts at the end of his life. Early in 1750, he was hit by a stroke. He died on July 28, 1750. According to recent medical interpretations of Bach's symptoms in the last period of his life, he probably suffered and died from diabetes mellitus.

Later life

Map of Bach travels and copy of Bach concert brochure.

Schweigh stille, plaudert nicht (aka Coffee Cantata) was a secular cantata written by Johann Sebastian Bach. Even though it is classified as a cantatas; many believe it to be a mini comic opera. It was written within 1732-1734 in Leipzig; at this time Bach was heavily involved with directing the Leipzig’s Collegium Musicums. The Collegium Musicum was a voluntary society of university students and professional musicians that gave weekly concerts outside the church. Bach story involving Collegium Musicum is closely related to Leipzig coffee-house owned by Gottfried Zimmermann; each concert was performed on his property. During the cold months-the group played on Friday nights in the coffee house and during warm weather-the group played on Wednesday afternoons in the coffee house garden. Zimmermann was not just a coffee house owner; he also enjoyed music and believed to be a musician himself. Coffee was recently introduced at that time and was a new craze. The cantata is fun and light with easily assumptions that Bach making fun of coffee drinkers and critics. Within the music, you would hear a bubbling solo flue joined with strings and continuo. The cantatas was written in G major and has 10 movements. The original text was in German and average time length of the cantatas is 27 minutes. The cantatas consist of a trio of soloists: narrator whose is a tenor, daughter (Lieschen) is a soprano and father (Schlendrian) is a bass. The background instruments are the string orchestra consisting: transverse flute, 2 violins, viola and harpsichord continuo. The cantatas plot involves a rebellious daughter’s love for coffee and the father’s disgust of the “evil drink”. The extents the father goes to insure his daughter does not drink coffee is very amusing.

Composition History

Thomas Crawford, Music Director and Founder: American Classical Orchestra

1.Recitativo – Tenor

0:00- Tenor recitativo secco begins

Listen closely awful world,

Emphasis on world

Just listen to what has accrued:

Emphasis on listen and accrued, plucking implying steeping starting 0:13, 0:17 and 0:24.

here comes Herr Schlendrian

with his daughter Lieschen;

he's growling like a honey bear. Emphasis on growls, plucking of bass continuo 0:28

Let’s hear, what she has done to him! Emphasis on words “hear” “done” “him”

2. Aria (bass) Recitative – string including: violin, viola and basses beginning at 0:47 major 12 beats

1:04 Vocal start

Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern

Hunderttausend Hudelei!

1:10 Instrumental intro involving all orchestra excluding flute

1:15 vocal begins restarting with Hat man…

1:32 instrumental solo

1:42 vocal begins with lines written below

Was ich immer alle Tage

Meiner Tochter Liesgen sage,

Gehet ohne Frucht vorbei.

1:50 instrumental solo

JS Bach's: Coffee CantataCantata BMV211Listening Guide

1:55 vocal repeats with Was ich… 2:05 small instrumental solo2:12 vocal start with Was ich… revised2:39 instrumental solo2:44 Aria Recitative solo 2:49 instrumental3:00 Aria Recitative solo beginning Hat man…3:19 instrumental only3:33 Fade out 3. Recitative Bass and Soprano3:39 You knotty child, you teenaged ingrateWould you ever mind my word. Give up this coffee craze.

Soprano3:55 My papa, please don’t be so crossUnless I have a nice cup of coffee morning, noon and nightI’d soon looks so truly awful like a dried up Billy goat.4:15 organ keys playing while father walks out

4. Aria Recitative- Soprano solo4:23 instrumental intro with flute accompaniment with basso continuo4:54 Soprano recitative startsEi! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße,Lieblicher als tausend Küsse,Milder als Muskatenwein. Coffee, Coffee muß ich haben,Und wenn jemand mich will laben,Ach, so schenkt mir Coffee ein!5:45 Instrumental solo emphasis on flute5:58 Soprano recitative restarts coffee, coffee…

Cont.

6:36 Soprano recitative restarts coffee, coffee… revised7:11 instrumental 7:24 Soprano recitative from beginning of text, 7: 52 pause of instruments and solo until 7:537:53 restart recitative solo8:29 instrumental solo with emphasis on range of flute (incline and decline) until fades out on 9:00. 5. Recitative - Bass, Soprano9:15 If I see coffee in this house, you won’t be going to any party. You can just stay at homeSoprano9:25 but coffee is now here to stayBass9:31 you annoying little brat, that stylish dress that you just bought, you might as well return it.Soprano9:40 I could easily return itBass9:44 you can’t stand before the window, to see the people walking bySoprano9:50 no matter, still I beg you. Please let me keep my coffee.Bass10:00 You may be sure that I withhold that silver broach and lay with gold, that fancy knitted sweaterSoprano10:10 that’s fine, for coffee is much betterBass10:13 you knotty lizzy, you give up all I give you to you 10:20 Pause in the music and allowing daughter to step away6. Aria Recitative- Bass10:35 instrumental begins with bass continuo10:48 solo beginsMädchen, die von harten Sinnen,Sind nicht leichte zu gewinnen.10:59 small vocal break11:05 vocal restart beginning with Mudchen… revised11:44 instrumental solo11:52 Bass recitative solo beginning with written belowDoch trifft man den rechten Ort,O! so kömmt man glücklich fort

Cont.

Bach, Great Composers. Producer and director: James Runcie. Kultur international films, ltd. Motion picture

Jan Koster and Jan Hanford. “J. S. Bach home page”. 1995-2012. http//:www.jsback.org

Catucci, Stefano. Bach and Baroque music. Hauppauge, NY 1998

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-PRCv7SfMhttp://www.afactor.net/kitchen/coffee/

kaffeeKantate.htmlhttp://www.good-music-guide.com/reviews/

044lyrics.htm#english

Work Cited