Product Description

Through hundreds of letters, family papers, anecdotes, and records, the Bach Reader established a new approach to biography by offering original documents in impeccable translations. In The New Bach Reader, Christoph Wolff has incorporated numerous facsimiles and added many newly discovered items, reflecting the current state of scholarship about the composer's life and music. The readings in this volume provide an accurate and vivid picture of Bach's world and of his far-reaching influence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127740 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Review
Just reading these documents brings this great composer to life in a most exciting and vivid way. I love this book! -- Yo-Yo Ma

About the Author
Christoph Wolff is the William Powell Mason Professor of Music and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.

Customer Reviews

Bach Resource
Though I've only had time to skim through portions of this book, as a Bach descendent, I find it fascinating! The information provided in this book is from actual historical sources, so it not only gives the reader an appreciation for life in Bach's time, but it actually allows one to learn about Bach on a personal level. It reveals often little known facts, such as that Bach kept his own record of his family roots. In fact, I was able to find information about my own direct ancestors in his own words. Fascinating! I've ordered copies for my relatives, as well. I was very pleased with the fact that, though this book was to arrive in "4 to 6 weeks," it arrived in half that time, and in time for the holidays. Great book for a Bach or for a music lover!

A must have and must read - contemporary documents and the view of Bach through the centuries
This book is essential for anyone wanting to understand the life and work of J. S. Bach. It provides wonderful insights about the man through his own documents and writings by those who knew and worked with him. He comes across as an amazingly hard working genius with a quick temper and absolute focus.

The book is organized according to the various aspects of Bach's life. We get a portrait of him "in outline" using various anecdotes. Then we get a section about his life from his own writings. The next section contains biographical and genealogical information about Bach and his family. The sections on Bach as viewed by his contemporaries, in Forkel's biography, in the second half of the 18th century, and in the Romantic era are all quite interesting. Given how much Bach has meant to the world (more than in life!), it is not surprising that we cannot understand him without understanding his changing reputation over the past centuries.

This new edition has more than two hundred pages of additional information than the earlier editions and makes the book that much richer an experience.

I repeat, this is a must have and a must read for any lover of music. Why be limited to what other people tell you about this composer when you can find out for yourself from contemporary documents?

Comprehensive collection
A wonderful collection of letters by and articles about Bach, both from his own era and afterwards.

Some of his letters have even been set to music! Amazon also has available Peter Schickele's [a k a PDQ Bach] "1712 Overture and other Musical Assaults" which includes his parody on Copland's Lincoln Portrait, in which, instead of reciting The Gettysburg Address, he reads 2 of Bach's many letters complaining about his lack of money.

These are among the best known of Bach's letters, and are a fairly good indication of the general tone of many of his letters.

In one letter he complains to a relative that the cask of wine he had sent was half empty by the time it arrived, and that he had had to pay so many taxes as it passed through various districts of Germany that receiving it was rather expensive!

He concludes by saying something like "Please don't send me any more gifts ... I can't afford it!"

In the second letter, he writes warmly of his very musical family, but also whinges about his pay being less than he expected. He says that he had been promised a certain amount of money per funeral, but unfortunately the winter was so mild very few people died!

Highly recommended for lovers of Bach.