Product Description

An illuminating discussion of the musical, literary, aesthetic, and theological aspects of Bach's early cantatas. The cantatas of J. S. Bach are among the best known and most frequently performed musical works of the Baroque period. But Bach's world is no longer our world, so when we hear and perform the cantatas, questions arise that are difficult to answer because we are experiencing the works outside their historical context. Such questions concern the role of the cantatas in Bach's compositional development, musical models for the works, and performance practice during the composer's lifetime. In The World of the Bach Cantatas, leading Bach scholars place the works in their historical and biographical context, guiding us through their literary, musical, aesthetic, and theological features. The book covers the sacred cantatas Bach wrote during the first twenty-eight years of his life, before his move to Leipzig in 1723. Designed as an accompaniment to Ton Koopman's complete set of cantatas now being recorded on the Erato label.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #313525 in Books
• Published on: 1997-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

About the Author
Christoph Wolff, professor of music and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, ranks as one of the world's most respected and productive Bach scholars, having published more than fifty articles and several books on the composer. Ton Koopman, internationally acclaimed as a harpsichordist, organist, and conductor, has published books on the theory and practice of Baroque music and on the harpsichord in Dutch art. Contributing authors include Andreas Glckner, Ulrich Leisinger, Daniel R. Melamed, Claus Oefner, Martin Petzoldt, Hans-Joachim Schulze, George B. Stauffer, and Peter Wollny.

Customer Reviews

An inconvenient essential
This book is a must for lovers of the cantatas, but I hope it's not whining to say that we deserve much better. The subjects of the various essays, by various scholars, are all exactly the ones I have been hoping for--most notably the chapters "Bible, hymnbook and worship service" by M. Petzoldt, and "Choruses and Chorales" by D. Melamed, but the book as a whole reads very much like a conference proceedings volume rather than an introduction to the "world of the cantatas." Some individual chapters are excellently written (esp. C. Wolff's, but that should go without saying), but many are at the very least poorly translated. What we really need is A. Duerr's magisterial introduction (available at fairly low cost from amazon.de, for the reader of German) in English translation (though I would hope not by those who translated this volume!).

a must for all lovers of bach cantatas
this clear account of the early cantatas is a must for all lovers of Bach and his choral music. Written by acknowledged authorities in the field, this book complements Koopmans on going CD cycle of the cantatas but can be used with great benefit with other cycles as well. If you love the cantatas this is a must have book

Arrival problem.
Item ordered 8/31/05. Today is 10/21/05 and item still has not arrived.