Product Description

This book offers new interpretations of many of Bach's late compositions which include complex musical techniques such as canon. These techniques held great significance for Bach and his contemporaries not only on account of the great skill they demanded but because of the meanings attached to them. Intricate musical devices were crucial to the Lutheran rituals of death and dying, to alchemy, to Enlightenment philosophies of stylistic change and musical progress, to musical representations of political power, and to the legacy of Bach into our own time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1627771 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 276 pages

Review
"...a fascinating glimpse into the use of counterpoint in Bach's music and the implications that technique had in a time when it was rapidly disappearing in favor of newer styles." Music Educators Journal

"This fascinating study explores the significance of Johann Sebastian Bach's learned counterpoint... A significant new voice in Bach studies. Essential." Choice

About the Author
David Yearsley is an assistant professor at Cornell University. His scholarly work has appeared in the Journal of the American Musicological Society, Early Music, Music & Letters, and the Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music.

Customer Reviews

Finally someone who fully understands counterpoint!
Truly an excellent study of the meaning behind Bach's use of counterpoint in his treatises on Harmony, Counterpoint, and Fugue. David Yarsley's insightful understanding of tonal counterpoint and how it functions, in conjunction with his great historical perspective, allows him to draw some very interesting and useful conclusions on Bach's works. For example his explanation of Crab Cannon is about as good as it gets and clearly shows his mastery of the material at hand. This book is a must read for any serious composer or lover of Bach.