Johann Sebastian Bach

Question 1

Bach - Background and education

Answer 1

• Music in family for five generations
• Orphaned at 10 - studied with Johann Christoph
• choir, good violonist, virtuoso organist

Question 2

Bach - Arnstadt, Mülhausen

Early career

Answer 2

• court violinist, chamber musician, organist

* married Maria Barbara Bach - Carl Phillip Emmanuel, Wilhelm Friedmann

Question 3

Weimar

Answer 3

• court organist and chamber musician - Duke of Weimar
• increasing fame as organist, many compositions
• music for Lutheran church - cantatas, chorale settings
• salary advance for Cöthen. Ended up in jail.

Question 4

Cöthen

Answer 4

• Kapellmeister - Prince Leopold of Cöthen
• Solo and chamber works composed - suites, concertos, sonatas, solo keyboard works
• The Well-Tempered Clavier
• Death of Maria Barbara
• Marriage to Anna Magdalena Wilcke - Johann Christian and Johann Christoph

Question 5

Leipzig

Answer 5

• Cantor of St. Thomas School
• teaching, composing, directing, music in church
• director of Collegium Musicum
• Goldberg Variations, Art of Fugue
• death July 28 - Stroke

Question 6

Bach - Birth date and location

Answer 6

Eisenach, Germany

1685

Question 7

Bach, influences

Answer 7

• French, German and Italian music.
• personal faith
• Lutheran, works dedicated to glory off.

Question 8

Bach, style

Answer 8

• personal faith
• master of contrapuntal art
• perfected existing forms

Question 9

Bach, genres

Answer 9

Almost every genre of his time, except opera

Question 10

Bach, additional

Answer 10

Keyboard: notebook for Anna Magdalena
English suites: Italian Concerto
Orchestral: Brandenburg Concertos
Vocal: st Matthew passion

Question 11

Prelude and Fugue no 21 in Bb+

Prelude, key, tempo, texture, structure

Answer 11

Bb+
Tempo: not specified, implied by style
Homophonic and polyphonic
Binary (AB) form

Question 12

Bach Prelude musical depiction

Section A

Answer 12

• Broken chords in 32nd notes sequentially
• 32nd note runs
• ends in F+

Question 13

Bach prelude musical depiction

Section B

Answer 13

• continued toccata style, cadenza like runs
• virtuosity
• improvised style contrasts fugue

Question 14

Bach, Fugue

Key, tempo, texture, number of voices, type of answer, counter subjects

Answer 14

Bb major
Moderately fast
Polyphonic
3 voices
Tonal answer
Two countersubjects throughout the fugue,
Accompaniment to subject or answer

Question 15

Bach fugue

Fugal exposition musical depiction

Answer 15

• subject unusually long in top voice

* two motives

Question 16

Bach fugue

Middle section musical depiction

Answer 16

• 1st episode leads to G-
• subject in G-, tonal answer in C-
• eb+, then tonal answer
• subject in Eb+

Question 17

Bach fugue

Final section musical depiction

Answer 17

• tonal answer in Bb+

* final four measures are coda

Question 18

Structure of a well tempered clavier

Answer 18

Two books, 24 preludes and fugues each

Pairs of tonic major and minor keys. Start in C+ and C-, then end with B+ and B-