Overview

"In the obituary that appeared soon after his death, Johann Sebastian Bach was described as ""the world-famous organist"" and ""the greatest organist...we have ever had."" In Hamburg, Dresden, and other big cities, Bach dazzled audiences with his organ playing, performing passages with his feet that many thought impossible for the hands. One eyewitness declared that he had never seen anything like it. His extant organ works--more than 250 chorale settings and free pieces--are filled with bold, dramatic passages and fully independent pedal parts. They represent the most important body of music in the organ repertoire and the only genre that Bach turned to continuously throughout his life, from his earliest efforts as a teenager in Ohrdruf to his final deathbed revisions as a cantor in Leipzig.In this new survey, leading musicologist George B. Stauffer traces the evolution of Bach's organ works within the broad spectrum of his development as a composer. With detailed discussions of the individual pieces, the book shows how Bach initially drew on contemporary models from Germany and France before evolving a personal idiom based on the concertos of Antonio Vivaldi. In Leipzig, he went still further, synthesizing national and historical styles to produce cosmopolitan masterpieces that exude sophistication and elegance. Serving as a backdrop to this growth was the emergence of the Central German pre-Romantic organ, which inspired Bach to write pieces with unique chamber-music, choral, and orchestral qualities. Stauffer follows these developments step-by-step, showing how Bach's unending quest for novelty, innovation, and refinement resulted in organ works that continue to reward and awe listeners today."

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9780195108026

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Reviews

"George Stauffer takes us on a compelling journey through Bach's life and the organs he played, providing a rich and fascinating context for his organ music. The author discusses each work, incorporating information from recent discoveries that broaden our understanding of how the iconic compositions were disseminated and performed. Stauffer's study is a must-read for anyone interested in Bach's music for the organ! * Kimberly Marshall, Goldman Endowed Professor of Organ, Arizona State University * Stauffer's fascinating introduction to Bach's Organ Works combines decades of familiarity with Bach's organ music as a practicing organist with the deep erudition of a music historian. The book sheds new light on the musical and social contexts of Bach's organ music and provides a unique perspective of the place of the organ works in Bach's own artistic development. The book will be indispensable for performers, listeners, and music historians."" -=-Markus Rathey, Yale University George Stauffer has been at the forefront of researching Bach's organ music for about fifty years. His new book on all the composer's organ works not only provides an up-to-date and useful chronological overview but also many new details and insightful observations. * Christoph Wolff, Adams University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University *"

Author Information

George B. Stauffer is Distinguished Professor of Music History and Dean Emeritus of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. He is well known for his writings on the music and culture of the Baroque Era and the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular. He has written or edited eight books, including Bach: The Mass in B Minor and The World of Baroque Music, and he has contributed numerous articles to American, European, and Asian journals. He has also written pieces for The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and The Weekly Standard. Stauffer has held Guggenheim, Fulbright, ACLS, IREX, and Bogliasco fellowships, and he is a frequent speaker at Bach festivals, concert halls, and universities in the United States and abroad. A past President of the American Bach Society, Stauffer is General Editor of the Leupold Edition of The Complete Organ Works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

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