Part IV The period of transition from feudal society to capitalist society
Chapter V: Music of the Baroque Period (1600-1750)
Section 4 Main music representative figures
To the sun
III. Johann Sebastian Bach
(2) Artistic achievements
Johann Sebastian Bach was a famous German composer of the Baroque period, an outstanding organ, violin and harpsichord player. Bach is widely regarded as one of the most important composers in the history of music, and is revered as the "father of Western 'modern music'" and one of the most important figures in the history of Western culture.
Bach was a devout Christian, but at the same time influenced by the early Enlightenment ideas, even his religious works often shimmered with humanist ideas, profoundly reflecting the German people's bitter depression and hope for peaceful reunification after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), which severely damaged German society and economy. Inheriting the German vocal and instrumental traditions of the 16th century, he absorbed the advanced techniques of Italian and French music and raised polyphonic music to unprecedented heights. He advocated reason, respected science, and thought logically in music. He actively supported the 12 Mean Laws, not only changing his keyboard instruments to new ones, but also composing two "Mean Rhythm Piano Songs" (1722, 1744), using creative practice to prove the advantages and practicality of the average law. He had a vision for reforming the fingering of keyboard instruments, and his fingering system has been widely adopted by later generations and is still used today.
Bach was a prolific composer. His work is vast and profound. His compositions include nearly 300 cantatas; a set of 48 fugues and preludes composed of the Piano Symphony of Mean Rhythms; There are at least 140 other preludes; More than 100 other harpsichord pieces; 23 mini-concertos; 4 overtures; 33 sonatas; 5 Masses; 3 sacred pieces and many others. In total, Bach composed more than 800 serious compositions. In the 2005 Deutsche TV 2 poll for the greatest German, he was ranked sixth, behind the fifth greatest West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.
In addition to opera, Bach's works are covered by a variety of vocal and instrumental genres. His vocal compositions are mainly religious music, and he wrote nearly 300 extant 195 church cantatas, most of which begin with a chorus of the form, followed by a series of recitals and arias, and end with a crowd of hymns. Sometimes other movements are also used in the praises of crowds, such as Cantata 4, "Christ in the Dying Bondage".
There are 8 movements, the first movement is a symphony based on the melody of the hymn, and the other 7 movements are 7 stanzas of the hymn, each of which is a variation of the same hymn; The 80th cantata "The Lord is my strong guarantee" is also an 8-movement, the first, fifth, and eighth movements are all variations of the same hyme, the other movements are arias, recitals and duets, and the whole cantata resembles a rondo.
There are also 23 secular cantatas, mostly light-hearted and lively "musicals" containing recitatives, arias, choruses and duets, the most outstanding of which are The Quarrel between the Sun God and the Shepherd (BWV 201), The Stream, You Slow Flow (BWV 206), The Coffee Cantata (BWV 211) and The Peasant Cantata (BWV 212). His Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), composed in 1734, is actually a 6-piece church cantata performed 6 times from Christmas (25 December) to Epiphany (6 January), 11 of which borrow secular cantata music. Bach wrote 5 Passions, but only 2 have survived in their entirety, the Passion of Matthew and the Passion of John.
Bach's Passion is also formally a combination of several church cantatas, each of which ends with a crowd of hymns. The whole piece adopts a combination of narrative (third person) and endorsement (first person), and runs through the narration of the evangelist (tenor) from beginning to end, proclaiming the chapters of the Gospel about the passion of Jesus, and when talking about specific characters, it is sung by the soloist on behalf of Jesus, Peter, Pilate, etc., or by the choir on behalf of the crowd. Example 49 is in Matthew's Passion Song, when the evangelist recounts that Jesus said at the Last Supper that one of the twelve disciples was going to betray him, one by one, the disciples asked him, saying, "Lord, is it me?" " in chorus. Example 49:
Bach's Passion and Schütz's similar works are in the same line. Comparing Example 49 and Example 43, it can be seen that the same method of expression is used for both. Bach's Mass in B minor is grand in conception and grows in length, with not only solemn choruses and duets, but also solo arias full of human touch. Like Beethoven's Solemn Mass, it has gone far beyond the norms of church ritual music and become an enduring work of art.
In instrumental music, Bach was an organ master at the height of the Baroque period, composing a large number of organ pieces in various genres, including hymn fantasias, preludes, variations, fugues, toccatas, passacaria and others. He also adapted Vivaldi's Vivaldi's Violin Concerto into the Organ Concerto (BWV 593, 594, 596) and the Hapsikold Concerto (BWV 972, 973, 975, 976, 978, 980), strengthening the counterpoint, supplementing the inner voice, and applying melodic decorations. He also wrote extensively for Hapsicord and Clavicord. The 48 preludes and fugues in the two volumes of the Piano Song Collection are used in twenty-four major and minor tones to prove the superiority of the average rhythm of keyboard instruments. In these works, he uses polyphonic techniques to achieve a state of transcendence, such as using horizontal movable counterpoint to make the same subject in each part close and intolerable close connection at different distances (e.g. 50), or using longitudinal movable counterpoint to combine several themes as possible (e.g. 51).
Example 50, the immediate passage in the fifth fugue of Bach's Piano Song No. 2 of the Mean Rhythm Songs:
Example 51, the eleventh time of the three themes in the fourth fugue of the first volume of Bach's Piano Songs for Mean Rhythm is combined simultaneously:
The six English Suite and the six French Suite are based on four classical dances (Alemand, Currant, Saraband, Giger), with an eclectic mix of 3/4 or 3/8 Italian courants and 3/2 or 6/4 beats French courants, and the last two movements are often randomly added to various 17th-century dances (small steps, Gavort, Paspilet, Bray, Lough, etc.). The 6 English Suite all begin with a growing up, similar to the first movement of a Grand Concerto. The 6 Patitas also contain 6 different forms of preludes. The Goldberg Variations consist of a Sarabande theme and thirty carefully arranged variations—each of which is followed by a kanon variation of a different interval, and the last variation is a quodlibet, which skillfully combines two popular tunes: "I've been away from you for a long time" and "greens and turnips" (e.g. 52).
Bach's Six Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas and Patitas (BWV 1001-1006) is a group of one sonata and one Patita, alternating between church sonatas (containing the four movements of "Slow One Fast, One Slow One Fast") and chamber sonatas (suites). The Six Chopper Suite (BWV 1007-1012) and the Solo Flute Sonata also take the form of these two early Italian sonatas. His most important orchestral compositions are 4 orchestral suites (BWV 1046-1051) and 6 Brandenburg Concertos. Each orchestra suite begins with a French overture growing up. The Brandenburg Concerto is in the form of a grand concerto for three movements, "fast-slow and fast"; But the only ones that really fit in with the concerto principles of the Grand Concerto (the group solo instruments and the string orchestra antagonism) are the second, fourth, and fifth pieces. The final works, "Devotion to Music" and "The Art of Fugue", are summative works that combine three hundred years of polyphonic techniques.
【About the author】
Xiang Yangguang, a native of Linxiang City, Hunan Province, university culture, senior middle school music teacher, International Federation of Authors and Composers (CISAC), International Society for Music Education (ISME), Chinese Musicians Association, China Literary and Art Critics Association, China Music Copyright Association, Music Education Branch of China Education Society, China National Orchestra Society, Member of Erhu Society of China Music Association, Certified Poet of China Poetry Network, Director of Hunan Music Critics Association, Excellent Instructor of Art Level Examination of China Conservatory of Music, He has been employed as a columnist of Hunan Red Network (Literature and Art) of "Xiangjiang Singing" and "Music Education and Creation", a music judge of the Hunan Academy of Education, a visiting professor of the Music Department of Yueyang Teachers College (the predecessor of Hunan Institute of Technology), an associate editor of "The Song of the Garden of Leyuan" magazine, and a special guest editor of "Songs of a Hundred Years" (poetry collection).
Major achievements: Winner of the "World Cultural Celebrity Achievement Award". He has published more than 1,000 literary and artistic works, music criticisms, and music education papers in national, provincial and municipal newspapers and online media, with more than 5 million words. More than 150 poems, such as "Qin Yuan Chun - National Day Feelings", "Xijiang Yue - Sixties of the Motherland", "Qingping Le, Nine Ranks of the Party's Birthday", "Partridge Heaven Ode to the Eighteenth National Congress", "Pounding Training, Convening the Eighteenth National Congress of the Prosperous Era", "Seven Laws, He Centennial of the Founding of the Party", "Lang Taosa: Feelings on the Centennial of the Founding of the Party", "Jiangchengzi - Return of the Late Boat", "Ru Mengling • Ji Ji Song", "Caisang Zi Chongyang", "Huanxi Sha He 'God XII'", "Water Tune Song Head, Great Beauty in My Hometown", "Appeal to Heartfelt Feelings, New Year's Words" and other more than 150 poems, have successively won the supervision of the Central Propaganda Department and the China Writers Association. The Best Award, Special Prize and Gold Award of the China Nonfiction Literature Research Association, and the Gold Award of the 'China Association for the Promotion of World Ethnic Cultural Exchanges' under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture;
Two lyrics, including "Chinese Glory", won the first prize of the Hunan Provincial Federation of Literature. This poetry work has been published in the "Poetry Journal" of the "China Poetry Network" sponsored by the China Writers Association, and has been honored in 7 large-scale poetry collections such as "Eternal Glory", "Ode to Great Men and Singing the Chinese Dream", "Ode to the Party" and "Song of a Hundred Years".
8 works, including "A Gift for a Teacher", participated in the series of exhibitions of celebrity works in the art world held by the China International Celebrity Research Institute, and won the Bronze Tripod Award; Two aesthetic papers, including "Appreciation of a Brilliant Pearl", won the <春江花月夜>gold medal of the "World Academic Contribution Award"; More than 10 papers such as "On the Teaching of Instrumental Music in Quality Education" have been awarded the first and second prizes by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Education; 8 papers, including "On Music Education Research and Teaching Practice", won the first prize of Hunan Academy of Education for consecutive years; 5 songs such as "The Years of Golden Cancan" won the gold and silver awards of the National Song Contest, among which "Entering a New Life with the Party" (lyrics and songs) participated in CCTV's "Touching China" 2021 "Motherland, I am Proud of You" national large-scale original songwriting competition, and won the "Top Ten Original Golden Melody Award", ranking second.
The organizing committee of the competition held the "2022 Moving China Variety Ceremony" in CCTV Starlight Studio on July 25, 2022, the whole process was videotaped and broadcast live, and the works were displayed to the national audience on the stage of CCTV; <跟党迈进新生活>2 music reviews, including "Connotation Interpretation", were published in Hunan Daily (Xiangjiang Weekly, Yifeng) and the Central Propaganda Department "Learning to Strengthen the Country"; More than 100 songs such as "My China" and "We Embrace Spring" have been selected into more than 10 song collections such as "National Teacher Composer Song Collection" (up and down), "Chinese Contemporary Excellent School Songs", and "Sweet Songs - Special Edition for Teaching Composers". He is the author of more than 10 books, including "Music Culture and Quality Education", "Research on Chinese and Foreign Music History", "Ten Excellent Songs of Chinese Music Education" (Xiang Sunshine Excellent Song Album), "Selected Vocal Works to Sunshine", large-scale vocal suite "Linxiang Suite" (ten movements), "Song of Five Sharp Mountains" (five movements), including "Music Culture and Quality Education" (subject monograph):
Approved by the Hunan Provincial Department of Education, it was included in the distribution of books for primary and secondary schools in the province, and then selected as a national college music textbook, and was compiled into the "National College Music Education Professional Series Textbook" (professional main course) compiled by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
In addition, he has tutored students to participate in the National Music Knowledge Competition for more than 50 times and won the first and second prizes, and was awarded the first class gardener award by the Music Education Committee of the Chinese Musicians Association three times. He has guided students to participate in the national music examination, provincial and municipal "three independence" competitions for more than 100 people and achieved good results, and has won the honorary title of "Excellent Instructor" by the Examination Committee of China Conservatory of Music, Hunan Provincial Department of Education and Yueyang Education Bureau for more than 10 times. For more than 40 years, he has sent a large number of music students to more than 10 colleges and universities including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guizhou Normal University Conservatory of Music and China Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Xiyin and Chuanyin. He has won the certificate of commendation issued by the People's Government of Linxiang Municipality and the People's Government of Hunan Province for many times, and the certificate of contribution award issued by the Department of Education of Hunan Province and the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Hunan Province. China Education News, Hunan Daily, Teachers' Daily, Music Education and Creation, etc. have made "character features", book reviews and "music scene figures" introductions, and his artistic achievements have been included in more than 20 historical archives, such as "Hunan Literature and Art Sixty Years Music Volume" (Provincial Federation of Literature and Art), "Directory of Chinese Musicians" (signed by Deng Xiaoping), and "Dictionary of Chinese Experts" (Ministry of Personnel).