Book Description
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was the father of modern music, a supreme craftsman able to bridge the gap between the music of the Renaissance and the glories of Mozart, Hayden, and Beethoven. Bach expert Martin Geck shows us Bach in his time, offering a portrait of the personal, political and social circumstances that shaped some of the greatest music ever written. It analyses Bach’s musical achievement and considers why music such as the "Brandenburg Concertos" and the "St. Matthew Passion" continues to hold its appeal centuries later.


From the Publisher
The Life & Times series tells the stories of those who have shaped our present and our past, from Beethoven to Curie, Dietrich to Wilde. Offering expert, eminently readable texts by distinguished authors, these handsomely designed books feature chronologies, full indices, and striking color photos and illustrations. Together, they form a superb modern library of biography.


About the Author
Martin Geck is the founding editor of the collected works of Richard Wagner and has written several books on the great composers, including the critically acclaimed Bach: Life and Work. John Butt is a Lecturer in Music at Cambridge University and Gardiner Chair of Music at Glasgow University. He is the editor of the Cambridge Companion to Bach (1997) and has also performed and recorded music by Bach and others all around the world.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Johann Sebastian Bach was the father of modern music, a supreme craftsman who was able to combine the order of the middle ages with the passionate individualism of the renaissance. Bach expert Martin Geck shows us Bach in his time, offering a rich portrait of the personal, political and social circumstances which shaped some of the greatest music ever written.

SYNOPSIS