The Life of Bach

This 2003 book is a searching and challenging interpretation of one of the greatest composers of all time.

Peter Williams (Author)

9780521533744, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 December 2003

228 pages, 9 b/w illus. 2 maps
21.6 x 14 x 1.3 cm, 0.3 kg

'… stimulating book …' Early Music Review

Bach, like Shakespeare, is known largely by his works, exceptional in quantity as well as quality, and only a few original documents convey any idea of his life and character. Peter Williams's 2003 look at Bach's biography asks many questions about the so-called evidence. What was he like as a young man, as a father, as an ageing church servant? What were his preoccupations? What music did he know and how did he compose and perform such an amazing amount of music? Was he a disappointed man? Reading the available documentation critically, especially from the viewpoint of a performer, and going back to the first substantial 'biography' of Bach, namely his Obituary, Williams suggests new interpretations of the composer's life and his work. In addition, he asks if our understanding of Bach has been hindered by the unremitting deference displayed towards him since his death.

Introduction
1. Early years 1685–1703
2. First appointments 1703–8
3. Weimar 1708–17
4. Cöthen 1717–23
5. Leipzig, the first decade
6. Leipzig, the second decade
7. Leipzig, the final years and the first personal descriptions
Appendix 1. A sample hypothesis
Appendix 2. Some terms
References
BWV Index
Name index.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH], Baroque music [c 1600 to c 1750 AVGC3], Music [AV]