Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Johann Sebastian Bach His Life Art and Work

Rate this book
Johann Sebastian Bach His Life Art and Work Johann Nikolaus Johann Sebastian Bach His Life Art and Work Vienna FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped. Published by Vienna House, 1974. Octavo. Paperback. Book is very good with a few small stains to the page ends and light shelf wear. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 344352 Biography & Letters We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

31 people are currently reading
95 people want to read

About the author

1749-1818

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
15 (20%)
4 stars
27 (36%)
3 stars
23 (31%)
2 stars
8 (10%)
1 star
1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Richard Pohl.
143 reviews26 followers
December 9, 2013
As a historical document it is still invaluable, despite its inaccuracies and at times unclear concepts. In any way, this short tribute to composer which Forkel could not meet (yet took time to get material from related people, especially Bach´s sons) remains a base of any following Bachian research and it is recommended for any Bach enthusiaist.
596 reviews12 followers
August 17, 2021
After reading Albert Schweitzer's two-volume study, I was interested to read the first full biography of Bach, written by Johann Nikolaus Forkel in 1802. Unlike almost anyone else at the time, Forkel recognized Bach's supreme genius. His biography is lacking in many details—my edition benefited from hundreds of footnotes and several appendices to supplement or correct what Forkel wrote—but he had something no later biographer of Bach could claim. He was friendly with Bach's two oldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel, and gathered numerous interesting anecdotes from them.

Forkel is strongest on his understanding of Bach's works for solo keyboard. He collected and collated various manuscripts from around Germany at a time when very few of Bach's works had appeared in print. On the other hand, he evidently knew almost nothing about Bach's mighty choral works.

Forkel's biography is a really interesting book, but you will want to pair it with a more modern, well-researched work to really understand Johann Sebastian Bach.
Profile Image for Eric.
899 reviews7 followers
February 4, 2018
Interesting reading after one's read other biographies of Bach, and if one enjoys, as I do, reading 18th-to-mid-20th century biographies with their particular characteristics, not all of which (well, especially those of mid-20th-century works like Alfred Einstein's, or somewhat earlier ones... this one may have in some places more historical value- though- I find it important to "rate" things of themselves, not so much for their accuracy or etc. which can be addressed in the review, yes...- anyway. ...) - hrm. Deserves a longer review than I think I can give right now, if I'm the person to give it. Placeholder, then.
Profile Image for Axel Vega.
24 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2020
Lo comencé muy emocionado y me fue aburriendo un poco a medida que pasaba.

No es el libro indicado para el primer acercamiento a la vida de Bach, sobre todo si tomamos en cuenta cuándo se publico y la información que había disponible en ese momento.

Me hubiera gustado encontrar más chismes de su vida.
Profile Image for Nola Tillman.
652 reviews50 followers
August 18, 2013
This book is aimed toward a musical audience, those who understand what makes a concerto great, or how harmony and melody differ, rather than one looking to understand more about Bach from a historical perspective. It provides a brief, encyclopedic overview of his life and death, then delves into discussions on his music and what makes him shine in his roles as composer and teacher. The writing is very formal and stilted, and the images didn't make it into the kindle edition. I'm sure I would have taken more from this history if I understood anything about music. Still, the biographical information did prove interesting, and there were a few brief glimpses into his character (his desire to make the good great and the great perfect, or his insistence on having his students do nothing but finger exercises for most of the first year).
32 reviews
May 25, 2014
This early book about Bach turned people's attention back to him, after he was mostly forgotten. It is a small book with some great lists of his works. It can be quickly read and I enjoyed it more than some of the more comprehensive books about Bach.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.