Johann Sebastian Bach, His Life; Art, And Work

by Johann Nikolaus Forkel

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Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

1749-1818

Reviews

[Richard Pohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a historical document it is still invaluable, despite its inaccuracies and at times unclear concepts.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.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Axel Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Thomas Batelaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totaal verzonnen maar heerlijk om te lezen.

[Nola Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

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).

[Wendell Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.