The New Bach Reader

by David, Hans T.; Mendel, Arthur; Wolff, Christoph

• ISBN13: 9780393319569
• ISBN10: 0393319563
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

Through hundreds of letters, family papers, anecdotes, and records, the Bach Reader established a new approach to biography by offering original documents in impeccable translations. In The New Bach Reader, Christoph Wolff has incorporated numerous facsimiles and added many newly discovered items, reflecting the current state of scholarship about the composer's life and music. The readings in this volume provide an accurate and vivid picture of Bach's world and of his far-reaching influence.

Table of Contents

Part I. Johann Sebastian Bach: A Portrait in Outline
Background, Career, and Personality	3	(6)
Heritage and Achievement	9	(7)
Attitude toward the Art of Music	16	(15)
Part II. Bach's Life in His Own Writings and Other Documents
EISENACH (1685--1695)	31	(3)
Bach's Father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, Gives a Public Performance (1672)	31	(1)
Report from the Eisenach town chronicle	31	(1)
Eisenach Church Records on Bach and His Parents (1685--1695)	31	(1)
Bach's baptism	31	(1)
Burial of Bach's mother, Maria Elisabeth Bach, nee Lammerhirt	31	(1)
Remarriage of Bach's father, to Barbara Margaretha, nee Keul	32	(1)
Burial of Bach's father	32	(1)
Bach Attends the Latin School in Eisenach (1693--1695)	32	(1)
Excerpts from the student registers	32	(1)
Bach's Stepmother Worries About Waning Musical Talent in the Family (1695)	32	(1)
Excerpt from a petition for a bounty Barbara Margaretha Bach, widow of Johann Ambrosius	32	(2)
OHRDRUF (1695--1700)	34	(3)
Bach Attends the Lyceum, 1696--1700	34	(1)
Excerpts from the student registers	34	(1)
Bach's Brother Johann Christoph Writes about Himself (1700)	35	(1)
J. C. Bach's autobiographical note	35	(1)
The Organs at St. Michael's in Ohrdruf	36	(1)
Specifications of the organs	36	(1)
LUNEBURG AND WEIMAR (1700--1703)	37	(3)
Bach Is a Member of the Mettenchor (1700)	37	(1)
Excerpt from the Luneburg school records	37	(1)
Johann Adam Reinken's Organ at St. Catherine's in Hamburg	38	(1)
Specifications of the organ	38	(1)
Bach Is Briefly Employed at the Weimar Court (1703)	39	(1)
Excerpts from the ducal treasury register	39	(1)
ARNSTADT (1703--1707)	40	(9)
The Johann Friedrich Wender Organ in the New Church (1703)	40	(1)
Specifications of the organ	40	(1)
Excerpt from the records of the consistory of the Count of Arnstadt	40	(1)
Bach Is Appointed Organist	41	(1)
Certificate of Bach's appointment	41	(1)
Bach's Salary, 1703--1707	42	(1)
Two receipts from the church treasury	42	(1)
Bach Composes a Piece of Program Music	42	(1)
Capriccio sopra la lontananza de il fratro dilettissimo, BWV 992, movement titles	42	(1)
Bach Is Involved in a Brawl (1705)	43	(1)
Excerpts from the proceedings of the Arnstadt consistory	43	(3)
Bach Has Disciplinary Problems (1706)	46	(1)
Rebuke to Bach for his prolonged absence and improper playing	46	(1)
Rebuke to Bach for inviting a female visitor into the choir loft	47	(2)
MUHLHAUSEN (1707--1708)	49	(10)
Bach Is Appointed Organist at St. Blasius's Church (1707)	49	(1)
Excerpts from the proceedings of parish meetings	49	(1)
Announcement of Bach's appointment	50	(1)
Bach Leaves Arnstadt	51	(1)
Bach's request for his dismissal	51	(1)
Bach assigns his remaining salary to his cousin Johann Ernst Bach	51	(1)
Bach Marries Maria Barbara, nee Bach	51	(1)
Excerpt from the Arnstadt marriage register	51	(1)
Bach's First Publication (1708)	52	(1)
Gott ist mein Konig, cantata, BWV 71: title page	52	(1)
Bach Is Paid for His Town Council Election Cantatas	52	(1)
Excerpts from the town treasury register	52	(2)
The Organ of St. Blasius's Church	54	(1)
Specifications of the organ	54	(1)
Bach's suggested improvements to the organ	55	(1)
Bach's ``Project for New Repairs to the Organ''	55	(1)
Bach Leaves Muhlhausen	56	(1)
Bach's request for his dismissal	56	(2)
Bach's dismissal, as recorded in the proceedings of a parish meeting	58	(1)
Excerpt from the minutes of St. Blasius's Church on Bach's successor, Johann Friedrich Bach	58	(1)
WEIMAR (1708--1717)	59	(23)
Bach Is Appointed Court Organist (1708)	59	(1)
The duke's order for Bach's salary and compensation	59	(1)
Bach's Compensation at Weimar, 1708--1717	60	(1)
Monetary present for Bach on his arrival	60	(1)
Fees for instrument repairs	60	(1)
The duke's order for a salary increase	60	(1)
Excerpts from the ``Complete Chamber Accounts from Michaelmas,'' ducal archives	61	(2)
The Organ in the Castle Chapel	63	(1)
Specifications of the organ	63	(1)
Bach's Eldest Son, Wilhelm Friedemann, Is Baptized (1710)	63	(1)
Entry in the church records	63	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for the Organ Builder Heinrich Nicolaus Trebs (1711)	64	(1)
Bach's letter on behalf of Trebs	64	(1)
Bach Gives Instruction to the Duke's Page	64	(1)
Entries in the private account books of Duke Ernst August	64	(1)
Bach Presents a Guest Performance in Weissenfels	64	(1)
Excerpt from the state archive	64	(1)
Bach Signs an Autograph Album with a Canon	65	(1)
Canon for four voices, BWV 1073	65	(1)
Bach Auditions in Halle and Turns Down an Appointment	65	(1)
Excerpts from the account book of the Church of Our Lady	65	(1)
Bach's receipt for travel expenses	66	(1)
Text of the proffered agreement	66	(2)
Bach's letter requesting changes in the agreement	68	(1)
Bach's letter refuting an accusation of unfair dealings	69	(1)
Bach Is Promoted to Concertmaster at Weimar (1714)	70	(1)
Excerpt from ``Reports concerning the Office of the Princely Court Marshal of Weimar at the Wilhelmsburg''	70	(1)
Bach's Day-to-Day Activities at Weimar	71	(1)
A note concerning rehearsals	71	(1)
A list of the Castle Capelle members	71	(1)
Payments for strings and music paper	72	(1)
Bach's Son Carl Philipp Emanuel Is Baptized	72	(1)
Entry in the records of the Town Church	72	(1)
Bach's Son Johann Gottfried Bernhard is Baptized (1715)	73	(1)
Entry in the records of the Town Church	73	(1)
Bach Receives a Salary Increase	73	(1)
Excerpt from the Weimar state archives	73	(1)
Bach Examines the New Christoph Cuntzius Organ in Halle (1716)	73	(1)
Bach's acknowledgment of the church board's invitation	73	(1)
Report on the organ by Johann Kuhnau, Christian Friedrich Rolle and Bach	74	(3)
``Menu of the Dinner ... on the Occasion of the Dedication of the New Organ''	77	(1)
Reimbursement of travel costs	77	(1)
Bach and Johann Anton Weise Write a Testimonial for the Organ Builder Johann Georg Schroter	77	(1)
Statement by Bach and Weise on behalf of Schroter	77	(1)
Bach Presents a Passion Performance in Gotha (1717)	78	(1)
Excerpt from the private ducal account book	78	(1)
Excerpt from the ducal account book	78	(1)
Accompanying invoice	78	(1)
Bach Takes on His Cousin Johann Lorenz Bach as a Student	79	(1)
Excerpt from J. L. Bach's letter of application	79	(1)
Bach and Louis Marchand Compete at the Dresden Court	79	(1)
A later account by Johann Abraham Birnbaum	79	(1)
Bach Is Jailed and Unfavorably Dismissed from His Weimar Post	80	(1)
Excerpt from the court secretary's report	80	(1)
Bach Titles a Collection of Organ Chorales for the Ecclesiastical Year	80	(1)
Orgel-Buchlein, BWV 599-644: title page	80	(2)
COTHEN (1717--1723)	82	(17)
Bach's Salary, 1717--1718	82	(1)
Excerpts from the record of the Princely Capelle and trumpeters' wages	82	(1)
The Johann Scheibe Organ of St. Paul's Church in Leipzig (1717)	83	(1)
Specifications of the organ	83	(1)
Bach's report on the organ	83	(3)
Receipt for Bach's examination fee	86	(1)
Bach Is Reimbursed for Various Expenses (1718--1719)	86	(1)
Rent	86	(1)
Rehearsals and harpsichord maintenance	86	(1)
Visiting musicians	86	(1)
Purchase of a harpsichord in Berlin	87	(1)
Bach's Son Leopold Augustus Is Baptized, with Noble Godparents Appointed (1718)	87	(1)
Excerpt from the Castle Church record	87	(1)
Bach Compiles a Collection of Pieces for His Eldest Son (1720)	88	(1)
Clavier-Buchlein fur Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: title page	88	(1)
Death of Bach's Wife, Maria Barbara	88	(1)
Burial notice from the Cothen register of deaths	88	(1)
Bach Applies for the Organist's Post at St. Jacobi Church in Hamburg	89	(1)
Excerpts from the minutes of St. Jacobi Church	89	(2)
Johann Mattheson's later account of the appointment process	91	(1)
Bach Assembles the Brandenburg Concertos (1721)	91	(1)
Six Concerts avec plusieurs Instruments, BWV 1046--1051: title page	91	(1)
Bach's dedication to the Margrave of Brandenburg	92	(1)
Bach Visits the Court of Schleiz	93	(1)
Excerpts from the court account book	93	(1)
Bach Is Married Again, to Anna Magdalena, Nee Wilcke	93	(1)
Excerpt from the Castle Church register	93	(1)
Salaries for Bach and His Wife, 1721--1723	93	(1)
Excerpts from the Cothen Capelle accounts	93	(1)
Bach Compiles a Collection of Pieces for His Wife (1722)	94	(1)
Clavier-Buchlein fur Anna Magdalena Bach: title page	94	(1)
Bach Wards Off a Lawsuit by the Lammerhirt Heirs	94	(1)
Bach's petition to the Erfurt town council	94	(3)
Bach Completes 24 Preludes and Fugues	97	(1)
Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, Book I, BWV 846-869: title page	97	(1)
Bach Repairs the Prince's Harpsichords	97	(1)
Excerpts from the Cothen Capelle accounts	97	(1)
Bach Complies 15 Two-Part Inventions and 15 Three-Part Sinfonias (1723)	97	(1)
Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801: title page	97	(2)
LEIPZIG (1732--1730)	99	(54)
Bach Is Appointed Cantor and Music Director at St. Thomas's (1723)	99	(1)
A summary account from Johann Salomon Riemer's Chronicle of Leipzig	99	(1)
Deliberations excerpted from the proceedings of the town council	100	(1)
Newspaper report on Bach's audition	101	(1)
Letter of Bach's dismissal, from the Prince of Cothen	101	(1)
Bach's preliminary pledge to the town council	102	(1)
Proceedings of the three councils of Leipzig on Bach's election	102	(1)
Notifications of Bach's election	103	(1)
Bach's final pledge to the town council	104	(1)
The examiner's certificate of Bach's theological competence	105	(1)
The Bach Family Moves to Leipzig	106	(1)
Report in the Hamburg Staats-und Gelehrte Zeitung on Bach's arrival in Leipzig	106	(1)
Bach Is Formally Installed and Commences His Duties	106	(1)
Excerpt from Acta Lipsiensium Academica	106	(1)
Excerpt from the town council proceedings	106	(2)
Report in the Hamburg Relationscourier of Bach's first Leipzig performance	108	(1)
Dr. Salomon Deyling's Report on Bach to the consistory	109	(1)
The consistory's reply	109	(1)
Bach's Income, 1723--1750	110	(1)
Excerpts from the Leipzig account books on Bach's salary	110	(1)
Excerpts from the Leipzig account books on other compensation paid to Bach	110	(2)
Payments to Bach for maintaining church instruments	112	(1)
Bach's Oldest Sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, Are Enrolled in the St. Thomas School	112	(1)
Excerpt from the school register	112	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Georg Gottfried Wagner	112	(1)
Bach's statement on behalf of Wagner	112	(1)
Bach Performs at Services in Leipzig for the First Sunday in Advent	113	(1)
``Order of the Divine Service in Leipzig'' for November 28, 1723	113	(1)
On Passion Performances in Leipzig, 1722--1738	114	(1)
Entries in the diary of St. Thomas's sexton, Johann Christoph Rost	114	(2)
Excerpts from the proceedings of the council	116	(1)
Flier announcing the change of a performance site	116	(1)
Bach and His Wife Present Guest Performances at the Cothen Court, 1724--1728	117	(1)
Excerpts from the court account books	117	(1)
Bach Gives Two Organ Recitals at St. Sophia's in Dresden	117	(1)
Report in the Hamburg Relationscourier, September 27, 1725	117	(1)
Bach Fights a Worshipful University (1724--1725)	118	(1)
Three letters of complaint to the king	118	(7)
The king's decision	125	(1)
Bach Writes to a Former Schoolmate, Georg Erdmann (1726)	125	(1)
Bach's letter to Erdmann	125	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for an Organist, Jacob Ernst Hubner	126	(1)
Bach's letter on behalf of Hubner	126	(1)
Bach Finds a New Cantor, Georg Gottfried Wagner, for the Town of Plauen	126	(1)
Bach's acknowledgment of the council's request	126	(1)
Bach's report of finding a suitable candidate	127	(1)
Bach's inquiry about the council's decision	128	(1)
Bach's letter of introduction for Wagner	128	(1)
Bach Publishes His First Instrumental Work	129	(1)
Clavier-Ubung, Part I, BWV 825: title page	129	(1)
A dedicatory poem to the newborn prince, Emanuel Ludwig	129	(2)
Bach Writes Testimonials for a Musician, Christoph Gottlob Wecker (1727--1729)	131	(1)
Bach's letter of recommendation for Wecker	131	(1)
Bach's cover letter to Wecker sent with a testimonial	131	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Wecker	132	(1)
Bach Composes a Cantata, BWV Anh. 9, for the Birthday of King August II (1727)	133	(1)
Excerpts from Christoph Ernst Sicul's Das frohlockende Leipzig	133	(1)
Bach Composes a Canon for Ludwig Friedrich Hudemann	134	(1)
Canon for four voices, BWV 1074	134	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Friedrich Gottlieb Wild	134	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Wild	134	(1)
Bach Composes an Ode of Mourning, BWV 198, for Queen Christiane Eberhardine	135	(1)
A statement Bach refused to sign	135	(1)
A report on the performance, in Christoph Ernst Sicul's Das thranende Leipzig	136	(3)
Bach Insists on Choosing The Hymns for the Service (1729)	139	(1)
Excerpt from the Cothen court accounts	139	(1)
Bach Distributes Publications by Colleagues	139	(1)
Excerpt from the Leipzig Post-Zeitungen	139	(1)
Proposals for Admission to the St. Thomas School	140	(1)
A letter from Dr. Christian Ludwig Stieglitz, school board chairman	140	(1)
Exhibit B: Bach's report	140	(1)
Exhibit C: An amendment by Bach	141	(1)
Exhibit D: Organization of the St. Thomas Choir	141	(1)
Two additions by Bach to his report	142	(1)
Bach Composes Service Music for the Town Council Election	142	(1)
Excerpt from the files of the town scribe	142	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Johann Gottlieb Grahl	142	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Grahl	142	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for Johann Christian Weyrauch (1730)	143	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Weyrauch	143	(1)
The Consistory Forbid the use of Unfamiliar Hymns	143	(1)
The consistory's letter to Dr. Deyling	143	(1)
Bach Is Reproached, and He Responds at Length	144	(1)
Excerpts from the minutes of the council meetings	144	(1)
Bach's ``Short But Most Necessary Draft for a Well-Appointed Church Music''	145	(6)
Bach Seeks Another Position	151	(1)
Bach's letter to Georg Erdmann, Imperial Russian Residence agent in Danzig	151	(2)
LEIPZIG (1731--1740)	153	(57)
Bach Writes Two Testimonials (1731)	153	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Johann Adolph Scheibe	153	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Johann Christoph Dorn	153	(1)
Bach Publishes Partitas Nos. 1--6	154	(1)
Clavier--Ubung, Part I, BWV 825--830: title page	154	(1)
Bach Receives Liquor Tax Revenues (1732)	155	(1)
Bach's receipt to the liquor tax collector	155	(1)
Bach Examines a Rebuilt Organ in Kassel	155	(1)
Excerpt from the Kassel Polizey--und Commerzienzeitung	155	(1)
Excerpt from the account books	155	(1)
Bach Holds Collegium Musicum Concerts (1733)	156	(1)
Announcement from the Nachricht auch Frag u. Anzeiger, Leipzig	156	(1)
Special announcement of the resumption of concerts following a mourning period	156	(1)
Bach Dedicates His Mass in B Minor to the Dresden Court and Asks the Elector to Grant Him a Title	156	(1)
Missa (Kyrie and Gloria), BWV 232: performing parts, title wrapper	156	(2)
Bach's letter accompanying the Mass	158	(1)
Bach Joins with the Organist and Rector in Prostesting the Nonpayment of Fees	159	(1)
Letter from Bach, Johann Schneider, and Johann Matthias Gesner to the council	159	(1)
Letter from Bach, Schneider, and Gesner to the consistory	160	(1)
Bach Annotates His Bible	161	(1)
Excerpts from Bach's marginal comments in his copy of Abraham Calov's edition of the Lutheran Bible	161	(1)
Bach Composes a Perpetual Canon (1734)	162	(1)
Canon for two voices, BWV 1075	162	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Paul Christian Stolle	162	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Stolle	162	(1)
Lorenz Cristoph Mizler Dedicates His Academic Thesis to Bach and Others	163	(1)
Mizler's dedication	163	(1)
Excerpt from Mizler's preface	163	(1)
Bach's Collegium Musicum Celebrates the King's Name Day	163	(1)
Announcement in the Leipziger Zeitungen	163	(1)
Bach Performs a Drama per Musica before the King and Queen	164	(1)
Preise dein Glucke, gesegnetes Sachsen, cantata, BWV 215: printed text, title page	164	(1)
Bach's receipt for his payment	164	(1)
Report of the festivities in the Leipzig town chronicle	164	(3)
Bach Publishes His French Overture and Italian Concerto (1735)	167	(1)
Clavier-Ubung, Part II, BWV 831 and 971: title page	167	(1)
Bach Writes to Muhlhausen on Behalf of His Son Johann Gottfried Bernhard	167	(1)
Bach's letter to Tobias Rothschier, senior of the town council	167	(2)
Bach's letter to Burgomaster Christian Petri	169	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Johann Ludwig Krebs	170	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Krebs	170	(1)
Bach Composes and Arranges the Music for a Published Hymnal (1736)	170	(1)
Musicalisches Gesang-Buch of Georg Christian Schemelli (Leipzig, 1736): title page	170	(1)
Excerpt from Schemelli's preface	170	(2)
Bach Disputes Rector Johann Heinrich Ernesti About the Right to Appoint the Prefects	172	(1)
A later summary account from Johann Friedrich Kohler's Historia Scholarum Lipsiensium	172	(1)
Bach's first complaint to the Leipzig town council	172	(1)
Bach's second complaint to the council	173	(2)
Bach's third complaint to the council	175	(1)
Ernesti's reply to the council	176	(6)
Bach's fourth complaint to the council	182	(1)
Ernesti's rebuttal of Bach's third complaint	183	(2)
Bach Holds Weekly Concerts at Zimmermann's Coffeehouse	185	(1)
``Announcement of the Musical Concerts at Leipzig'' in Lorenz Christoph Mizler's Neu eroffnete Musikalische Bibliothek	185	(1)
Bach Writes to Sangerhausen on Behalf of His Son Johann Gottfried Bernhard	186	(1)
Bach's first letter to the Sangerhausen town council	186	(1)
Bach's second letter to the Sangerhausen town council	187	(1)
Bach Is Appointed Royal Court Composer	188	(1)
``Certificate for Johann Sebastian Bach as compositeur to the royal court orchestra''	188	(1)
Bach Plays an Ogan Recital in Dresden	188	(1)
Excerpt from the Dresdner Nachrichten	188	(1)
Bach's Dispute with Ernesti Continues (1737)	189	(1)
Decree of the town council	189	(1)
Bach's first appeal to the consistory	190	(2)
Bach's second appeal to the consistory	192	(2)
Bach's appeal to the king	194	(1)
The king's decree	195	(1)
Bach Writes Testimonials for a Student, Bernhard Dietrich Ludewig	196	(1)
Bach's first testimonial on behalf of Ludewig	196	(1)
Bach's second testimonial on behalf of Ludewig	196	(1)
Bach Presents a Cantata for the Visit of the King and the Betrothal of Princess Amalia (1738)	197	(1)
Excerpt from Johann Salomon Riemer's Chronicle of Leipzig	197	(1)
Willkommen! Ihr herrschenden Gotter der Erden, cantata, BWV Anh. 13: printed text, title page	197	(2)
Bach's receipt for his payment	199	(1)
Johann Elias Bach Orders Gifts for Bach and his Wife, Anna Magdalena	199	(1)
J. E. Bach's letter, from his correspondence book	199	(1)
Bach Writes About Debts Incurred by his Son Johann Gottfried Bernhard	200	(1)
Bach's letter to Johann Friedrich Klemm	200	(1)
Bach's letter to Anna Margarete Klemm	201	(1)
Bach Publishes a Collection of Organ Works	202	(1)
Johann Elias Bach's invitation for subscribers	202	(1)
Clavier-Ubung, Part III, BWV 552, 669--689, and 802--805: title page	202	(1)
Collegium Musicum Is Defined, with a Reference to Bach	203	(1)
Entry in Johann Heinrich Zedler's Grosses Universal Lexicon	203	(1)
Bach Is Cautioned by the Council about a Passion Performance	204	(1)
Excerpt from the Leipzig town council archives	204	(1)
Bach's Cousin and Private Secretary, Johann Elias Bach, Corresponds	204	(1)
Excerpt from a letter to Johann Wilhelm Koch	204	(1)
Invitation to Koch, on behalf of Bach, to attend a performance	204	(1)
Excerpt from a letter asking his sister to send wine for Bach	205	(1)
Excerpt from a thank-you letter, on behalf of Bach, to Johann Leberecht Schneider	205	(1)
Excerpt from a second thank-you letter to J.L. Schneider	206	(1)
Bach Writes Out Through-Bass Rules (1740--1745)	206	(1)
``Some Most Necessary Rules of Thorough Bass by J.S.B.''	206	(1)
Bach Reports on Candidates for an Assistant's Post at the St. Thomas School (1740)	207	(1)
Bach's report	207	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for a Student, Christian Friedrich Schemelli	208	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Schemelli	208	(1)
Johann Elias Bach Corresponds Further	208	(1)
Letter to Cantor Johann Georg Hille inquiring about a songbird	208	(1)
Excerpt from a letter to Simon von Meyer acknowledging a gift of carnations for Anna Magdalena Bach	209	(1)
LEIPZIG (1741--1751)	210	(51)
Bach on Lending Out Music (1741)	210	(1)
Excerpt from a letter of Johann Elias Bach to Johann Wilhelm Koch, January 28, 1741	210	(1)
Bach Resolves a Canon by Teodoro Riccio	211	(1)
Resolution of a puzzle canon	211	(1)
Bach Acknowledges a Gift of Venison from Johann Leberecht Schneider	211	(1)
Bach's letter to Schneider	211	(1)
Anna Magdalena Bach Falls Ill	212	(1)
Johann Elias Bach's letter informing Bach of his wife's illness	212	(1)
Johann Elias Bach's letter updating Bach on his wife's condition	213	(1)
Anna Magdalena Bach's letter of regret to Johann Leberecht Schneider	213	(1)
Bach's Goldberg Variations are Published	214	(1)
Clavier-Ubung, Part IV, Aria mit verschiedenen Veraenderungen, BWV 988: title page	214	(2)
Bach Is Thanked by His Cousin Johann Elias Bach (1742)	216	(1)
J. E. Bach's letter to Bach	216	(1)
Bach Completes 24 More Preludes and Fugues	216	(1)
Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, Book II, BWV 870--893: title page	216	(2)
Bach Participates in a Book Auction	218	(1)
Auction receipt	218	(1)
Bach Performs Services under Terms of the Nathan Legacy	218	(1)
Bach's receipt for memorial service payment	218	(1)
Bach's receipt for St. Sabina's Day funeral song	218	(1)
Bach Writes Testimonials for Two Students (1742--1743)	219	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Johann Georg Heinrich	219	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Christian Gottlob Wunsch	219	(1)
Bach Receives Liquor Tax Revenues (1743)	220	(1)
Bach's receipt to the liquor tax collector	220	(1)
Bach Auditions Carl Friedrich Pfaffe for Assistant Town Piper (1745)	220	(1)
Bach's report on Pfaffe	220	(1)
Bach Examines the New Johann Scheibe Organ in Zschortau (1746)	221	(1)
Bach's report on the organ	221	(1)
Bach Examines the Zacharias Hildebrandt Organ of St. Wenceslas's in Naumburg	221	(1)
Report on the organ, by Bach and Gottfried Silbermann	221	(1)
Bach Composes a Canon on the Harmonic Triad	222	(1)
Canon for eight voices, BWV 1072	222	(1)
Bach's ``Schubler'' Chorales for Organ Are Published (1746)	223	(1)
Sechs Chorale, BWV 645--650: title page	223	(1)
Bach Visits Frederick the Great (1747)	224	(1)
Report in the Spenersche Zeitung, Berlin	224	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for Johann Christoph Altnickol	224	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Altnickol	224	(1)
Bach Joins the Society for Musical Sciences and Composes Two Works for the Society	225	(1)
Report in Lorenz Christoph Mizler's Neu-eroffnete musikalische Bibliothek	225	(1)
Canon for six voices, BWV 1076	225	(1)
Einige canonische Veraenderungen uber das WeynachtLied, ``Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her,'' BWV 769: title page	226	(1)
Bach Publishes the Musical Offering, Dedicated to Frederick the Great	226	(1)
Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079: title page	226	(1)
Bach's dedication	226	(2)
Entry in Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf's account books	228	(1)
Excerpt from a letter by Lorenz Christoph Mizler to Meinrad Spiess	228	(1)
Publication announcement in the Extract der eingelauffenen Nouvellen	229	(1)
Bach Leases a Clavier to a Nobleman and Provides Lessons	229	(1)
Two Bach receipts for loan payments	229	(1)
Bach's receipt for a lesson	230	(1)
Bach Dedicates a Canon to Johann Gottfried Fulde	230	(1)
Canon for five voices, BWV 1077	230	(1)
Bach Writes More Testimonials for Johann Christoph Altinickol (1748)	231	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Altnickol	231	(1)
Bach's letter to the Naumburg town council recommending Altnickol	231	(1)
Bach's letter to the burgomaster of Naumburg recommending Altnickol	232	(1)
Bach Writes a Testimonial for the Organ Builder Heinrich Andreas Cuntzius	233	(1)
Bach's testimonial on behalf of Cuntzius	233	(1)
Bach Waits Impatiently for a Harpsichord from Johann Georg Martius	233	(1)
Bach's dunning letter to Martius	233	(1)
Bach Writes to Johann Elias Bach	234	(1)
Bach's letter concerning a copy of the ``Prussian Fugue''	234	(1)
Bach's letter concerning a cask of wine	234	(2)
Bach Composes Two Canons for Autograph Albums (1749)	236	(1)
Canon for seven voices, BWV 1078	236	(1)
Canon for two voices, BWV 1086	236	(2)
Bach Receives a Commission from Count Johann Adam von Questenberg	238	(1)
Excerpt from a letter to the count from Franz Ernst Wallis	238	(1)
Bach Sells a Fortepiano	239	(1)
Bach's receipt for his payment	239	(1)
Bach Writes Testimonials for a Student, Johann Nathanael Bammler	239	(1)
Bach's first statement on behalf of Bammler, from the town archive, Eilenburg	239	(1)
Bach's second statement on behalf of Bammler, from the town archive, Eilenburg	239	(1)
Gottlob Harrer Is Suggested as a Successor to Bach	240	(1)
Letter of introduction from Count Heinrich von Bruhl for Harrer	240	(1)
Excerpt from Johann Salomon Riemer's Chronicle of Leipzing on Harrer's trial performance	240	(1)
Bach Thanks Count Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe In Buckeburg for a Memento	241	(1)
Bach's letter thanking the count	241	(1)
Bach Supports Johann Georg Schroter in a Conflict with Rector Johann Gottlieb Biedermann	241	(1)
Excerpt from a communication by Georg Friedrich Einike, cantor and music director at Frankenhausen	241	(2)
Bach Undergoes Eye Surgery (1750)	243	(1)
Reports in the Berliner Privilegirte Zeitung	243	(1)
Excerpt from The History of the Travels and Adventures of the Chevalier Taylor, Ophthalmiater, describing the operation	244	(1)
Bach's Death	244	(1)
Excerpt from the Leipzig burial register	244	(1)
Announcement read from the pulpit of St. Thomas's	244	(1)
Death notice from the Spenersche Zeitung, Berlin	245	(1)
Bach's Successor as Cantor Is Chosen and Installed	245	(1)
Excerpts from the proceedings of the Leipzig town council	245	(2)
Excerpt from Johann Salomon Riemer's Chronicle of Leipzig on the installation of the new cantor	247	(1)
Bach's Widow, Anna Magdalena, Petitions the Leipzig Town Council and the University	248	(1)
Anna Magdalena Bach's petition to the council for a death benefit	248	(1)
Anna Magdalena Bach's first petition to the university for guardianship of her children	248	(1)
Anna Magdalena Bach's second petition to the university for guardianship of her children	249	(1)
Bach's Estate	250	(1)
``Specification of the Estate Left by the Late Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach''	250	(6)
Bach's Art of Fugue Is Published Posthumously (1751)	256	(1)
A note written on the proof sheets by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach	256	(1)
Avertissement by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the Critische Nachrichten aus dem Reiche der Gelehrsamkeit	256	(2)
Publication announcement by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in the Leipziger Zeitungen	258	(1)
Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080: title pages	258	(1)
``Notice'' on the back of the title page of the first edition	258	(2)
A later note appended by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to the unfinished fugue	260	(1)
BACH'S MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS	261	(259)
Introductory Note	261	(1)
Facsimiles	262	(1)
Wie scbon leuchtet der Morgenstern, organ chorale prelude, BWV 739 (1705 or earlier)	263	(1)
Gott ist mein Konig, cantata, BWV 71 (1708)	264	(1)
Ich hatte viel Bekummernis, cantata, BWV 21 (1714)	265	(1)
Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, cantata, BWV 132 (1715)	266	(1)
Sonata in G Minor for Violin Solo, BWV 1001 (1720)	267	(1)
Magnificat, in E-flat Major, BWV 243a (1723)	268	(1)
Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, cantata, BWV 65 (1724)	269	(1)
Suite in G Minor for Lute, BWV 995 (c. 1727--1732)	270	(1)
Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf, motet, BWV 226 (1729)	271	(1)
St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, second version (1736)	272	(1)
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, Prelude in G Minor, BWV 885/1 (1739--1742)	273	(1)
Mass in B Minor, Symbolum Nicenum, BWV 232 (1748--1749)	274	(1)
The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080: unfinished fugue (1748--1749)	275	(1)
Trio Sonata in C Major for Organ, BWV 529: copied by Anna Magdalena Bach (c. 1727)	276	(1)
Himmelskonig, sei willkommen, cantata, BWV 182 (Leipzig version): alto part, copied by Johann Andreas Kuhnau (1724)	277	(1)
Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, cantata, BWV 130: alto part, copied by Christian Gottlieb Meissner (1724)	278	(4)
Part III. Early Biographical Documents on Bach
Genealogy	281	(1)
Introductory Note	281	(1)
The Historical Bach Family Tree: two versions	282	(1)
``Origin of the Musical Bach Family'': genealogical notes by Bach, with additions by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and others	283	(11)
Biographical Accounts	294	(1)
``Bach (Joh. Sebastian),'' entry in Johann Gottfried Walther's Musicalisches Lexicon (1732)	294	(1)
Manuscript additions in Walther's personal copy of his Lexicon	295	(2)
Obituary (1750/1754)	295	(2)
Introductory Note	295	(2)
``The World-Famous Organist, Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach, Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court Composer, and Music Director in Leipzig'' obituary by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Friedrich Agricola	297	(14)
Part IV. Bach as Viewed His Contemporaries
Poems of Praise	311	(1)
``A pleasant brook''	311	(1)
Johann Gottlob Kittel
``If in dim ages past''	312	(1)
Ludwig Friedrich Hudemann
``O day, come often!'' an anonymous birthday poem (c. 1735)	312	(1)
``Vivat: J S B,'' an anonymous congratulatory poem engraved on a crystal goblet	313	(1)
``Sonnet on the Late Cappelmeister Bach''	313	(5)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Bach The Teacher	314	(4)
Introductory Note: An Overview of Bach's Pupils	314	(4)
Studying with Bach in Weimar: excerpts from the files of the Augsburg Evangelical Scholarchat on Philipp David Krauter (1711--1713)	318	(2)
Excerpt from a letter of application for an organist post in Gorlitz	320	(1)
Johann Caspar Vogler
On Bach's teaching of composition	320	(1)
Johann Philipp Kirnberger
The education of Bach's pupil Heinrich Nicolaus Gerber	321	(1)
Ernst Ludwig Gerber
Johann Philipp Kirnberger and Bach	322	(1)
Friedrich Ludwig Aemilius Kunzen
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
A reminiscence by the last of Bach's pupils	323	(1)
Johann Christian Kittel
Reports and Reviews	323	(1)
Introductory Note	323	(1)
The first reference to Bach in print, from Das beschutzte Orchestre	324	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On Bach's declamation	325	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On Bach the keyboard player	325	(1)
Georg Ludwig Heinrich Schwanenberger
On Bach, Frescobaldi, and Carissimi, and on three famous B's (Buxtehude, Bachelbel, and Bach)	325	(1)
Martin Heinrich Fuhrmann
On holdings of Buxtehude and Bach manuscripts	326	(1)
Johann Gottfried Walther
On the difficulty of partita by Graupner and Bach	326	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On large-scale Passion music	326	(1)
Christian Gerber
On the German style in clavier music	327	(1)
Johann Adolph Scheibe
On a fugue subject by Bach	327	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On Bach's thorough-bass playing	328	(1)
Lorenz Christoph Mizler
On Bach's playing and conducting	328	(1)
Johann Matthias Gesner
On Bach's canon for Hudemann	329	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On the greatest masters of the organ	330	(1)
Johann Mattheson
On the Italian Concerto	331	(1)
Johann Adolph Scheibe
On florid expression	332	(1)
Johann Adolph Scheibe
On Part III of the Clavier-Ubung	333	(1)
Lorenz Christoph Mizler
On meeting Bach	333	(1)
Johann Francisci
On traveling to Leipzig to hear Bach	333	(1)
Johann Balthasar Reimann
On Bach warming up	333	(1)
Theodor Leberecht Pitschel
On being acquainted with Bach	334	(1)
Johann Christian Voigt
On Bach's pedal playing	334	(1)
Constantin Bellermann
A dedication to Bach, from the Third Half-Dozen Sonatinas for the Clavier	335	(1)
Georg Andreas Sorge
On Bach's instructions for playing chorales	336	(1)
Johann Gotthilf Ziegler
On Bach's criticism of Gottfried Silbermann's system of temperament	336	(1)
Georg Andreas Sorge
On Bach's adroitness in preluding chorales, from the preface to the First Part of Preludes to Well-Known Chorale Tunes	336	(2)
Georg Andreas Sorge
Criticism and Defense: A Controversy	337	(1)
Introductory Note	337	(1)
``Letter from an Able Musikant Abroad''	338	(1)
Johann Adolph Scheibe
``Impartial Comments on a Questionable Passage in the Sixth Number of Der Critische Musicus''	338	(10)
Johann Abraham Birnbaum
A reply	348	(1)
Scheibe
Refutations of Scheibe	349	(1)
Lorenz Christoph Mizler
A satire, by ``Cornelius'' [Scheibe] (1739)	350	(2)
A summary account of the controversy	352	(5)
Christoph Gottlieb Schroter
Part V. Bach in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century
General Accounts and Critical Estimates	357	(1)
Introductory Note	357	(1)
On the merits of Bach	357	(1)
Johann Friedrich Agricola
On Bach's eminence in the development of organ playing	358	(1)
Johann Joachim Quantz
On strict and free fugue	359	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
On keyboard fingering	359	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Dedication for the Treatise on the Fugue, Part II	360	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
On the depth of Bach's compositional art	361	(1)
Johann Michael Schmidt
On Bach's thorough-bass playing	362	(1)
Johann Friedrich Daube
On Bach's organ chorales	362	(1)
Jakob Adlung
Bach's views on variety and declamation in fugal composition	363	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
Notes quoting Bach in Jakob Adlung's Musica mechanica organoedi	364	(2)
Johann Friedrich Agricola
On Bach's renown	366	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
King Frederick's recollection of Bach's visit	366	(1)
Gottfried van Swieten
On Bach's four-part writing	367	(1)
Johann Philipp Kirnberger
On Bach's contrapuntal daring	367	(1)
Johann Philipp Kirnberger
On Bach's tuning	368	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
On Bach's invention of the viola pomposa	368	(1)
Johann Nikolaus Forkel
Reminiscences of the Bach family and the Collegium Musicum	369	(1)
Jacob von Stahlin
On Bach's significance	369	(2)
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
On a performance in Hamburg of the Credo from Bach's B Minor Mass	371	(1)
Carl Friedrich Cramer
On the compositional styles of Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach	371	(1)
Carl Friedrich Abel
On the fugues of Handel and Bach	372	(1)
Charles Burney
On Bach composing without use of a keyboard	372	(1)
Ernst Ludwig Gerber
On Bach's pedal technique	372	(1)
Ernst Ludwig Gerber
On Bach's keyboard and vocal works	373	(1)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
On Bach's central position among German composers	373	(2)
Augustus Frederic Christopher Kollamann
Johann Nikolaus Forkel
On The Art of Fugue	374	(1)
Introductory Note	374	(1)
Preface to the 1752 edition	375	(2)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
A laudatory note	377	(1)
Johann Mattheson
An offer to publishers for the plates	377	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
On the whereabouts of the remainder of the autograph	378	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
On the Four-Part Chorales	378	(1)
Introductory Note	378	(1)
Foreword to the first edition	379	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
``Note to the Public''	380	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Excerpt from a letter of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to Johann Philipp Kirnberger	380	(1)
Excerpts from five letters of Johann Philipp Kirnberger to Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf (1777--1783)	381	(2)
Subscription notice	383	(1)
Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf
A supportive announcement of the publication	384	(1)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
Foreword to the second edition	384	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
On the Transmission and Dissemination of Manuscripts and Prints	385	(1)
Introductory Note	385	(1)
Excerpt from a letter of Padre Giovanni Battista Martini to Johannes Baptist Pauli, listing manuscripts and prints (1750)	385	(2)
Excerpt from the will of Johann Caspar Vogler (1766)	387	(1)
Excerpt from a letter of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to Christoph Gottlieb von Murr, offering chorale preludes (after 1765)	387	(1)
Note mentioning Bachiana at Montecassion	387	(1)
Christian Traugott Weinlig
Excerpts from letters of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to Johann Nikolaus Forkel, offering manuscripts and original editions (1774)	388	(1)
Note from James Hutton presenting an autograph of the Goldberg Variations to Mr. Glen (1776)	388	(1)
Excerpt from a letter of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach to Johann Joachim Eschenburg, asking him to auction off music and books (1778)	389	(1)
Four letters of Johann Nikolaus Forkel to the Leipzig publisher Hoffmeister & Kuhnel (1801--1803)	389	(6)
Letters of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to Johann Nikolaus Forkel	395	(1)
Excerpts from three letters concerning portraits and music of Bach (1774)	395	(1)
Letter on Bach's personal and artistic traits	396	(2)
Letter answering questions about Bach (1775)	398	(3)
A Comparison of Bach and Handel	400	(1)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Introductory Note	400	(1)
``Excerpt from a letter of February 27, 1788''	401	(8)
Anecdotes	409	(1)
Bach and the herrings	409	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
The unknown organist	410	(1)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
A strange accomplishment	410	(1)
Charles Burney
Bach teases Gottfried Silbermann	410	(1)
Edward John Hopkins
The musical beggars	411	(1)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
The unresolved dissonance	411	(1)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
Bach and the bungler	411	(1)
Carl Ludwig Hilgenfeldt
Bach replies to compliments on his organ playing	412	(1)
Johann Friedrich Kohler
A maxim	412	(1)
Johann Philipp Kirnberger
Io son' organista, too	412	(1)
Carl Friedrich Zelter
The linen draper and the portrait of Bach	412	(1)
Carl Friedrich Zelter
Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach	413	(1)
Johann Friedrich Reichardt
Bach on his sons	413	(9)
Carl Friedrich Cramer
Part VI. Forkel's Biography of Bach
On Johann Sebastian Bach's Life, Genius, and Works	417	(2)
Johann Nikolaus Forkel
Introductory Note	417	(2)
Preface	419	(3)
The Bach Family	422	(3)
Bach's Life	425	(6)
Bach the Clavier Player	431	(6)
Bach the Organist	437	(4)
Bach's Harmony	441	(5)
Bach's Melody	446	(6)
Bach the Teacher	452	(7)
Bach's Character	459	(3)
Bach's Works	462	(12)
Bach the Reviser of His Own Works	474	(2)
The Spirit of Bach	476	(12)
Figures	480	(6)
Part VII. Bach in the Romantic Era
Introductory Note	485	(1)
The Story of Bach's Fame	486	(2)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	488	(1)
Ludwig van Beethoven	489	(2)
Carl Czerny	491	(1)
Friedrich Rochlitz	492	(1)
Samuel Wesley and Carl Friedrich Horn	492	(7)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Carl Friedrich Zelter	499	(1)
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy	500	(1)
Robert Schumann	501	(2)
The Bach-Gesellschaft	503	(1)
Hector Berlioz and Friedrich Nietzsche	504	(1)
Richard Wagner	504	(1)
Philipp Spitta	505	(1)
The First Edition of the Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 (1818)	506	(1)
Subscription announcement	506	(3)
Hans Georg Nageli
Mendelssohn Revives the St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (1829)	508	(1)
Introductory Note	508	(1)
Excerpt from My Recollections	509	(11)
Eduard Devrient
An American Visits the Bach Sites in Leipzig (1852)	519	(1)
Introductory Note	519	(1)
Three ``Letters from Abroad''	520
Lowell Mason