Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685.
He was the most significant member of a family that for generations had
produced professional musicians. His career can be divided into three
convenient periods. The first was between 1708 and 1717 when, as
organist to the Ducal Chapel in Weimar, he wrote most of his masterworks
for organ. During the second period, from 1717 to 1723, he served as
Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold in Coethen. During this period he wrote
most of his major works for orchestra, solo instruments, and
chamber-music ensembles. The last period took place in Leipzig from 1723
until his death where he was cantor of the St. Thomas Church. In Leipzig
he produced some of his greatest choral compositions. Towards the end of
his life he went blind and became paralyzed. He died in Leipzig on July
28, 1750.
As the culmination of the age of polyphony, Johann Sebastian Bach’s
masterworks are, for the most part, too complex and subtle for popular
appeal. But from his vast and incomparable output of concertos, sonatas,
suites, masses, passions, cantatas, and various compositions for the
organ and for the piano, it is possible to lift a few random items of
such melodic charm and simple emotional appeal that they can be
profitably exploited for wide consumption. In these less complicated
works, Bach’s consummate skill at counterpoint, and his equally
formidable gift at homophonic writing, are always in evidence.
The _Air_ is one of Bach’s most famous melodies, a soulful religious
song for strings. It can be found as the second movement of his Suite
No. 3 in D major for orchestra, but is often performed apart from the
rest of the work. August Wilhelmj transcribed this music for violin and
piano, calling it the _Air on the G String_. This transcription has been
severely criticized as a mutilation of the original; Sir Donald Francis
Tovey described it as a “devastating derangement.” Nevertheless, it has
retained its popularity in violin literature, just as the original has
remained a favorite in orchestral music.
_Come Sweet Death_ (_Komm, suesser Tod_) is a moving chorale for voice
and accompaniment: a simple and eloquent resignation to death. It does
not come from any of Bach’s larger works but can be found in Schemelli’s
collection (1736). It has become extremely popular in orchestral
transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski and Reginald Stewart, but is also
sometimes heard in arrangements for various solo instruments and piano,
as well as for the organ.
_Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring_ (_Jesu bleibt meine Freude_) is probably
Bach’s best known and most frequently performed chorale: a stately
melody introduced by, then set against, a gracefully flowing
accompaniment. This composition comes from the church cantata No. 147,
_Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben_. Various transcriptions have
popularized this composition, notably that for piano by Myra Hess, for
organ by E. Power Biggs, and for orchestra by Lucien Caillet.
The _Prelude in E major_ is a vigorous and spirited piece of music whose
rhythmic momentum does not relax from the first bar to the last. It
appears as the first movement of the Partita No. 3 in E major for solo
violin. It is perhaps even better known in transcription than in the
original version, notably in those for violin and piano by Robert
Schumann and Fritz Kreisler, for solo piano by Rachmaninoff, and for
orchestra by Stokowski, Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli, Sir Henry J. Wood,
and Lucien Caillet.
The _Siciliano_ is a beautiful, stately song—the first movement of the
Sonata No. 4 in C minor for violin and accompaniment. Stokowski has made
a fine transcription for orchestra.
_The Wise Virgins_ is a ballet-suite comprising six compositions by Bach
drawn from his literature for the church and transcribed for orchestra
by the eminent British composer, Sir William Walton. It was used for a
ballet produced at Sadler’s Wells in 1940. Frederick Ashton’s
choreography drew its material from the parable of the Wise and Foolish
Virgins in the 25th chapter of the Gospel According to St. Matthew; but
this parable is seen through the eyes of the Italian Renaissance
painters. “Ashton,” wrote Arnold Haskell, “has provided the perfect
meeting place for music and painting. The inspiration was pictorial ...
it is equally musical. The movement and unfolding of the narrative
follow directly from the Bach music so brilliantly arranged and
orchestrated by William Walton.”
All six movements of the suite are so lyrical and emotional that their
impact on listeners is immediate. The first movement, “What God Hath
Done Is Rightly Done” comes from the opening chorus of a cantata of the
same name, No. 99 (_Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan_). A lively melody is
first shared by strings and woodwind and then given fanciful
embellishments. A strong chorale melody for the brass is then given
prominent treatment. The second movement, “Lord, Hear My Longing” is a
chorale from the _Passion According to St. Matthew_ which is here given
the treatment of an organ chorale-prelude with a tenderly expressive
chorale melody in woodwind amplified by strings. The third movement,
“See What His Love Can Do” is an expansive melody for strings and
woodwind against a flowing accompaniment; this music is derived from
Cantata No. 85, _Ich bin ein guter Hirt_. This is followed by “Ah, How
Ephemeral,” a dramatic page for full orchestra highlighting a chorale
for brass taken from Cantata No. 26, _Ach, wie fluechtig_. The fifth
section is the most famous. It is “Sheep May Safely Graze” (“_Schafe
koennen sicher weiden_”) from the secular Cantata No. 208, _Was mir
behagt_. An introductory recitative for solo violin leads to a swaying
melody for the woodwind. The lower strings then present a pastoral song
which soon receives beautiful filigree work from other parts of the
orchestra. The swaying subject for woodwind closes the piece. Sir John
Barbirolli also made an effective orchestral transcription of this
composition, while Percy Grainger arranged it for solo piano, and Mary
Howe for two solo pianos. The finale of the suite is “Praise Be to God,”
which is also the finale of Cantata No. 129, _Gelobet sei der Herr, mein
Gott_. This is vigorous music that is an outpouring of pure joy.