An Introduction to Bach Studies

ISBN-13: 9780195122312 / Angielski / Twarda / 1998 / 208 str.

Daniel R. Melamed; Michael Marissen; Michael Marissen

Opis

This volume is a guide to the resources and materials of Bach scholarship, both for the non specialist wondering where to begin in the enormous literature on J. S. Bach, and for the Bach specialist looking for a convenient and up to date survey of the field. It describes the tools of Bach research and how to use them, and suggests how to get started in Bach research by describing the principal areas of research and citing the essential literature on each piece and topic.

The authors emphasize the issues that have engaged Bach scholars for generations, focusing on particularly important writings; on recent literature; on overviews, collections of essays and handbooks; and on writings in English. Subjects covered include bibliographic tools of Bach research and sources of literature; Bach's family; Bach biographies; places Bach lived and worked; Bach's teaching; the liturgy; Bach source studies and the transmission of his music; repertory and editions; genres and individual vocal and instrumental works; performance practice; the reception and analysis of Bach's music; and many others. The book also offers explanations of important and potentially confusing topics in Bach research, such as the organization of the annual cantata cycles, pitch standards, the history of the Berlin libraries, the structure of the critical commentary volumes in the Neue Bach Ausgabe, and so on.

This book opens up the rich world of Bach scholarship to students, teachers, performers, and listeners.

Recenzje

This wonderful little book may be the first guide to the literature on a single composer and his music to become an instant classic. Why? ... because it is a smart concept with a user-friendly design. Thanks to Daniel Rl Melamed, Michael Marissen and Oxford University Press, the bibliographically challenged among us can now negotiate the formidable thicket of Bach scholarship with ease.

O autorze

About the Authors Daniel Melamed is Associate Professor of Music at Yale University. His publications include J.S. Bach and the German Motet (1995) and Bach Studies 2 (1995), as well as many articles. Michael Marissen is Associate Professor of Music at Swarthmore College. His publications include The Social and Religious Designs of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (1995) and Lutherism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach's St. John Passion (Oxford, 1998).