Johann Sebastian Bach: The Culmination of an Era

When it was originally published in 1967, this study of J.S. Bach was the first important work on the composer in nearly a generation. The many discoveries about Bach’s life and music that occurred in the postwar years created the need for a new interpretative study incorporating this research and this was the only book which incorporated the vast amount of material uncovered since 1950, the bicentennial of Bach’s death. The volume begins with a brief biography and is followed by an analysis of each major type of composition: vocal, organ, keyboard and instrumental music. In each section the author examines thoroughly many Bach compositions and evaluates them in relation to the rest of the composer’s work, as well as in relation to the music of his contemporaries. More than 70 music examples enable the reader to understand how Bach worked, the manner in which his genius developed and grew, and to see outstanding excerpts from his music in various stages of completion. An interesting aspect of research methods is revealed through an explanation of the detective work which has been done regarding handwriting, paper and watermarks in the original sources.

Karl Geiringer (1899-1989) was an Austrian-American musicologist, prolific author and Professor of Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara.