Even Martin Luther himself, when on his deathbed, had been repeatedly awakened by those around him so that they could confirm his faithfulness as near as possible to the actual moment of death. They were also there to watch for signs: at this critical juncture Bach’s every action could give crucial information concerning the destiny of his soul, that is, the outcome of the final contest between good and evil, between heaven and hell. Those gathered around the deathbed would have comforted the dying man by praying and reading from the Bible, singing chorales, perhaps even playing them on a harpsichord or clavichord. In these circumstances, the actions of the dying person and oft he family members, friends, and clerics standing by were thoroughly ritualized. The hours of Bach’s death was approaching.
A week before his death on July 28, Bach’s condition had deteriorated quickly when he suffered a stroke, which was soon followed by raging fever a pair of failed eye operations performed on him a few months earlier had left Bach blind, and lying in his bed he would not have been able to see the summer morning early in his east-facing window. His best-known compositions include The Well-Tempered Clavier, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Air on the G String, Goldberg Variations, Brandenburg Concertos and many more.As was customary in the Lutheran rituals of death and dying, Bach died at home, probably on the second floor of the cantor’s apartments in the Thomasschule, in his own bedroom above the Thomasplatz. Similarly, you may ask, what are Bach's most famous compositions? He used counterpoint, the playing of multiple melodies simultaneously, and fugue, the repetition of a melody with slight variations, to create richly detailed compositions. Bach's compositions also carry a BWV (short for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis) number, but these were not published until 1950.Īlso, how did Bach write his music? In his works, Bach drew from different music styles from across Europe, including French and Italian. The six Brandenburg Concertos were simply six pieces that were sent to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, hence the title. Herein, what was Bach's first composition? With the notable exception of opera, Bach composed towering masterpieces in every major Baroque genre: sonatas, concertos, suites and cantatas, as well as innumerable keyboard, organ and choral works.
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