MASTERPIECE OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN
B A C H

(1685-1750)

Welcome to baroque, an era of beautiful architecture and music, an era that reached a peak of yielding renaissance and an era that made the greatest of nations of mankind what they are today. We are proud to present you the finest of late baroque composers and greatest mind in music history.

        BIOGRAPHY
    Johann Sebastian Bach lived in Germany between 1685-1750, in the region of Thuringia. He was born in Eisenach. He spent a large portion of his life in three places: Weimar, Cothen, and Leipzig. In Weimar he was employed as a church organist, so he composed many of his organ works during that time. He later moved to Cothen where he directed a court orchestra. Consequently, during this period, he composed much of his chamber music and instrumental music. Finally, Bach spent the last 25 years of his life in Leipzig, where he was music director of the local church. During this time, he composed many of his church cantatas, other religious music including the Mass in B Minor, and his late works, such as the Art of the Fugue. For a great part of his life, Bach composed and performed music for the church. His complete works consist of over 1000 choral and instrumental works, including almost 200 cantatas. His choral works include cantatas, masses, and passions. One of his greatest choral works is the Mass in B Minor, one of the few pieces in which Bach set the Latin mass to music. He composed the Kyrie and Gloria in 1733 and added the other sections, which were mostly revisions of earlier works, in 1748, 2 years before his death. It is a mystery why Bach bothered to complete the mass, knowing it would not be performed in its entirety in Lutheran church services.
    Bach belonged to a dynasty of musicians. In following inevitable family tradition, he excelled his forebears and contemporaries, although he did not always receive the respect he deserved in his own life-time. He spend his earlier career principally as an organist, latterly at the court of one of the two ruling Grand Dukes of Weimar. In 1717 he moved to Cöthen as Court Kapellmeister to the young Prince Leopold and in 1723 made his final move to Leipzig, where he was employed as Cantor at the Choir School of St. Thomas, with responsibility for music in the five principal city churches. In Leipzig he also eventually took charge of the University Collegium musicum and occupied himself with the collection and publication of many of his earlier compositions. Bach has been generally regarded by subsequent generations as one of the greatest of all composers. Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis numbers, abbreviated to BWV, are generally accepted for convenience and reference.

        CHORAL & VOCAL MUSIC
    Bach wrote a very large amount of choral music, particulary in connection with his employment at Leipzig, where he prepared complete cycles of cantatas for use throughout the church year, in addition to the larger scale settings of the Latin Mass and the accounts of the Passion from the gospels of St. Matthew and of St. John. These works include the Mass in B Minor, BWV 232, the St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, the St. John Passion, BWV 245, the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, and the Easter Oratorio, BWV 249, with the revised setting of the Magnificat, BWV 243. Cantatas include, out of over 200 that survive, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 (from which the pianist Dame Myra Hess took her piano arrangement under the title Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, making this the most popular of all), Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, Ich habe genug, BWV 82, Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 358, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199, and Wachet auf, BWV 140. Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51, for soprano, trumpet, strings and basso continuo, was written in 1730. The rather more formal half dozen or so Monets include a memorable version of Psalm CXVII, Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230.
    Secular Cantatas include the light-hearted Coffee Cantata, BWV 211, a father's attempt to stem his daughter's addiction to the fashionable drink, the Peasant Cantata, BWV 212, in honour of a newly appointed official, two Wedding Cantatas, Weichet nur, BWV 202, and O holder Tag, BWV 210. Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208, was written in 1713 to celebrate the birthday of the hunting Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels and later rewoked for the name-day of August III, King of Saxony, in the 1740s. The Italian Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209, apparently marked the departure of a scholar or friend from Leipzig.

        ORGAN MUSIC
    Much of Bach's organ music was written during the earlier part of his career, culminating in the period he spent as court organist at Weimar. Among many well known compositions we may single out the Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, BWV 903, the Dorian Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV 538, Fantasia & Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor, BWV 582, Prelude & St. Anne Fugue, BWV 552, (in which the fugue theme resembles a well known English hymn), Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, and the Toccata & Fugue in F, BWV 540.
    The Chorale Prelude is a composition for organ that consists of short variations on simple hymn tunes for all seasons of the church year. Better known meloties used include the Christmass In dulci jubilo, BWV 508, Puer natus in Betlehem, BWV 603, the Holy Week Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 625, and Easter Christ ist erstanden, BWV 627, with the moving Durch Adam's Fall ist ganz verderbt, BWV 637, and the familiar Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645, and Nun danket alle Gott, BWV 657.

        OTHER KEYBOARD MUSIC
    Other important sets of pieces are the Six English Suites, BWV 806-811, the Six French Suites, BWV 812-817, the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, written to soothe an insomniac patron, the Italian Concerto, BWV 971, and the Six Partitas, BWV 825-830, suites of dance movements.

        CHAMBER MUSIC
    During the period Bach spent at Cöthen he was able to devote his attention more particulary to instrumental compositions for solo instruments, smaller groups or for small court orchestra.
    Particulary important are the three Sonatas and three Partitas for unaccompanied violin, BWV 1001-1006, works that make great technical demands on a player, with the six Suites for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1007-1012. There are six Sonatas for violin and harpsichord, BWV 1014-1019, and an interesting group of three Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord, sometimes appropriated today by viola-players, BWV 1027-1029.

        ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
    The six Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051, dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, feature a variety of forms and groups of instruments, while the four Orchestral Suites or Overtures, BWV 1066-1069, include the famous Air on the G string, a late 19th century transcription of the Air from Suite in D major, BWV 1068.

        CONCERTOS
    Three of Bach's violin concertos, written at Cöthen between 1717 and 1723, survive in their original form, with others existing now only in later harpsichord transcriptions. The works in original form are the Concertos in A minor and in E major, BWV 1041 and 1042, and the Double Concerto in D minor, for two violins, BWV 1043.
    Bach wrote or arranged his harpsichord concertos principally for the use of himself and his sons with the Leipzig University Collegium musicum between 1735 and 1740. These works include eight Concertos for single solo harpsichord and strings, BWV 1052-1059, and others for two, three and four harpsichords and strings.

        CHOSEN WORKS BY GREGOR ROZMAN
    The following works were chosen to demonstrate the achievements of Bach's great mind. Do click on composition title to partake from the wonderous baroque music world of Johann Sebastian Bach!

Cantata: Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV-80  1:21
"This short cantata has been arranged for baroque chamber music set of instuments with no harpsichord continuum."

Wachet Auf, Cantata v1 no1 BWV-140  6:10
"Arranged also by comparing with Capella Istropolitana (conductor Edlinger)."

Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV-147 - 10. Jesus bleibet meine Freude  3:30
"Jesu, joy and man's desiring or Jesus bleibet meine Freude is possibly greatest of Bach's chorales. This variation is one of the many and it has trumpet & church organ for solo swaping the vocal solo. My other arrangment is included in this page background music."

Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV-248 - 345# O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden  1:22
"This is the first (248th of all) of two pieces chosen from Christmass Oratorium."

Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV-248 - 368# Hilf Herr Jesu lass gelingen  1:24
"This is the second (386th of all) of two pieces chosen from Christmass Oratorium."

Prelude and St. Anne fugue BWV-552  14:38
"Part of this fugue resembles a well known English hymn."

Fugue & Toccata in D minor BWV-565  10:50
"Who has not heard this fine fugue for church organ? At least introduction?"

Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV-645  3:46
"Another well known Bach's masterpiece. The tenor solo in this excerpt has been replaced with 'soft' french horn solo. I changed harpsichord to church organ. I did that in order to uncover the mellody that is hiding in slightly monotone harpsichord sounds and on the other hand to make it more 'sacred'. That all makes the sequence fully instrumental."

Nun komm der Heiden Heiland BWV-659  4:32
"I really enjoyed comparing this piece with the original audio recording piece of art (also) by Capella Istropolitana (conducted by: Edlinger). The stereo echo is a little to wide if you are not using 3D sound enhancement or other dolby sound harmonizer. Almost every single instrument has its double. That makes the piece to sound as performing it by baroque orchestra in the open air festival. Another of BWV that really confirms my passion towards baroque music."

Partitas (BWV 825-830):
No.1 in Bb BWV-825  9:35
No.2 in C minor BWV-826  11:50
No.3 in A minor BWV827  12:41
No.4 in D BWV-828  16:54
No.5 in G BWV-829  13:04
No.6 in E minor BWV-830  17:08
"Partitas (part-inventionen) were arranged for harpsichord. However clavinet would also be appreciated."

Fugue for lute in G BWV-1000   4:55
"Why always trying to compose fugues for keyboard based instruments? Why not trying one of other baroque instrument (this time string instrument)? I tried with three stereo nylon guitar variations that made it somehow 'trio performance'."

Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord (BWV 1027-1029):
No.1 in G BWV-1027  13:28
No.2 in D BWV-1028  13:22
No.3 in G minor BWV-1029  14:48
"Excellent three masterpieces!"

Violin concerto in E major BWV-1042  16:34
"Chosen of strings and harpsichord concertos which whole midi sequence includes all sentences along with well known sentence 'Adagio' starting with 3/4 time signature at 176th measure. The third sentence starts with 3/8 time signature at 234th measure."

Concerto for two violins ans strings in D minor BWV-1043  15:37
"Chosen concert which whole midi sequence includes all sentences along with famous second sentence 'Largo ma non tanto' in 12/8 time signature starting at 91st measure."

Brandenburg Concertos, BWV 1046-1051
"To enjoy hearing these, please enter a special page that contains links to all 19 sentences of all 6 concertos in full! Under correct circumstances, described further on, hihgest sound performance guaranteed..."

Suite no2 in B minor BWV-1067 (excerpt, 'Badinerie')  1:20
"Another one of most famous BWV. High tempo baroque excerpt from Bach suites. Two instrumental tracks have been added for flute: ocarina 'non molto pianno' (echo) and recorder 'forte' ('baroque' flute)."

Suite no3 in D major BWV-1068 (excerpt, 'Air')  2:30
"One of the most famous BWV. The midi sequence has only 8k! Although the size of it, it sounds unbelievebly similar to the performance of audio recording by Capella Istropolitana conducted by Dvorak. Escorting cemballo has been added to lead the main mellody that is why it is destined to be merely 'molto pianno'."

Sheep may safely gaze  5:13
"Indeed; gaze. Another fine sequence, this time performance of Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hayman. Stereo instrument tracks added and 3D enhancement sound available. The masterpiece is more romantic than other BWV."

Little fugue in G  3:30
"Several organ keyboards were used in this fugue with implementing stereo variated tracks."

Prelude bk.1 no.24  2:26
"My favourite BWV prelude arranged for piano (echo GRe-mix)."

Ich ruf zu' dir, Herr Jesu Christ  4:06
"Sacred BWV music explains to us why Bach wrote such great masterpieces. His faith in our Lord was so great! And in this short work you can feel the dedication to this deity and on the other hand influence of baroque church music with variated solo instruments (in this case recorder). This midi sequence also contains a church organ stereo with recorder (pan=000) and its echo (on my disappointment the whistle did not well to be a real echo, so I decided to put piccolo, pan=127). Recommended hearing with better Creative's sf2 loaded such as: 4gmgsmt.sf2 or 8mbgmsfx.sf2. I am sure that the last mentioned sounds more realistic than with any other GM soundfonts or synthesizer GM wavetables."

Kommst du num Jesu von Himmel hereunter  3:09
"This work's instruments set: of French horn, trumpet, trombone, string orchestra and clarinet."

NEW!!!
Johann Sebastian BACH page of MP3 files performed by various midi artists,
conducted and directed by Gregor Rozman (using sf2 technology):
http://www.oocities.org/Vienna/Choir/4111/

Dear ladies and honourable gentlemen,

COPYRIGHT 1998
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: