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To view BACH'S COMPLETE WORKS now, click here. Bach created masterpieces in every baroque form except opera. Throughout, he fused technical mastery and emotional depth. His instrumental music includes pieces of orchestra, for small groups, and for solo organ, harpsichord, clavichord, violin, and cello. The excellence and number of these works show how prominent instrumental music had become in the baroque period. Bach's vocal music- bulk of his output- was written mostly for the Lutheran church and was often based on hymns familiar to the congregation. In forming his personal style, Bach drew on the musical resources of three different lands. He avidly studied Italian concertos and French dance pieces, as well as the church music of his native Germany.Bach's music is unique in its combinations of polyphonic texture and rich harmony. Several melodic lines of equal importance often occur at once; so many things might go on at the same time that the music will convey an awesome complexity and elaboration. Yet even with the great interest that the individual voices convey, it is the progression of chords that directs the musical motion. Bach used complex and dissonant harmonies more imaginatively than his contemporaries. His works show an astounding mastery of harmony and counterpoint, and they are used as models by music students today. Baroque music leans towards unity of mood, and this is particularly true for Bach who liked to elaborate a single melodic idea in a piece. Bach' s melodies can be intricate, unpredictable, and highly embellished, but unity of mood is created by an insistent rhythmic drive. Whether slow or fast, his works generate perpetual motion. There was little difference in style between secular and sacred music. In fact, he often created sacred music simply by rearranging instrumental pieces or works originally written for secular texts. His church music also uses operatic forms like the aria and recitative. Bach likes to illustrate religious or pictorial ideas though musical symbolism. In an organ piece based upon the hymn tune , Bach represents the serpent by twisting inner Vioces, and man's fall by downward leaps in the bass. And in one called These Are the Holy Commandments, Bach sues the theme exactly ten times. Sometimes Bach composed music to demonstrate what he could do with a specific musical form. His Art of the Fugue, for example, is a collection that displays all the resources of fugue writing. He also explored with unprecedented thoroughness a system of tuning that was being developed at the time. This system made it possible for a composer to write in all twenty-four keys, not just in the simple ones. Bach used every major and minor key in this collection of forty-eight preludes and fugue, The Well-Tempered Clavier (which means, roughly, The well-Tuned Keyboard Instrument). The collection is in two volumes (1722,1744), each with twenty-four preludes and fugue s, one in each major and minor key. Today, the pieces are basic to the repertoire of keyboard players
24 Brandenburg Concertos No.1-6 (BWV1046-51); 7 Concertos for harpsichord and string (BWV1052-8); 3Concertos for 2 harpsichord and string (BWV1060-2); 2 Concertos for 3 harpsichord and string (BWV1063-4); Concerto for 4 harpsichord and string in A minor, (BWV1065, transcription of Vivadi concerto); Concerto for flue, violin, harpsichord, string, oboe (BWV1044); 4 Suites The Art of Fugue (BWV1080); The Musical Offering (BWV1079); Partitas for solo violin (BWV1002, 1004, 1006); 3 Sonatas for solo violin (BWV1001, 1003, 1005); 6 Sonatas for violin and klavier (BWV1014-9); 6 Sonatas for violin, flute and klavier (BWV1020-5); 4 Sonatas for 2 violins, 2 flutes, 2 oboe and harpsichord (BWV1036-9); 6 Sonatas for flute and harpsichord; 3 Sonatas for viola (BWV1030-5); Sonata for flute in A minor (BWV1013); 6 Suites, violin (BWV1007-12) Cappriccio in B flat (BWV992); Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor (BWV903); 16 Concertos for solo harpsichord (BWV972-87); 6 English Suites (BWV806-11); Fantasia and Fugue in A minor (BWV922); 6 French Suites (BWV812-17); Goldberg Variations (BWV988); 15 two-part Inventions (BWV772-86); 15 three-part Inventions (BWV878-801); Italian Concerto (BWV971); 6 Partitas (BWV825-30); 9 Preludes for W.F. Bach (BWV924-32); 6 Preludes (BWV933-8); 7 Toccatas (BWV10-6); Variations in the Italian style (BWV989); Das Wohtemperierte Klavier (The Well-Tempered Klavier), 48 Preludes (BWV846-93); 24 LUTE: Suites: 5 Suites in A (BWV1007), E minor (BWV996), E (BWV1006a, transcript from BWV1006, violin partita N0. 3), C minor (BWV997) and in G minor (BWV995). 6 Concertos, all transcribed from other composers (BWV592-7); 4 Duets (BWV802-5); Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (BWV537), G minor (BWV542); Fantasia in C (BWV573), in C minor (BWV562), in G (BWV572); Fugues in C minor (BWV574), G minor (BWV577); Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor (BWV582); Prelude and Fugue (Wedge) ; 6 Sonatas (BWV525-30); Toccata, Adagio, and fugue in C (BWV564); Toccata and Fugue in D minor (Dorain); Trio in D minor and G Orgelbychlein (Little Organ Book), containing 46 items: Ach Bleib bei uns, (BWV649), Allein Gott in der Gog\rquote ser Her, (BWV711), An Wasserflussen Babylon, (BWV653b), Christum wir sollen Loben schon, (BWV696), Ein' feste Burf (BWV720), Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, (BWV709), In dulci jubilo, (BWV729), Jesu, meine freude, (BWV713), Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, (BWV688), Komm, Gott Schopfer, (BWV667), Komm,heleger Geist, (BWV652), Kommest du nun, Jesu, (BWV650), Liegster Jesu, wir sind hier, (BWV706), Meine Seeie erhebet den Herren, (BWV648), Nun danket alle Gott, (BWV657), Nun komm, der Heiden Helland, (BWV659), O Gott, du frommer Gott, (BWV767), O Lamm Gottes unschudig, (BWV656), Schmucke dich,O lidbe Seele, (BWV654), Vater unser in Himmerlreich, (BWV682/3), Vom Himmel hoch, (BWV700, 701 fughetta, 738, 769 canonic variations), Wachet auf, (BWV645), Wer nur den lieben Gott, (BWV647, 690, 691), Wo soll ich fliehan hin, (BWV646) CANTATAS: (212 in total) No. 4 Christ lag in Todesbanden (c.1707), No. 6 Bleib bei uns (1725), No. 10 Meine Sells\rquote erhebt den Herren (1724, revised 1744-50), No.11 Lobet Gott (c.1735), No. 12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgan Zagen (1714), No. 20 O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (1724), No. 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (1723), No. 28 Gottlob Nun geht das Jahr zu Ende (1725), No. 29 Wir danken dir, Gott (1713), No. 34 O ewiger Feuer (after 1742), No. 40 Dazu ist erschiene der Sohn Gottes (1723), No. 45 Est ist dir gdsagt (1726), No. 51 Jauchzet Gott (1730), No. 60 O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (1723), No. 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (1714), No. 68 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt (1725), No. 78 Jesu, der du meine Selle (1724), No. 80 Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott (1724), No. 82 Ich habe geung (1727), No. 93 Wer nur den lieben Gott (1724), No. 95 Christus der ist mein Leben (1723), No. 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (c.1707), No. 140 Wachet auf (1731), No. 143 Lobe den herrn (1735), No. 147 Herz und Mund (1735), No. 197 Gott ist unser Zuversicht (c.1728), No. 201 Der Streit zwischen (1729), No. 202 Weichet mur, berubte Schatten (1718-23), No. 208 Was mir behgt (1713), No. 209 Non sa che sia dolore (after 1740), No. 211 Schweigt stille, paudert nichet (Coffee cantata, 1723), No. 212 Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet (Peasant cantata, 1742), Canons for 2,3,4 and 7 voices Christmas Oratorio in 6 parts (BWV248, 1734); Easter Oratorio (BWV249, 1736); Magnificat in E flat and D; Mass in B minor (BWV 232, 1724-49); Mass in G (BWV236, c.1738); Mass in G minor (BWV235, c.1737); 6Motets (BWV225-230); St John Passion (BWV245, 1723); St Matthew Passion (BWV244, 1727) Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach , contain 11 songs (BWV508-18); Aria, Gott lebet noch (BWV461); Jesus ist Tod (BWV474); Aria, komm, susser Tod (BWV478); O Jesulein suss (BWV493); Song, Vergiss mein nicht, mein allerliebster Gott (BWV505)
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