Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work — Reading Companion

A Biographer's Own Path

Forkel's preface and the translator's introduction establish a parallel between Forkel and Bach: both began their musical careers in Lüneburg. Forkel, born seventeen months before Bach's death, taught himself using Mattheson's Vollkommener Kapellmeister and found a derelict clavier in an attic—details that echo the narrative of self-taught musicians. This biographical framing suggests Forkel's personal investment in portraying Bach as a model of systematic artistry, a theme that shapes the book's structure.

The Cantata Catalog as Structural Key

Appendix II, a chronological list of Bach's church cantatas, reveals a meticulous ordering by liturgical year and composition date. Entries specify the biblical verse, hymn stanza, and librettist—often Picander after 1725. For instance, Cantata 145 (Easter Tuesday, 1729) is noted as based on Picander's text with Bach's addition of an opening chorale and Bible verse. This catalog not only documents Bach's output but also illustrates his method of weaving pre-existing hymn stanzas into original compositions, a recurring structural feature in his work.

Movement Between Scenes: From Eisenach to Leipzig

The book's chapters trace Bach's geographical and institutional movements: from his family home in Eisenach to posts at Lüneburg, Schwerin, and finally Leipzig. The illustrations—Bach's home at Eisenach, the Church and School of St. Thomas in 1723—anchor these transitions visually. Forkel's narrative emphasizes how each setting shaped Bach's art: the organ works of his Weimar period, the cantatas of his Leipzig years. The appendix's chronological catalog reinforces this movement, showing how Bach's compositional output shifted with his appointments.

Recurring Images: Divided Harmony and the Bach Statues

Two recurring visual motifs appear in the illustrations: diagrams of 'Divided Harmony' comparing Bach's treatment to conventional practice, and multiple statues of Bach (at Eisenach and Leipzig). The harmony diagrams underscore Forkel's analytical approach to Bach's compositional structure, while the statues—depicted at different life stages—reinforce the biographical arc. These images, placed alongside the genealogy tables, create a visual rhythm that complements the text's systematic examination of Bach's life and work.

Readers approaching this edition should note that Terry's translation and appendices transform Forkel's original monograph into a reference work. The chronological cantata catalog, in particular, rewards careful study: it reveals Bach's collaborative process with librettists and his reuse of hymn texts. Rather than a linear biography, this book functions as a layered archive—genealogical, analytical, and chronological—inviting readers to trace Bach's development through multiple structural lenses.

Over the years, I've noticed how Forkel's Bach—so concerned with structure, with the patient weaving of recurring patterns—finds a quiet echo in the way Chopin’s own work unfolds. There's a shared sense of method, of building something vast from small, careful gestures. Both men left their order behind, and I find that kinship deeply comforting. Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 1 — Reading Companion rests beside Bach on my shelf, a gentle conversation between two meticulous souls.