MHST 328 J. S. Bach & Sons
In 1735 Johann Sebastian Bach attempted to establish his musical lineage by assembling a family tree, which reaches back to the sixteenth century. And for a hundred years after his death, Bachs figured prominently in the musical landscape of central Europe. Despite this long history, Johann Sebastian and four of his sons stand out as the most significant performers and composers of the family. This course will trace the biographies and select works of Johann Sebastian, Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christoph Friedrich and Johann Christian. Our pursuit of the Bachs will take us through some of Europe's most important cities, where we will meet kings and clerics, performers, patrons, and publishers; we will listen to cantatas, fugues, concertos, sonatas, fantasias, operas, and symphonies. The course will situate the music of the Bachs in the context of musical practice in the eighteenth century, and it will address the perceived gap between the high Baroque and the Classical eras.