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Manuscripts by Johann Sebastian Bach From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The title Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (German: Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach) refers to either of two manuscript notebooks that the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented to his second wife, Anna Magdalena. Keyboard music (minuets, rondeaux, polonaises, chorales, sonatas, preludes, musettes, marches, gavottes) makes up most of both notebooks, and a few pieces for voice (songs, and arias) are included.
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The Notebooks provide a glimpse into the domestic music of the 18th century and the musical tastes of the Bach family.
The two notebooks are known by their title page dates of 1722 and 1725. The title "Anna Magdalena Notebook" is commonly used to refer to the latter. The primary difference between the two collections is that the 1722 notebook contains works only by Johann Sebastian Bach (including most of the French Suites), while the 1725 notebook is a compilation of music by both Bach and other composers of the era.[1][2]
This notebook contains 25 unbound sheets (including two blank pages), which is estimated to be approximately a third of the original size. It is not known what happened to the other pages. The back and the corners are decorated with brown leather; greenish paper is used for the cover. The title page is inscribed Clavier-Büchlein vor Anna Magdalena Bachin ANNO 1722 in Anna Magdalena's hand (using the feminine version of her last name). For a reason so far unknown to researchers, Johann Sebastian wrote the titles of three books by theologian August Pfeiffer (died 1698) in the lower right corner of the title page:
The notebook contains the following works, most in Johann Sebastian's hand:
The 1725 notebook is larger than the 1722 one, and more richly decorated. Light green paper is used for the front cover, Anna Magdalena's initials and the year number "1725" are printed in gold, the annotations A[nna] M[agdal] B[ach] added by her stepson C. P. E. Bach when he inherited it. All pages feature gilt edging. Most of the entries in the 1725 notebook were made by Anna Magdalena herself, with others written in the hand of Johann Sebastian, some by sons Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel, and a few by family friends such as Johann Gottfried Bernhard and Johann Gottfried Heinrich. Although the 1725 notebook does contain work composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, it also includes works by many other composers. The authorship of several pieces is identified in the notebook itself, while that of others was established by researchers. The composers of still others, including several popular songs of the time, remain unknown. Here is a complete list of the pieces included, in order of appearance in the notebook:
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The Notebooks contain instrumental as well as vocal musical compositions. These notebooks serve more as collections of sheet music and other compositions rather than what notebooks are traditionally used for.
The recitative "Ich habe genug" and the aria "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen", the second and third movements of the second version of Cantata Ich habe genug, BWV 82, appear in the 1725 Notebook.[7]
The four-part chorale "Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen", BWV 299, also appears in a two-part setting in Schemellis Musicalisches Gesang-Buch (BWV 452).[8]
The second Notebook contains a number of songs and arias set for voice and continuo.
"Bist du bei mir", BWV 508, is an arrangement of an aria of the opera Diomedes by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel.[9][10][11]
"Gedenke doch, mein Geist, zurücke", BWV 509 is an aria contained in the second notebook.[12]
The sacred songs BWV 510–512 are three settings of "Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille" for voice and continuo.[13]
The sacred song "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort", BWV 513, No. 42 in the second Notebook, is a setting of the chorale melody with the same name, for voice and continuo:[14]
BWV 397 is the four-part realisation of this song.
"Schaffs mit mir, Gott", BWV 514, is a sacred song for voice and continuo.[15]
The aria "So oft ich meine Tobackspfeife" appears in two versions, BWV 515 and 515a, the second a fourth higher than the first.[16]
The aria "Warum betrübst du dich", BWV 516, is a setting for voice and continuo.[17]
"Wie wohl ist mir, o Freund der Seelen", BWV 517, is a sacred song for voice and continuo.[18]
The authenticity of "Willst du dein Herz mir schenken", BWV 518, also known as "Aria di G[i]ovannini", is doubted.[19]
The first Notebook contains two compositions for organ. The chorale prelude Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten is No. 11 in the second Notebook.
The Fantasia in C major for organ, BWV 573, is a fragment contained in the 1722 Notebook.[20]
The chorale prelude "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten", BWV 691, also appears in the Kirnberger Collection.[21]
The chorale setting Jesus, meine Zuversicht, BWV 728, is ranged among Bach's chorale preludes for organ.[22]
The keyboard pieces are the largest group of compositions in both Notebooks.
The first Notebook contains early versions of the first five French Suites, BWV 812–816. the first and the second French Suite also appear in the second Notebook.[23]
The second Notebook starts with the third Partita, BWV 827, from Clavier-Übung I, followed by the sixth Partita, BWV 830, from that opus.[24]
The Minuet in G major, BWV 841, is also contained in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.[25]
The prelude of Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846, from The Well-Tempered Clavier appears in a short version in the second Notebook.[26]
No. 26 in the second Notebook is the aria with which the Goldberg Variations start:[2][27]
The Air with variations in C minor, BWV 991, is a fragment contained in the first Notebook.[28]
The Minuet in F major, BWV Anh. 113, is No. 3 in the second Notebook. Its attribution to J. S. Bach is considered doubtful, and for that reason it is included in Anhang (Anh.) II of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.[29][30]
Start of Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114:[31]
The two Minuets in G major and G minor, Nos. 4–5 in the second Notebook, BWV Anh. 114 and 115, were composed by Christian Petzold. Because their former attribution to Bach is spurious they appear in Anh. III of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.[32]
Seven pieces with a doubtful attribution to J. S. Bach:[29]
Nos. 16–19 (BWV Anh. 122–125) are considered to be early compositions by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach:[32]
A musette and two other pieces with a doubtful attribution to J. S. Bach:[29]
Opening bars of Solo per il cembalo, BWV Anh. 129, by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, piece No. 27 from the 1725 Notebook:[46]
Anh. III 129 – No. 27: Solo per il cembalo in E-flat major by C. P. E. Bach (early version of the keyboard sonata Wq 65.7 / H 16).[32]
Anh. III 130 – No. 28: Polonaise in G major by Johann Adolph Hasse, i.e. "Polonoise secondo", originally in F major, from his keyboard sonata in F major.[32][47]
Untitled movement in F major, BWV Anh. 131, piece No. 32 from the 1725 Notebook:[32]
Anh. III 131 – No. 32: [March] in F major attributed to Johann Christian Bach (W A22), formerly also attributed to Gottfried Heinrich Bach[48]
Anh. III 183 – No. 6: Rondeau in B-flat major by François Couperin, "Les Bergeries, Rondeau", sixth piece of the Sixième ordre, published in Paris in 1717 (Second Livre de pièces de Clavecin)[32][50][51]
No. 21 of the second Notebook, "Menuet fait par Mons. Böhm" (Minuet by Mr. Böhm), in G major, was never assigned a number in the BWV catalogue. It is however included in both the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA) and the New Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA) of the Notebooks. There is some doubt which composer by the name Böhm may have been intended, Georg Böhm being the best known among them.[2][52][53][54]
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