Johann Sebastian Bach

1. Johann Sebastian Bach Solo Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major Prelude

2. The Life of Johann Sebastian Bach • He was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21st 1685. • He was orphaned by the age of nine. • He married twice in his life. • By the end of his life he had had 20 children, only ten of whom survived to adulthood. • He died in 1750 at the age of 65.

3. The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach • He lived with his brother after his parent’s death and began learning to play the organ. • He learned to play many instruments and began writing music at a young age. • His musical career really began to take off when he lived in Weimar. • Some of his most notable and recognizable works are his Suites for unaccompanied cello.

4. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major Prelude • There are six suites for unaccompanied cello. • The most popular is suite No. 1 in G Major. • These were written in the 1710’s and 1720’s. • This manuscript (right) was written by his second wife.

5. Listening Guide • 0:00 • Begins with a soft, light sound that is decently slow paced. It seems warm, welcoming, and almost playful or reminiscent. • 0:19 • More depth and intensity as well as a pick-up in the tempo. It seems somewhat more sorrowful than previously. As if the notes convey a lower, more serious, urgent matter. The notes become lower and sadder. • //www.rhapsody.com/artist/johann-sebastian-bach/album/bach-for-meditation/track/cello-suite-no-1-prelude

6. 0:31 • There are accentuated lower notes behind the higher notes, creating the sad playfulness that we hear in this piece. • 0:37 • Skipping back up to higher notes that are slightly faster. More light and carefree sounding but with an undertone of eerie notes. • 0:54 • We come back to low notes and repetition of the previous sad melody, though it seems much more foreboding with the lower notes preceding it, still at a fast tempo. • 1:16 • There are very low notes and a slowdown in tempo momentarily. Speed back up again with the lower notes. Again, accentuated lower notes with higher notes; creates a feeling of masked sadness and yet playfulness.

7. 1:28 • High peak in the notes, diminuendo, momentary silence, suspenseful feeling then a rise up notes; spiraling up and up into higher notes. • 1:34 • Another peak in the notes with a drop – an arch that is repeated through this piece. • 1:41 • A drop into lower notes, momentarily foreboding and a rise into high notes. • 1:54 • There is a repetition of the same notes, at a slower pace creating a feeling of lightness again in the song as in the beginning. • 2:01 • There is an upbeat play with high notes and low note undertones, creating a somewhat confused and eerie sound.

8. Bach’s Legacy • Bach is one of the most well known composers of the ‘Classical Era’ and it is for good reason. He made amazingly intense and beautiful music that still has a profound effect on people 300 years later in a society that is quite unlike the world he lived. • He helped set the groundwork for aspiring artists today and is still inspiring people, young and old, to create something beautiful and lasting beyond themselves.

9. 2:16 • It has very fast notes, with eerie inflections. It is seemingly somewhat tricky and unwelcoming. • 2:24 • Spiral up again into very high beats and a drop into lower and slower paced sound. Going from very high and then a break at the peak and brought back down to lower notes. • 2:29 • Reaches its peak in the height of the arch, and drops into lower notes again. • 2:42 • Playful sounding, as in the beginning and then a solid note held out for a few seconds. Then silence. Ends on a nostalgic note as the piece goes through happy, sad, confusing, and foreboding but ends as it began, with a happy or reminiscent tone.

10. Bibliography • Hanford, Jan, and Jan Koster. "J. S. Bach Home Page." J. S. Bach. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 Oct 2011. <www.jsbach.org>. • Ferrin, Craig E. (2010) Listen to the Music. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing. • http://webcom3.grtxle.com/index.cfm?cu=musicapprec