Bach’s Prelude in C major
Posted by: narlinswords on: October 5, 2009
The Prelude 1 in C Major comes from Johann Sebastian Bach’s most famous work called “The Well-Tempered Clavier”. This work is divided into two books, with Prelude 1 in C Major being the first prelude in Part 1. The first book was written in 1722 when Bach was appointed to work in Kothen, Germany. Each book consists of 24 pairs of preludes and fugues.
Johann Sebastian Bach had to deal with disputes over the role of music in religious contexts every time he changed jobs, which he did on several occasions. He avoided conflict in the court of Kothen only because its administration subscribed to the Reformed Church. Besides the fact that Bach himself was a Lutheran, Calvinism had no use for his kind of music in the church . He was happy composing chamber and instrumental music, and was very good at creating religious music, though he did not appreciate the constraints brought about by the church. The distinction between religious and secular music was a product of the late Reformation and never sat well with Bach.
The censures made at the Papal Council of Trent against German music accused Bach of smuggling foreign tones into the melodies, of confusing the congregation, of playing peculiar variations in the chorale, and many other trumped up charges. The opinions expressed at the Council of Trent in June of 1543 were as follows :
“…it will be necessary after peace is established to do away with those German songs. which they use very much in their churches. Not a few of these are hymns which go contrary to the authority of the Supreme Pontiffs….”
(Papal Legislation on Sacred Music: 95A.D. to 1977 A.D; Robert F. Hayburn; The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1979)
Bach was able to continue to create music the way he saw fit mainly due to the associations his family had with many key musical people in several communities. He was well accepted in many different cities due to his amazing abilities to write and perform musical works.
I fell in love with this piece because it has such a beautiful sound to it. It evokes emotions of love and closeness whenever I hear it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-Tempered_Clavier
http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxjsbach.html
http://www.baroque.org/baroque/composers.htm#monteverdi
5 Responses to "Bach’s Prelude in C major"
October 6, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Thanks for the information on this composition. I have enjoyed Bach’s music. I like the pace and the way that it builds throughout. I also really enjoyed the pictures that went with it in the video clip. They seemed appropriate and added to the visual impact of listening to the music.
October 11, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Wow! Thanks for educating your instructor. I wasn’t aware of the direct attack against Bach by the Papacy.
This work of Bach was popularized by Romantic era composer Charles Gounod. He added the text of Ave Maria to the work, and I would dare say that most folks know this melody as Ave Maria.
October 14, 2009 at 6:27 pm
It’s difficult sometimes in this age of celebrity to imagine a composer being attacked and censored in the manner you described for Bach. Somebody was obviously very bothered by his popularity. I never realized how many struggles these composers had to go through, I only know them as revered creators of fantastic masterpieces. Your post was very eye opening. Great choice of music, you’re right it is beautiful. Listening to it somehow make you feel better, it’s very uplifting. I’ve honestly never really cared for classical music, but the more pieces I hear such as this the more I’m beginning to think I was just listening to the wrong stuff in the past. Thank you for sharing this musical experience.
October 15, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I thought this piece was beautiful; very light and airy, not something I usually think of when I listen to Bach. I found your post to be extremely informative, especially the part about the the Council of Trent’s accusations against Bach’s work. Although I was aware that the Papacy could exert control over visual artwork, I didn’t realize that control also extended into the musical field – though I suppose it only makes sense. However, it still surprised me to see that the papacy had singled out Bach for ‘smuggling foreign tones’ into his music. Great information and great choice of music. Thanks for sharing.
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October 5, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Wow! This was an amazing blog post! You definitely did a lot of research about Bach. Thanks so much for sharing it, because I didn’t know half the things about him that you posted. I am a fan of Bach myself and think that this piece is very beautiful and well written. I can see where you are coming from when you say that the song “evokes emotions of love and closeness,” although I get that feeling from many of his works. I knew that Bach was a Lutheran, but I was not aware that he was singled out in the Council of Trent. The bit about him “smuggling foreign tones” is funny because music doesn’t really have boudaries. At least, not today. Anyway, really great post, very informative and a lovely choice of music.