Bach

This biography of Bach has chapters which alternate with commentary on his works, to demonstrate how the circumstances of Bach´s life helped to shape the music he wrote at various periods. We follow Bach as he travels from Arnstadt and Muhlhausen to Weimar, Cothen, and finally Leipzig, these journeys alternating with discussions of the composer´s organ and orchestral compositions. As well as presenting a rounded picture of Bach, his music and his posthumous reputation and influence, Malcolm Boyd considers the sometimes controversial topics of "parody" and arrangement, number symbolism, and the style and meaning of Bach´s late works. Theories on the constitution of Bach´s performing forces at Leipzig are also presented.