Join Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Stephen Schultz, in his newest music history course exploring the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach. This online 5-week course is a chronological retrospective of Bach's life and works, covering major aspects of his instrumental and vocal music. Learn about the principles of historically informed performance practice in relation to modern and period instrument performances of Bach's music. Discover the musical influences that affected Bach's work as we work our way through his incredible musical journey and finish up with the masterpieces of his final decade: B Minor Mass, Goldberg Variations, and the Art of the Fugue.
Week I: Introduction / Instrumental music. organ, violin, and keyboard. We will cover Preludes and Fugues for organ, Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, and the French and English Suites for keyboard.
Week II: The Brandenburg Concertos. An in-depth survey of these six masterpieces of 18th century chamber music.
Week III: Cantatas and St. John Passion. A selection of movements from the over 200 surviving cantatas and a guided tour through Bach’s first musical account of the last days of Jesus.
Week IV: The B Minor Mass. An exploration of Bach’s own compilation of his “greatest hits”. One of the towering monuments in all Classical music.
Week V: The Goldberg Variations and Art of the Fugue. Bach’s great exploration of the theme and variations form and a look at the summation of his art of writing fugues.