An introduction to the life and music of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach. We will consider both matters of cultural context (such as the social milieu in which Bach developed his art and the use and perception of his music by his contemporaries), and matters of purely musical content (the styles and forms of his prodigious oeuvre). Both instrumental and vocal music will be surveyed, including the Brandenburg Concerti, the Goldberg Variations, the Magnificat, and the B Minor Mass. The course will conclude with an exploration of the attitudes towards Bach and treatments of his music in the almost 250 years since his death, including a look at Bach's legacy in contemporary classical, jazz, and popular music. Two lecture/discussions per week. Evaluation will be based on several short listening quizzes and papers, a listening journal, and a final project/paper.
BLOXAM