Synopses & Reviews
This volume examines a fascinating dimension of J. S. Bachs music: the crucial influence it has exerted upon the musical works of many other composers. In a series of articles by distinguished musicologists, compositions by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Hindemith, and others are considered in light of the ways in which they bear Bachs unmistakable imprint.
Ludwig Finscher opens with a survey of Bachs influence through several centuries, examining his sway over composers from Mozart and Beethoven to Schumann, Wagner, and Reger. Thomas Christensen shows that various of Bachs early disciples claimed authority from their master for opposing assessments of music and musical theory. Robert L. Marshall argues that Mozarts intense involvement with Bachs music probably occurred much earlier in his career than has generally been thought. William Kinderman demonstrates that Beethovens assimilation of Bach also occurred very early in his career and that all aspects of Beethovens mature style are heavily indebted to Bach. Walter Frisch reveals how Brahmss absorption in Bachs work involves a fruitful relation to cultural tradition. Steven Hinton traces Hindemiths evolving—yet essentially consistent—understanding of Bachs music.
A work that subtly yet decisively traces Bachs presence in the ongoing history of composition, this volume is an important contribution to our understanding of Bach and of his many eminent successors.
About the Author
Michael Marissen is a professor of music at Swarthmore College and vice president of the American Bach Society. He is also the author of The Social and Religious Designs of J. S. Bachs Brandenburg Concertos.
Table of Contents
Bach's posthumous role in music history / by Ludwig Finscher -- Bach among the theorists / by Thomas Christensen -- Bach and Mozart's artistic maturity / by Robert L. Marshall -- Bachian affinities in Beethoven / by William Kinderman -- Bach, Brahms, and the emergence of musical modernism / by Walter Frisch -- Hindemith, Bach, and the melancholy of obligation / by Stephen Hinton.