Baroque
June 22, 2009
Prelude from Cello Suite No.1
Johann Sebastian Bach
For the second blog assignment i chose to criticize Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude Cello suite No.1 which is a prelude from Bach’s cello series. This is derived from a short piece of music which during the Baroque era had served as an introduction to longer movements that are usually more complex and more elegant in structure and form. This prelude forms the beginning structure to a melodic and rhythmic motifs that were also inspired by past movements from the Renaissance period. The structure that was used included arpeggiated chords which could be heard though out the other cello suites as well. Sebastian used the guidance of the council of Trent mannerist style by composing music that reflected the human perspective as well as the desire to compete and succeed. The cello series also has a developed realism style that allows the audience to relate and reflect though the music that was created in this series.This lead to a more accepted and understood style of verse along with an accessible score that allowed the people to indulge into their emotions and into their feelings as individuals. This movement was also during the age of scientific observation which was also added to the melodic scores of the music industry. During which the observations included the discovery of bacterium and body fluids. In addition the movement was during the age of planetary observation which lead to the discovery of planetary motion with Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and the study of optics which would also lead to the invention of the telescopic lens. In addition to the scientific influences there were some political contributions as well. During the time that the movement was produced was also the time of the thirty year war between The Hapsburg, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire vs. Denmark, France, Sweden and parts of Germany.Religious element to the war between the Lutherans, Catholics and Calvinists also added tension due to the religious conflict that appeared in the region. The rise of the Netherlands came to be due to the decline of the Spanish rule which lead to the essential merchants and trades people became interested in the arts. this is an essential turning point due to the economic struggle during the thirty years war. Overall this cello component has added economic stability by allowing the rich and powerful to indulge and relate with this piece of music. Overall this period of enlightenment would not be complete with out the musical additions of Bach which was marked the ending of the Baroque period with the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, however the cello suite No.1 will still live on due to the musical contributions during the Baroque era.
Here is a link to youtube Bachs Cello Suite No.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6yuR8efotI
June 27, 2009 at 1:16 am
This is such a beautiful and emotional work. I just love it. The video you found is also very nice. Your connection to the times is a little off. The Council of Trent was part of the edicts of the Catholic Church. Bach was a dyed in the wool Lutheran. Now that doesn’t mean that the Council of Trent didn’t play a role, but I can bet you 98 cents on the dollar that Bach wasn’t sitting there thinking “Hmmm, I better make this piece acceptable to what the Catholic Church wants.”
Here’s the connection, as I see it. The Council of Trent was a series of sessions from 1545 – 1563. Bach wrote his cello suites in the time frame of 1717-23 – 160ish years later. Bach was in many ways a crusty old curmudgeon who was writing music as an old fuddy duddy, where the rest of the music world was already looking towards the new “Classical” style of music. It just so happened the Bach was one of the very best; a master of the old-fashioned Baroque style. His foundation of style came from all those earlier composers who did take the Council of Trent seriously. The style dictates of the Council of Trent had time to permeate and transform all aspects of music and art in the course of 100+ years, even secular forms. So by the time that Bach was writing, both his secular works and his Lutheran music reflected the overall trend of a more emotional attitude that had developed in musical composition, which was inspired by the Catholic Church in the mid 1500’s.