Bücher der Reihe Contextual Bach Studies

The Crucifixion in Music studies the musical representation of words and the concepts and contexts to which words refer, examining the way the treatment of a literary text, namely the Crucifixus, coalesces into a recognizable musical tradition that individual composers follow, develop, modify, or ignore.

Written late in his life, J. S. Bach's The Art of Fugue has long been admiredin some quarters reveredas one of his masterworks. Its last movement, Contrapunctus 14, went unfinished, and the enigma of its incompleteness still preoccupies scholars and musical conductors alike. In 1881, Gustav Nottebohm discovered that the three subjects of the movement could be supplemented by a fourth. In 1993, Zoltn Gncz revealed that Bach had planned the passage that would join the four subjects in an entirely unique way. This section has not survived, but, as Gncz notes, it must have been ready in the earliest phase of composition since Bach had created the expositions of the first three subjects from its ';disjointed' parts. Gncz then boldly took on the task of reconstructing the original ';template' by putting together the once separate pieces.In Bach's Testament: On the Philosophical and Theological Background of The Art of Fugue, Gncz probes the philosophic-theological background of The Art of Fugue, revealing the special structures that supported the 1993 reconstruction. Bach's Testament investigates the reconstruction's metaphysical dimensions, focusing on the quadruple fugue. As a summary of Zoltn Gncz's extensive research over many years, which resulted in the completion of the fugue, this work explores the complex combinatorial, philosophical and theological considerations that inform its structure. Bach's Testament is ideally suited not only to Bach scholars and musicologists but also intellectual historians with particular interests in 18th-century religious and philosophical ideas.

In 2007, the great Bach scholar Anne Leahy died at the age of 46. She was a leading light in Bach studies and lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Conservatory of Music and Drama. Posthumously edited by renowned Bach scholar Robin A. Leaver, Leahys dissertation research forms the basis for this original study of the preludes to Bachs Leipzig chorales. Originally composed in Weimar and later revised in Leipzig, Bachs compositions have been a source of some puzzlement. As Leahy notes, the original intentions of Bach and the possible purpose of this collection might be regarded as speculative. Working from available sources, however, she argues that through the careful examination of the links among the music, hymn texts, and theological sources some answers may be had. From Bachs personal and deep interest in Lutheran theology to his enormous musical passion, Leahy considers closely a series of critical questions: does the original manuscript for the chorales simply reflect a random gathering of compositions or is there a common theme in setting? How critical is the order of the chorales and what is the theological significance of that order? Were the chorales a unified collection, and if so, which parts were to be included and which not? Indeed, were the chorales themselves part of a possibly larger corpus?As Leahy makes evident, there are no simple answers, which is why she considers critical the relationship the texts of the hymns to the chorales and to one another, outlining a theological pattern that is vital to fully grasping the guiding philosophy of these compositions.J. S. Bachs Leipzig Chorale Preludes: Music, Text, Theology is ideally suited for Bach scholars and those with a general interest in the intricate connections between text and music in the composition of religious music.

Compositional Choices and Meaning in the Vocal Music of J. S. Bach collects seventeen essays by leading Bach scholars. The essays explore Bach's sacred vocal music from the perspectives of historical theology, music analysis, the study of parody procedures, and reception history.

This book provides extensive commentary and an English translation of 17th-century German music theorist Andreas Werckmeister's final treatise, the Musicalische Paradoxal-Discourse. Topics discussed include theological reflections on music, numerology in musical intervals, music notation and solmization, and tunings.

Now translated into English, Szymon Paczkowski's study presents the first true analysis of Polish influences on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach to shed new light on Bach's magnificent oeuvre.