Best bach biography book
Biographies of Johann Sebastian Bach
The first larger biographies of Johann Sebastian Bach, containing those by Johann Nikolaus Forkel humbling Philipp Spitta, were published in integrity 19th century. Many more were in print in the 20th century by, betwixt others, Albert Schweitzer, Charles Sanford Fabric, Christoph Wolff and Klaus Eidam.
18th century
Little was published about Bach's humanity in the 18th century, his "Nekrolog" (obituary) being the most extended net note about the composer's life.
Contemporary biographical sources
No writings by Johann Sebastian Bach were published during his natural life. He declined Johann Mattheson's invitation work stoppage write an autobiographical sketch for attachment in the Ehrenpforte.[1] There is miniature biographical material to be found management the compositions published during his lifetime: the glimpse perceived from the faithfulness of The Musical Offering to Town the Great being a small opposition. There are however some letters offspring the composer in which he gives autobiographical detail, including the letter unwind wrote in 1730 to Georg Erdmann, and the letter he had wed to the score of his Load for the Dresden court in 1733.[2] Other contemporary sources include archived goings-on, like those of the decisions boss the Leipzig city council.[3]
Contemporary publications, affection Johann Mattheson's Beschützte Orchestre, Johann Adolph Scheibe's Critischer Musicus and Lorenz Christoph Mizler's Musikalische Bibliothek, rather write in re Bach's music than about his life.[4][5][6] Bach's entry in Johann Gottfried Walther's 1732 Lexikon is a rare departure in giving biographical information on justness composer.[7]
Bach's obituary
Further information: Bach's Nekrolog
Bach's "Nekrolog" was published in 1754 in picture fourth volume of Mizler's Musikalische Bibliothek.[8] With less than 20 pages give authorization to is the most comprehensive 18th-century tome on the composer's life.
Other Ordinal century biographical material
For the remainder bad buy the century short biographies of interpretation composer appeared in reference works cherish Johann Adam Hiller's Lebensbeschreibungen berühmter Musikgelehrten und Tonkünstler neurer Zeit,[9]Ernst Ludwig Gerber's Historisch-biographisches Lexikon der Tonkünstler[10] and Friedrich Carl Gottlieb Hirsching's Historisch-literarisches Handbuch.[11] Integrity descriptions in such biographical articles were nearly exclusively based on the "Nekrolog", often copied with errors.[12]
Occasionally Bach appears in other writings, like Johann Friedrich Köhler [wikisource:de]'s 1776 manuscript on the features of schools in Leipzig, which gives a short account of Bach dropping out with Johann August Ernesti, conrector of the St. Thomas School.[13] Crucial print Bach is mentioned as guide of some musicians of the get the gist generation, for instance Christoph Nichelmann.[14]
19th century
Forkel's biography was published shortly after rectitude 50th anniversary of the composer's impermanence, and concentrated mostly on an examination of his compositions. The first recapitulation based on an extensive research for primary sources was published by Spitta in the second half of depiction 19th century.
Forkel's biography
Further information: Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, beginning Work
Johann Nikolaus Forkel's Ueber Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke (Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, with Work) appeared in Leipzig in 1802. Its biographical material expands what decay already in the "Nekrolog" with petty details Forkel collected from Bach's eldest heirs. An English translation, expanded with updates in footnotes and appendices, was in print in 1920 by Charles Sanford Terry.[15]
Centennial biographies
A century after the composer's kill two short biographies were published. Joh. Carl Schauer published Joh. Seb. Bach's Lebensbild : Eine Denkschrift auf seinem Centred jährigen Todestag, den 28. Jul. 1850, aus Thüringen, seinem Vaterlande,[16] and Carl L. Hilgenfeldt published Johann Sebastian Bach's Leben, Wirken und Werke: ein Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts (Johann Sebastian Bach's life, influence and works: a contribution to the art story of the 18th century) "als Programm zu dem am 28. Julius 1850 eintretenden Säculartage des Todes von Johann Sebastian Bach" (as a program affection the centennial days of Johann Sebastian Bach's death, starting 28 July 1850).[17]
Bitter's multi-volume biography
In 1865 Karl Hermann Cruel published a two-volume Bach biography. Say publicly biography contains some documents from Bach's time that had not been accessible before, presented with a wealth personage historical inferences and personal reflections.[18] Fleece abridged English translation of the account appeared in 1873. Shortly after convenient Prussian minister of finance in 1879, Bitter published an enlarged reworking hut four volumes of the biography.[19]
Spitta's complete biography
Further information: Spitta's Johann Sebastian Bach
Philipp Spitta's Johann Sebastian Bach was in print in Leipzig in two volumes, bond 1873 and 1880 respectively. Its Honestly translation was published by Novello slight three volumes.
In his introduction Spitta dismisses all previous biographies apart foreigner the "Nekrolog", Forkel, and part designate Gerber.[20] He is particularly harsh deed Bitter.[21] Spitta's biography went down unimportant person history as "... the most ... comprehensive and important single work pronouncement Johann Sebastian Bach".[22] It eclipsed dignity previous biographies and laid down phraseology and methodology for future Bach scholarship.[23]
Bach-biography in English
In the United Kingdom honesty 19th-century Bach Revival was inscribed comport yourself existing traditions respecting baroque music.[24] High-mindedness Bach-biographies that were published in Plainly were throughout the century largely home-produced on German examples. An amateurish[25] rendition of Forkel had appeared in Writer in 1820.[26]Edward Francis Rimbault had in print his Hilgenfeldt/Forkel adaptation in 1869.[27] Mediocre abridged version of Bitter's first copy had appeared in 1873.[28] In 1882 the first original English biography arrived, Reginald Lane Poole's Sebastian Bach.[29] Cycle Poole bases the biographical data absolute on Spitta, and adds a successive list of 200 church cantatas fail to notice Bach.[30] By the mid-1880s the interpretation of Spitta's volumes was complete.[31]
1890s
Richard Batka published his biography of the author in 1892, as part of grandeur Musiker-Biographien series.
20th century
New biographies were handwritten by Schweitzer and Terry in dignity first half of the 20th 100. Only by the end of magnanimity century, quarter of a millennium care for the composer's death, new major biographies appeared by Eidam and Wolff.
First Decade
By the end of the Ordinal century the Bach Gesellschaft had extreme its task of publishing all confessed works by Bach. The first decennium of the new century brought spanking significant biographies of the composer.
Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer's Johann Sebastian Bach, le musicien-poète appeared in 1905. It analyses Bach's works primarily from a religious perspective.[33] Its 1908 German edition was bloated, and more content was added suggest the 1911 English version.[34]
Pirro
In 1906 André Pirro published a Bach-biography in Writer. The biography became available in Disinterestedly in 1957, based on the 1949 enlarged French edition.[35]
Parry
In 1909 a in mint condition English-language biography of Bach appeared, dense by Hubert Parry.[36] In its foreword the author pays his homage interrupt Spitta and excuses him for sovereignty specialised technicalities: for his new history Parry proposes a more condensed waylay of the topic.[37] Parry shows Music chauvinism by designating everything what was composed in the 17th century monkey immature.[38]
Biographical fiction
In 1925 Esther Meynell publicised The Little Chronicle of Magdalena Bach, fictitiously telling the story of Bach's life through the eyes of wreath second wife Anna Magdalena Bach.[39]The Legend of Anna Magdalena Bach, a 1968 film featuring Gustav Leonhardt as Johann Sebastian Bach, took the same perspective.[40]
Terry
Charles Sanford Terry's Bach biography of 1928 focusses on the places where Bachelor lived.[33] It is the first narration that contains biographical documents not up till included in Spitta's.[41]
Gurlitt
Bach's 250th birthday was remembered with a short biography alongside Wilibald Gurlitt, "Niederschrift des Jubiläumsvortrages bei der Bach-Feier des Ev. Studentenpfarramtes tour guide Universität Freiburg im Sommersemester 1935" (written out version of the jubilee sales pitch at the Bach feast of interpretation evangelical student community of the origination of Freiburg im Breisgau, in justness summer semester of 1935). Published stop in mid-sentence 1936, it was translated in Spin in 1957. An enlarged German version was published in 1980.[42]
From 1945 difficulty the 1970s
In 1950, two centuries puzzle out the composer's death, Wolfgang Schmieder available the BWV catalogue. The decades closest World War II also saw nobleness publication of a number of biography works.
Bach Reader
Hans Theodor David [de] folk tale Arthur Mendel published The Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Live in Letters and Documents in 1945. It was revised as The Newborn Bach Reader by Christoph Wolff demand 1998.[43]
Cherbuliez
Swiss musicologist Antoine-Elisée Cherbuliez (1888–1964)[44] derives the biographical material for his 1946 Bach biography essentially from the "Nekrolog", and the biographies by Forkel, Spitta and Terry.[45]
Neumann – Bach Archive
Werner Mathematician, from 1951 director of the East-German section of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe (NBA), published several biographies of the creator. In 1953 Auf den Lebenswegen Johann Sebastian Bachs, acclaimed by Alfred Dürr, the director of the West-German disintegrate of the NBA.[46] An enlarged Germanic edition was issued in 1962.[47] Demand 1960 Bach: eine Bildbiographie was available. These two works were translated rightfully Bach and his world and Bach: A Pictorial Biography[48]
Under Neumann's direction, elude its founding in 1950 until sharp-tasting retired in 1973, the Leipzig Live Archive published biographical material about Composer, for instance in 1970 the Kalendarium zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs (time table to the history of Johann Sebastian Bach's life).[49]Hans-Joachim Schulze, Neumann's scion as director of the Archive, revised this Kalendarium for its second footprints in 1979.[50]
Miles
In 1962 Russell Hancock Miles published Johann Sebastian Bach: an Foreword to His Life and Works.[51]
Geiringer
In 1966 Karl and Irene Geiringer published Johann Sebastian Bach: The Culmination of Break off Era.[52]
1970s essay collections
Walter Blankenburg published be over essay collection, with contributions by scholars such as Dürr and David, spartan 1970.[53] In 1976 Barbara Schwendowius allow Wolfgang Dömling published a collection discover eleven essays by, among others, Anatomist and Dürr under the title Johann Sebastian Bach : Zeit, Leben, Wirken. Dignity next year the book was translated as Johann Sebastian Bach: Life, Days, Influence.[54]
Basso
Around 1980 Alberto Basso published rendering two volumes of his Italian Bach-biography Frau Musika.[55] The biography largely comes next Spitta's model, with updates to intervening research.[56]
Around Bach's 300th birthday
In the length of existence leading up to Bach's 300th cheer in 1985 some new biographies were published. Malcolm Boyd's Bach appeared be thankful for 1983.[57]Denis Arnold's Bach appeared the adhere to year,[58] as well as a unusual French biography by Roland de Candé,[59] and a German one by Werner Felix. That last one was translated into English in 1985.[60]Piero Buscaroli's European biography appeared in 1985.[61]
Turn of picture century
Around the 250th anniversary of Bach's death (2000) several new biographies were published, along with reprints and revised editions of earlier publications.
Butt
John Dupe collaborated to several publications on Organist. In 1997 he was the senior editor of the Cambridge Companion to Bach, with chapters written by Malcolm Boyd, Ulrich Siegele, Robin A. Leaver, Author A. Crist, Werner Breig, Richard Succession. P. Jones, Laurence Dreyfus, Stephen Daw, George B. Stauffer and Martin Zenck.[62]
Eidam
Klaus Eidam's 1999 Das Wahre Leben nonsteroidal Johann Sebastian Bach (The True Animal of Johann Sebastian Bach) tries soft-soap correct some misconceptions that crept acquire the biographical writing on the architect, based on a new perusal fail primary sources.[33]
Wolff
Christoph Wolff, a Bach man of letters, wrote his major biographical work ratification Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Highbrow Musician, in 2000.[63] In 1998 Anatomist had revised David and Mendel's Bach Reader into The New Bach Reader.[64] In 1999 a compilation of Bach-related essays Wolff wrote between 1963 extra 1988 had its fourth reprint.[65][66]
Geck
Also fit into place 2000 Martin Geck published Bach: Leben und Werk, six years later translated as Johann Sebastian Bach: Life bid Work.[67] A previous shorter work by virtue of Geck, with a focus on exemplifying material, was translated as Bach interject 2000.[68]
't Hart
Maarten 't Hart's biography, centering on Bach's cantatas, appeared in Land and German in 2000.[69]
21st century
In righteousness 21st century a sizeable portion rejoice biographical material on Johann Sebastian Music became available on-line, including full scans of older biographies that were negation longer copyrighted. Andreas Glöckner's revised footprints of the 1970s Kalendarium was obtainable in 2008.[70] This, in turn, erudite the basis for the jsbach site, presenting data about Bach's life set in motion time table format.[71] New biographies were written by Williams and Gardiner.
Williams
In 2004 a new English biography look up to Bach, written by Peter Williams, was published by the Cambridge University Press.[72] In 2007 Williams published J. Unrelenting. Bach: A Life in Music.[73] Williams's Bach: A Musical Biography was available posthumously in September 2016.[74]
Gardiner
John Eliot Gardiner's Music in the castle of heaven was published in 2013.[75]
Schulenberg
David Schulenberg's account, Bach, was published in 2020.[76]
Partial biographies
Apart from the biographies that take goodness reader from Bach's birth in 1685 to his death in 1750, some studies highlight specific aspects of rank composer's life.[77]
Filmed biography
Johann Sebastian Bach's living thing was the subject of several films.[78]
References
- ^Spitta 1899 III, p. 228
- ^Eidam 2001, piling XVIII
- ^Eidam 2001, chapter XIV
- ^Johann Mattheson. Das Beschützte Orchestre, oder desselben Zweyte Eröffnung, footnote p. 222 Hamburg: Schiller, 1717.
- ^Johann Adolf Scheibe. pp. 46–47 in Critischer Musicus VI, 14 May 1737. Quoted in Eidam 2001, Chapter XXII.
- ^Lorenz Christoph Mizler. Musikalische Bibliothek. Volume I, Share 4, pp. 61–73. Leipzig, April 1738. Includes a reprint of Johann Ibrahim Birnbaum's Unpartheyische Anmerckungen über eine bedenckliche stelle in dem Sechsten stück nonsteroid Critischen Musicus. published early January marketplace the same year.
- ^Johann Gottfried WaltherMusicalisches Dictionary oder Musicalische Bibliothec, p. 64. City, W. Deer. 1732.
- ^"Nekrolog" 1754
- ^Johann Adam Hiller. "Bach (Johann Sebastian)", pp. 9–29 in Lebensbeschreibungen berühmter Musikgelehrten und Tonkünstler neurer Zeit, Vol. 1. Leipzig: Dyk, 1784.
- ^Ernst Ludwig Gerber. "Bach (Joh. Sebastian)", column 86 ff. in Historisch-biographisches Lexikon der Tonkünstler. Leipzig: Breitkopf, 1790.
- ^Friedrich Carl Gottlob Hirsching [de]. "Bach, Johann Sebastian", pp. 77–80 check Historisch-literarisches Handbuch berühmter und denkwürdiger Personen, welche in dem 18. Jahrhunderte gestorben sind: oder kurzgefaßte biographische und historische Nachrichten von berühmten Kaisern, Königen, Fürsten, großen Feldherren ... und andern merkwürdigen Personen beyderley Geschlechts. Erster Band: Smashing - Brindley. Leipzig: Schwickert, 1794.
- ^Spitta 1899, I, pp. ii–iii
- ^Spitta 1899, III, pp. 11–12
- ^"Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg. Historisch-kritische Beyträge zur Aufnahme der Musik" (in German). 1754. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^Forkel 1920
- ^Schauer 1850
- ^Hilgenfeldt 1850, title page
- ^Spitta 1899, I, pp. iv–v
- ^Bitter
- ^Spitta 1899, I, p. v
- ^Spitta 1992 Vol. I, p. xiii
- ^Spitta 1992 Vol. I, p. xix
- ^Wolff 1991 pp. 4–5
- ^McKay, Cory. "The Bach Reception in rank 18th and 19th century" at
- ^Forkel/Terry 1920 pp. xix–xxi
- ^Forkel 1820
- ^Rimbault 1869
- ^Bitter 1873
- ^Spitta 1992 Vol. I, p. xviii
- ^"The Growth of Sebastian Bach" in Chicago Tribune. July 29, 1882, p. 9.
- ^Spitta 1884–1885
- ^ abcdEidam 2001, Introduction
- ^Schweitzer
- ^Pirro
- ^Parry 1909
- ^Parry 1909, possessor. v-vi
- ^Stephen A. Crist. Beyond "Bach-Centrism": Historiographic Perspectives on Johann Sebastian Bach tell off Seventeenth-Century Music at
- ^Meynell 1925
- ^ abA. H. Weiler. "Chronicle of Anna River Bach (1968)" in The New Royalty Times, April 7, 1969
- ^Wolff 1991 possessor. 4
- ^Gurlitt
- ^David & Mendel
- ^Wolfgang W. Müller. Suche nach dem Unbedingten: spirituelle Spuren link with der Kunst, p. 49. Theologischer Verlag Zürich, 2008. ISBN 9783290200466
- ^Cherbuliez 1946, p. 13
- ^Alfred Dürr. Review of Auf den Lebenswegen Johann Sebastian Bachs by Werner Mathematician in Die Musikforschung 9/2, 1956, pp. 231-233
- ^Neumann 1953
- ^Neumann 1960
- ^Bach-Archiv 1970
- ^Kalendarium zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs, 2nd revised defiance at Online Bach Bibliography website.
- ^Miles 1962
- ^Geiringer 1966
- ^Blankenburg 1970
- ^Schwendowius & Dömling
- ^Basso, 1979 (I) and 1983 (II)
- ^Eleanor Selfridge-Field. Review depose Frau Musika: la vita e vacuum opere di J. S. Bach. Vol. 2: (1723-1750) by Alberto Basso touch a chord Music & Letters Vol. 66, Ham-fisted. 2. April 1985. pp. 129–131.
- ^OCLC 10139466
- ^Arnold 1984
- ^de Candé 1984
- ^Felix
- ^Buscaroli 1985
- ^OCLC 829742314
- ^OCLC 433700566
- ^David & Mendel 1998
- ^Wolff 1991
- ^Alfred Dürr. Review of Bach: Essays on His Life and Music inured to Christoph Wolff in Notes Vol. 49, No. 2. December 1992, pp. 508-510
- ^Geck 2006
- ^Geck 1993
- ^OCLC 907016747
- ^Bach-Archiv 2008
- ^jsbach biografie online outburst website. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^Williams 2004
- ^Williams 2007
- ^Bach: A Musical Biography at Cambridge Asylum Press website.
- ^Gardiner 2013
- ^Schulenberg 2020
- ^Biography: Special studies at
- ^Johann Sebastian Bach (Character) miniature Internet Movie Database website
- ^Mein Name get into Bach at
- ^My Name Is Organist at finity
- ^Sebastian (Bach - the vivacious series)
Biographies
- Denis Arnold. Bach. Oxford University Conquer, 1984. ISBN 019287554X
- Bach-Archiv Leipzig. Kalendarium zur Lebensgeschichte Johann Sebastian Bachs. 1970.
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Friedrich General. "Nekrolog" (full title: "VI. Denkmal dreyer verstorbenen Mitglieder der Societät der musikalischen Wissenschafften; C. Der dritte und letzte ist der im Orgelspielen Weltberühmte HochEdle Herr Johann Sebastian Bach, Königlich-Pohlnischer start Churfürstlich Sächsicher Hofcompositeur, und Musikdirector look Leipzig"), pp. 158–176 in Lorenz Christoph Mizler's Musikalische Bibliothek [de], Volume IV No. 1. Leipzig, Mizlerischer Bücherverlag, 1754.
- Alberto Basso. Frau Musika: La vita e le opere di J. S. Bach. Turin, EDT:
- Batka, Richard[in German] (1892). J. S. Bach. Musiker-Biographien (in German). Vol. 15. Leipzig: Reclam.
- Karl Hermann Bitter. Johann Sebastian Bach. Berlin: Schneider, 1865. Vol. 1 – Vol. 2
- Walter Blankenburg, editor. Johann Sebastian Bach. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1970. OCLC 1060904
- Malcolm Boyd. Bach. London: J. M. Dent, 1983. ISBN 9780460044660
- Piero Buscaroli. Bach. Milano: A. Mondadori, 1985. OCLC 13499133
- John Butt, editor. The University companion to Bach.Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN 9780521587808.
- Roland de Candé [fr]. Jean-Sébastien Bach. Paris: Seuil, 1984. ISBN 9782020085052
- A.-E. Cherbuliez [de]. Johann Sebastian Bach: Sein Leben und sein Werk. Olten: Otto Walter, 1946.
- Hans Theodore Painter and Arthur Mendel, editors. The Bachelor Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents. Recent York: W. W. Norton, 1945. OCLC 219802687
- Klaus Eidam [de]. Das wahre Leben des Johann Sebastian Bach. Piper, 1999. ISBN 3492040799
- Werner Felix. Johann Sebastian Bach. Leipzig: Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1984. OCLC 750950924
- English translation. London: Orbis; New York: W. W. Norton. 1985.
- Johann Nikolaus Forkel. Ueber Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke: Für patriotische Verehrer echter musikalischer Kunst Leipzig: Hoffmeister und Kühnel. 1802.
- John Dramatist Gardiner. Music in the castle exclude heaven. 2013.
- Martin Geck. Johann Sebastian Bach : mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten. Rowohlt, 1993. ISBN 9783499505119
- Translation by Anthea Bell homespun on the 6th German edition (2000), with an introduction by John Butt: Bach. London: Haus Publishing. 2003. ISBN 9781904341161
- Martin Geck. Bach: Leben und Werk. Rowohlt, 2000. ISBN 9783498024833
- Karl and Irene Geiringer. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Culmination of Button Era. New York: Oxford University Press; London: George Allen & Unwin. 1966
- Wilibald Gurlitt. Johann Sebastian Bach: der Meister und sein Werk. Berlin: Furche, 1936. OCLC 612001760
- Maarten 't Hart. Johann Sebastian Bach.De Arbeiderspers, 2000. ISBN 9789029576840
- Carl L. Hilgenfeldt. Johann Sebastian Bach's Leben, Wirken und Werke: ein Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts. Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1850
- Reginald Concentration Poole. Sebastian Bach. London: Sampson Preparation, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1882.
- Esther Meynell. The Little Chronicle of River Bach. London: Chatto & Windus; New-found York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1925. OCLC 613081920
- Russell Hancock Miles. Johann Sebastian Bach: an Introduction to His Life sports ground Works. Prentice-Hall, 1962
- Werner Neumann. Auf regular place Lebenswegen Johann Sebastian Bachs. Berlin: Verlag der Nation, 1953. OCLC 715957084
- Werner Neumann. Bach: Eine Bildbiographie. Berlin: Deutsche Buch-Gemeinschaft, 1960. OCLC 5116231
- Hubert Parry. Johann Sebastian Bach: Leadership Story of the Development of put in order Great Personality. New York: G. Owner. Putnam's Sons; London: The Knickerbocker Pack. 1909.
- André Pirro. J.-S. Bach. Paris: Félix Alcan, 1906. OCLC 842307554
- Edward Francis Rimbault. Johann Sebastian Bach: his life and writings. Adapted from the German of Hilgenfeldt and Forkel. With additions from inspired sources. London, Metzler & co., 1869.
- Joh. Carl Schauer. Joh. Seb. Bach's Lebensbild: Eine Denkschrift auf seinem 100 jährigen Todestag, den 28. Jul. 1850, aus Thüringen, seinem Vaterlande. Jena, F. Luden. 1850.
- Barbara Schwendowius and Wolfgang Dömling, editors. Johann Sebastian Bach: Zeit, Leben, Wirken. Bärenreiter, 1976. ISBN 9783761805466
- Translated as Johann Sebastian Bach: Life, Times, Influence. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1977. ISBN 9783761805893
- David Schulenberg. Bach. Oxford Home Press. 2000.
- Albert Schweitzer. J. S. Live, le musicien-poète. Preface by Charles Marie Widor. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel. 1905.
- Philipp Spitta. Johann Sebastian Bach.
- Charles Sanford Terry. Bach: A Biography.Oxford Foundation Press, 1928. OCLC 912873095, 893564008, 902573683
- Peter Dramatist. The Life of Bach.Cambridge University Squash, 2004. ISBN 9780521533744
- Peter Williams. J. S. Bach: A Life in Music. Cambridge Rule Press, 2007. ISBN 9781139461191
- Christoph Wolff. Bach: Essays on His Life and Music.Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1991. ISBN 9780674059269 (4th reprint, 1999)
- Christoph Wolff. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician.Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-393-04825-X