I love this 19th century depiction of what a typical morning may have looked like in the Bach household. History tells us a tiny part of the story of Bach’s life, and perhaps we can imagine at least some of the rest! Listen to some of his most famous works to get an idea about what he was really like: how about starting with this YouTube video of Brandenburg Concerto number 5 played by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra – hear the exuberance that has inspired so many generations of musicians of all styles. If Bach’s personality were truly limited to the way it appears based on the familiar picture below, it’s hard to imagine how he could have fathered 20 children and still maintained the contented home life (though mostly not work life) history indicates! Think about it! Written history only shows a small part of the history relevant to us, as musicians working to fully express Bach’s music.
Below is a younger picture of Bach. He would have been somewhere in between the below age and the above when the flute sonatas were composed. Incidentally, we don’t know for sure that the E flat sonata was definitely composed by J.S. Bach – it could have been composed by a student or other close associate – in any case he almost certainly had a part in its final form.
Whether you agree with Bach’s religious view or not, it will help your musical expression to fully understand Bach religious devotion – all of his work was devoted to “the glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.” That said, I think it’s important to know that Bach also loved a good practical joke – as I say, we only get part of the history from the pictures and the usual history! The more you know and understand about Bach and his life, the richer your expression of his music will be. Check out this Wikipedia article if you like – though most of what I’ve found online is a little dry I’m afraid… Better yet – go to your local library and check out Robert Greenberg’s lectures – part of “The Great Courses” series. Robert Greenberg gets my vote for the most fun, as well as memorable and thorough information about music history – well worth looking into – right now, especially the series on Bach specifically, even if you fast forward over the technical detail parts and just go for the life story part for now. (click here for a description of this set).
