Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Religion, Music, Sacred music, Secular music.
Proposal
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most important figures in Western music. His dedication to performing and composing music resulted in some of the most highly artistic and meticulously crafted works of the eighteenth century. However, recently scholars have been discussing how much of a role Bach's religious beliefs as a Christian played in his compositions. Some argue for a highly spiritually sensitive Bach, that not only expressed his beliefs in his sacred pieces but also implemented hidden meaning and symbolism that pointed to his beliefs in his secular compositions. Others argue for a not-so-religious Bach that adapted to the different environments of his life and composed as a way of living and being paid, instead of his worship to God. I propose that Bach was not a black-or-white figure after all and, after evaluating his life and leaving to the side subjective arguments, we can tell that Bach, through his testimony, saw his work as a performer and composer as a way to glorify God, and did so through all of his musical efforts.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
2024
Bach and the Sacred Secular
Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most important figures in Western music. His dedication to performing and composing music resulted in some of the most highly artistic and meticulously crafted works of the eighteenth century. However, recently scholars have been discussing how much of a role Bach's religious beliefs as a Christian played in his compositions. Some argue for a highly spiritually sensitive Bach, that not only expressed his beliefs in his sacred pieces but also implemented hidden meaning and symbolism that pointed to his beliefs in his secular compositions. Others argue for a not-so-religious Bach that adapted to the different environments of his life and composed as a way of living and being paid, instead of his worship to God. I propose that Bach was not a black-or-white figure after all and, after evaluating his life and leaving to the side subjective arguments, we can tell that Bach, through his testimony, saw his work as a performer and composer as a way to glorify God, and did so through all of his musical efforts.
