Bach's works on religious themes list. Bach's most famous work

Date of birth: March 21, 1685
Place of birth: Eisenach
Country: Germany
Date of death: July 28, 1750

Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Johann Sebastian Bach) is a German composer and organist, a representative of the Baroque era. One of the greatest composers in the history of music.

During his life, Bach wrote more than 1000 works. All significant genres of that time are represented in his work, except for opera; he summarized the achievements of the musical art of the Baroque period. Bach is a master of polyphony. After Bach's death, his music was not very popular, but it was rediscovered in the 19th century. His work had a strong influence on the music of subsequent composers, including in the 20th century. Bach's pedagogical works are still used for their intended purpose.

Johann Sebastian Bach was the sixth child of the musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and Elisabeth Lemmerhirt. The Bach family has been known for its musicality since the beginning of the 16th century: many of Johann Sebastian's ancestors were professional musicians. Bach's father lived and worked in Eisenach. The work of Johann Ambrosius included organizing secular concerts and performing church music.

When Johann Sebastian was 9 years old, his mother died, and a year later, his father. The boy was taken in by his elder brother Johann Christoph, who served as an organist in the neighboring Ohrdruf. Johann Sebastian entered the gymnasium, his brother taught him to play the organ and clavier. Johann Sebastian was very fond of music and did not miss the opportunity to study it or study new works.

While studying in Ohrdruf under the guidance of his brother, Bach became acquainted with the work of contemporary South German composers - Pachelbel, Froberger and others. It is also possible that he became acquainted with the works of composers from Northern Germany and France. Johann Sebastian observed how the organ was cared for, and possibly took part in it himself.

At the age of 15, Bach moved to Lüneburg, where in 1700-1703. studied at the singing school of St. Michael. During his studies, he visited Hamburg - the largest city in Germany, as well as Celle (where French music was held in high esteem) and Lübeck, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of famous musicians of his time. The first works by Bach for organ and clavier belong to the same years.

In January 1703, after completing his studies, he received a position as court musician from the Duke of Weimar, Johann Ernst. For seven months of service in Weimar, the fame of him as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the post of superintendent of the organ in the church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties with this oldest German city. In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work only 3 days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was maintained in good condition and was tuned to a new system that expanded the possibilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works, including the famous Toccata in D minor.

In 1706, Bach decides to change jobs. He was offered a more profitable and high position as organist in the church of St. Vlasia in Mühlhausen, a large city in the north of the country. On October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian married his cousin Maria Barbara of Arnstadt. This marriage produced seven children, three of whom died in childhood. Two of the survivors, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel, became famous composers.

The city and church authorities of Mühlhausen were pleased with the new employee. They approved without hesitation his plan for the restoration of the church organ, which required large expenditures, and for the publication of the festive cantata "The Lord is my king" (it was the only cantata printed during Bach's lifetime), written for the inauguration of the new consul, he was given a large reward.

After working in Mühlhausen for about a year, Bach changed jobs again, this time getting a job as a court organist and organizer of concerts in Weimar. Probably, the factors that forced him to change jobs were high salaries and a well-chosen composition of professional musicians.

In Weimar, a long period of composing clavier and orchestral works began, in which Bach's talent reached its peak. During this period, Bach absorbs musical influences from other countries. The works of the Italians Vivaldi and Corelli taught Bach how to write dramatic introductions, from which Bach learned the art of using dynamic rhythms and decisive harmonic schemes. Bach studied the works of Italian composers well, creating transcriptions of Vivaldi's concertos for organ or harpsichord.

In Weimar, Bach had the opportunity to play and compose organ works, as well as use the services of the ducal orchestra. In Weimar, Bach wrote most of his fugues (the largest and most famous collection of Bach's fugues is the Well-Tempered Clavier). While serving in Weimar, Bach began work on the Organ Notebook, a collection of pieces for Wilhelm Friedemann's teaching. This collection consists of adaptations of Lutheran chants.

By the end of his service in Weimar, Bach was already a well-known organist and harpsichord maker. After some time, Bach again went in search of a more suitable job. The Duke of Anhalt-Köthen hired Bach as Kapellmeister. The duke, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talent, paid him well and provided him with great freedom of action. However, the duke was a Calvinist and did not welcome the use of sophisticated music in worship, so most of Bach's Köthen works were secular. Among other things, in Köthen, Bach composed suites for orchestra, six suites for solo cello, English and French suites for clavier, as well as three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. The famous Brandenburg Concertos were written in the same period.

On July 7, 1720, while Bach was abroad with the duke, a tragedy struck - his wife Maria Barbara died suddenly, leaving four young children. The following year, Bach met Anna Magdalena Wilke, a gifted young soprano who sang at the ducal court. They married on December 3, 1721. Despite the difference in age (she was 17 years younger than Johann Sebastian), their marriage, apparently, was happy. They had 13 children.

In 1723, the performance of his "Passion according to John" took place in the church of St.. Thomas in Leipzig, and on June 1, Bach received the position of cantor of this church while simultaneously acting as a school teacher at the church, replacing Johann Kuhnau in this post. Bach's duties included teaching singing and holding weekly concerts in Leipzig's two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas.

The first six years of his life in Leipzig turned out to be very productive: Bach composed up to 5 annual cycles of cantatas. Most of these works were written in gospel texts, which were read in the Lutheran church every Sunday and on holidays throughout the year; many (such as "Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme" and "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland") are based on traditional church chants.

Writing cantatas for most of the 1720s, Bach amassed an extensive repertoire for performance in Leipzig's main churches. Over time, he wanted to compose and perform more secular music. In March 1729, Johann Sebastian became the head of the College of Music (Collegium Musicum), a secular ensemble that had existed since 1701, when it was founded by Bach's old friend Georg Philipp Telemann. At that time, in many large German cities, gifted and active university students created similar ensembles. Such associations played an increasing role in the public musical life, they were often headed by well-known professional musicians. For most of the year, the College of Music held two-hour concerts twice a week at Zimmermann's coffee house, located near the market square. The owner of the coffee shop provided the musicians with a large hall and purchased several instruments. Many of Bach's secular works dating back to the 1730s, 40s, and 50s were composed specifically for performance in Zimmermann's coffee shop. Among such works are, for example, "Coffee Cantata" and a clavier collection, as well as many concertos for cello and harpsichord.

In the same period, Bach wrote the Kyrie and Gloria parts of the famous Mass in B minor, later adding the remaining parts, the melodies of which are almost entirely borrowed from the composer's best cantatas. Although the mass was never performed in its entirety during the composer's lifetime, today it is considered by many to be one of the finest choral works of all time.

In 1747, Bach visited the court of the Prussian king Frederick II, where the king offered him a musical theme and asked him to compose something on it right there. Bach was a master of improvisation and immediately performed a three-voice fugue. Later, Johann Sebastian composed a whole cycle of variations on this theme and sent it as a gift to the king. The cycle consisted of ricercars, canons and trios based on the theme dictated by Friedrich. This cycle has been called "The Musical Offering".

Another major cycle, The Art of the Fugue, was not completed by Bach. During his lifetime, he never published. The cycle consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on one simple theme. In this cycle, Bach used all the tools and techniques for writing polyphonic works.

Bach's last work was a chorale prelude for organ, which he dictated to his son-in-law, almost on his deathbed. The name of the prelude is "Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit" ("Here I stand before Your throne"), and this piece often ends the performance of the unfinished Art of Fugue.

Over time, Bach's vision became progressively worse. However, he continued to compose music, dictating it to his son-in-law Altnikkol. In 1750, Bach underwent two operations, both of which were unsuccessful. Bach remained blind. On July 18, he suddenly regained his sight for a short time, but in the evening he had a stroke. Bach died on July 28, possibly due to complications from operations.

The composer was buried near the church of St. Thomas, where he served for 27 years. However, the grave was soon lost, and only in 1894 the remains of Bach were accidentally found during construction work, then the reburial took place.

Bach wrote over 1000 pieces of music. Today, each of the famous works is assigned a BWV number (short for Bach Werke Verzeichnis - a catalog of Bach's works). Bach wrote music for various instruments, both spiritual and secular.
During his life, Bach was best known as a first-class organist, teacher and composer of organ music. He worked both in the "free" genres traditional for that time, such as prelude, fantasy, toccata, and in more strict forms - chorale prelude and fugue. In his works for organ, Bach skillfully combined the features of different musical styles with which he became acquainted throughout his life. The composer was influenced by both the music of North German composers (Georg Böhm, Dietrich Buxtehude) and the music of southern composers. Bach copied the works of many French and Italian composers for himself in order to understand their musical language, and later he even transcribed several of Vivaldi's violin concertos for organ. During the most fruitful period for organ music (1708-1714), Johann Sebastian not only wrote many pairs of preludes and fugues and toccata and fugues, but also composed an unfinished "Organ Book" - a collection of 46 short choral preludes, in which various techniques and approaches to composing works on choral themes. After leaving Weimar, Bach began to write less for the organ, however, after Weimar, many famous works were written (6 trio sonatas, 18 Leipzig chorales). Throughout his life, Bach not only composed music for the organ, but also consulted in the construction of instruments, checking and tuning new organs.

Bach also wrote a number of works for harpsichord. Many of these creations are encyclopedic collections, demonstrating various techniques and methods for composing polyphonic works. Most of Bach's clavier works published during his lifetime were contained in collections called Clavier Exercises.
The Well-Tempered Clavier, in two volumes, written in 1722 and 1744, is a collection containing 24 preludes and fugues in each volume, one for each key used. This cycle was very important in connection with the transition to instrument tuning systems that made it possible to equally easily play music in any key - first of all, to the modern equal temperament system.
15 two-voice and 15 three-voice inventions are small works, arranged in order of increasing number of characters in the key. They were intended (and are used to this day) for learning to play the keyboard instruments.
Three collections of suites: "English Suites", "French Suites" and "Partitas for Clavier."
"Goldberg Variations" - a melody with 30 variations. The cycle has a rather complex and unusual structure. Variations are built more on the tonal plane of the theme than on the melody itself.
Varied pieces like "French Style Overture", "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue", "Italian Concerto".

Bach wrote music both for individual instruments and for ensembles. His works for solo instruments - 6 sonatas and partitas for solo violin, 6 suites for cello, partita for solo flute - are considered by many to be among the composer's most profound creations. In addition, Bach composed several works for lute solo. He also wrote trio sonatas, sonatas for solo flute and viola da gamba, accompanied only by a general bass, as well as a large number of canons and ricercars, mostly without specifying the instruments for performance. The most significant examples of such works are the cycles "Art of the Fugue" and "Musical Offering".

Bach's most famous works for orchestra are the Brandenburg Concertos. Six concertos were written in the concerto grosso genre. Other surviving works by Bach for orchestra include two violin concertos, a concerto for 2 violins in D minor, concertos for one, two, three and even four harpsichords.

For a long period of his life every Sunday Bach in the church of St. Thomas led the performance of the cantata, the theme of which was chosen according to the Lutheran church calendar. Although Bach also performed cantatas by other composers, in Leipzig he composed at least three complete annual cycles of cantatas, one for each Sunday of the year and each church holiday. In addition, he composed a number of cantatas in Weimar and Mühlhausen. In total, Bach wrote more than 300 cantatas on spiritual themes, of which only about 195 have survived to this day. Bach's cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation. Some of them are written for one voice, some for a choir; some require a large orchestra to perform, and some require only a few instruments. The most famous of Bach's spiritual cantatas are "Christ lag in Todesbanden", "Ein" feste Burg", "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" and "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben". In addition, Bach also composed a number of secular cantatas, usually timed to coincide with some event, such as a wedding. Among the most famous secular cantatas of Bach are two "Wedding Cantatas" and a comic "Coffee Cantata".

"Passion according to John" (1724) and "Passion according to Matthew" (c. 1727) are works for choir and orchestra on the gospel theme of the suffering of Christ, intended to be performed at Vespers on Good Friday in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. Passions are one of Bach's most ambitious vocal works. It is known that Bach wrote 4 or 5 passions, but only these two have completely survived to this day.

The most famous is the "Christmas Oratorio" (1734) - a cycle of 6 cantatas to be performed during the Christmas period of the liturgical year. The Easter Oratorio (1734-1736) and the Magnificat are rather extensive and elaborate cantatas and are of a smaller scope than the Christmas Oratorio or Passions. The Magnificat exists in two versions: the original (E-flat major, 1723) and the later and well-known (D major, 1730).

Bach's most famous and significant Mass is the Mass in B minor (completed in 1749), which is a complete cycle of the ordinary. This mass, like many other works of the composer, included revised early compositions. The mass was never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime—the first time this happened was only in the 19th century. In addition, this music was not performed as intended due to the duration of the sound (about 2 hours). In addition to the mass in B minor, 4 short two-movement masses by Bach have come down to us, as well as individual movements, such as "Sanctus" and "Kyrie".

The rest of Bach's vocal works include several motets, about 180 chorales, songs and arias.

Bach's music is among the best creations of mankind recorded on Voyager's golden disc.

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 is a work for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of his most popular compositions.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 is included in all editions of the authoritative BWV catalog and in the (most complete) new edition of Bach's works (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, known as NBA).

The work was supposedly written by Bach during his stay in Arnstadt between 1703 and 1707. In January 1703, after finishing his studies, he received the position of court musician from the Weimar Duke Johann Ernst. It is not known exactly what his duties were, but, most likely, this position was not related to performing activities. For seven months of service in Weimar, the fame of him as a performer spread. Bach was invited to the post of superintendent of the organ in the church of St. Boniface in Arnstadt, located 180 km from Weimar. The Bach family had long-standing ties with this oldest German city.

In August, Bach took over as organist of the church. He had to work three days a week, and the salary was relatively high. In addition, the instrument was maintained in good condition and was tuned to a new system that expanded the possibilities of the composer and performer. During this period, Bach created many organ works.

A feature of this small polyphonic cycle is the continuity of the development of musical material (without a break between the toccata and fugue). The form consists of three parts: toccatas, fugues and codas. The latter, echoing the toccata, forms a thematic arc.

Title page of BWV 565 in a manuscript copy by Johannes Ringk. Due to the fact that Bach's autograph was lost, this copy, as of 2012, is the only source close in time to creation.

Toccata (in Italian toccata - touch, blow, from toccare - touch, touch) is a virtuoso piece of music for keyboard instruments (clavier, organ).

The beginning of the toccata

Fugue (Italian fuga - running, flight, fast flow) is the most developed form of polyphonic music, which has absorbed all the richness of polyphony. The content range of the fugue is practically unlimited, but the intellectual element prevails or is always felt in it. Fugue is distinguished by emotional fullness and at the same time restraint of expression.

This work begins with an alarming, but courageous strong-willed cry. It is heard three times, falling from one octave to another, and leads to a thunderous chordal rumble in the lower register. Thus, at the beginning of the toccata, a darkly shaded, grandiose sound space is outlined.

Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 played by organist Hans-André Stamm on the Trost-Organ of the Stadtkirche in Waltershausen, Germany.

Further powerful "swirling" virtuoso passages are heard. The contrast between fast and slow movement is reminiscent of cautious respite between battles with violent elements. And after a free, improvisationally constructed toccata, a fugue sounds, in which the strong-willed principle, as it were, curbs elemental forces. And the last bars of the whole work are perceived as a harsh and majestic victory of the inexorable human will.

Johann Sebastian Bach, whose biography is still being carefully studied, is included, according to the New York Times, in the top 10 most interesting biographies of composers.

In the same row with his name are such names as Beethoven, Wagner, Schubert, Debussy, etc.

Let us also get acquainted with this great musician in order to understand why his work has become one of the pillars of classical music.

J. S. Bach - German composer and virtuoso

The name of Bach comes to our minds one of the first when listing the great composers. Indeed, he was outstanding, as evidenced by the more than 1,000 pieces of music left over from his lifetime.

But do not forget about the second Bach - a musician. After all, both of them were true masters of their craft.

In both incarnations, Bach honed his skills throughout his life. With the end of the vocal school, the training did not end. It continued throughout life.

Proof of professionalism, in addition to surviving musical compositions, is an impressive career as a musician: from organist in the first position to director of music.

It is all the more surprising to realize that many contemporaries negatively perceived the composer's musical compositions. At the same time, the names of musicians popular in those years have practically not been preserved to this day. Only later did Mozart and Beethoven rave about the composer's work. From the beginning of the 19th century, the work of the virtuoso musician began to revive thanks to the propaganda of Liszt, Mendelssohn and Schumann.

Now, no one doubts the skill and great talent of Johann Sebastian. Bach's music is an example of the classical school. Books are written about the composer and films are made. The details of life are still the subject of research and study.

Brief biography of Bach

The first mention of the Bach family appeared in the 16th century. Among them were many famous musicians. Therefore, the choice of a profession by little Johann was expected. By the 18th century, when the composer lived and worked, they knew about 5 generations of the musical family.

Father and mother

Father - Johann Ambrosius Bach was born in 1645 in Erfurt. He had a twin brother, Johann Christoph. Along with most members of his family, Johann Ambrosius worked as a court musician and music teacher.

Mother - Maria Elisabeth Lemmerhirt was born in 1644. She was also from Erfurt. Maria was the daughter of a city councilor, a respected person in the city. The dowry left by him for his daughter was solid, thanks to which she could live comfortably in marriage.

The parents of the future musician got married in 1668. The couple had eight children.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685, becoming the youngest child in the family. They lived then in the picturesque city of Eisenach with a population of about 6,000 people. Johann's mother and father are Germans, therefore the son is also German by nationality.

When little Johann was 9 years old, Maria Elisabeth died. A year later, a few months after the registration of the second marriage, the father dies.

Childhood

The orphaned 10-year-old boy was taken in by his older brother, Johann Christoph. He worked as a music teacher and church organist.

Johann Christoph taught little Johann how to play the clavier and organ. It is the latter that is considered the composer's favorite instrument.

Little is known about this period of life. The boy studied at a city school, which he graduated at the age of 15, although usually young people 2-3 years older became her graduates. So we can conclude that the study was given to the boy easily.

Another fact from the biography is often mentioned. At night, the boy often rewrote the notes of the works of other musicians. One day, the older brother discovered this and strictly forbade doing this from now on.

Music training

After graduating from school at the age of 15, the future composer entered the St. Michael vocal school, which was located in the city of Lüneburg.

During these years, the biography of Bach, the composer, begins. During his studies from 1700 to 1703, he wrote the first organ music, gaining knowledge of modern composers.

In the same period, for the first time, he travels to the cities of Germany. In the future, he will have this passion for travel. Moreover, all of them were made for the sake of acquaintance with the work of other composers.

After graduating from a vocal school, the young man could go to university, but the need to earn a living forced him to abandon this opportunity.

Service

After graduating, J.S. Bach received a position as a musician at the court of Duke Ernst. He was just a performer, he played the violin. I haven't started writing my own musical compositions yet.

However, dissatisfied with the work, after a few months he decides to change it and becomes the organist of the Church of St. Boniface in Arndstadt. During these years, the composer created many works, mainly for the organ. That is, for the first time in the service I got the opportunity to be not only a performer, but also a composer.

Bach received a high salary, but after 3 years he decided to move because of tense relations with the authorities. Problems arose due to the fact that the musician was absent for a long time due to a trip to Lübeck. According to available information, he was released to this German city for 1 month, and he returned only after 4. In addition, the community expressed claims about the ability to lead the choir. All this together prompted the musician to change jobs.

In 1707, the musician moved to Mühlhusen, where he continued to work. In the Church of St. Blaise, he had a higher salary. Relations with the authorities developed successfully. The city government was satisfied with the performance of the new worker.

Yet a year later, Bach again moved to Weimar. In this city, he received a more prestigious position as a concert organizer. 9 years spent in Weimar became a fruitful period for the virtuoso, here he wrote dozens of works. For example, he composed "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" for organ.

Personal life

Before moving to Weimar, in 1707, Bach married his cousin Maria Barbare. During their 13 years of marriage, they had seven children, three of whom died in infancy.

After 13 years of marriage, his wife died, and the composer remarried 17 months later. This time Anna Magdalena Wilke became his wife.

She was a talented singer and subsequently sang in a choir led by her husband. They had 13 children.

Two sons from his first marriage - Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel - became famous composers, continuing the musical dynasty.

creative way

Since 1717, he has been working for the Duke of Anhalt-Köthen as a bandmaster. Numerous suites were written over the next 6 years. The Brandenburg Concertos also belong to this period. If in general to evaluate the direction of the composer's creative activity, then it is worth noting that during this period he wrote mainly secular works.

In 1723, Bach became a cantor (that is, organist and choir conductor), as well as a teacher of music and Latin at the Church of St. Thomas. For the sake of this, he again moves to Leipzig. In the same year, the work "Passion according to John" was performed for the first time, thanks to which the high position was received.

The composer wrote both secular and sacred music. He performed classical spiritual works in a new way. The Coffee Cantata, the Mass in B minor and many other works were composed.

If we briefly characterize the work of a musical virtuoso, then it is impossible to do without mentioning Bach's polyphony. This concept in music was known even before him, but it was during the composer's life that they began to talk about the polyphony of a free style.

In general, polyphony means polyphony. In music, two equal voices sound simultaneously, and not just melody and accompaniment. The skill of the musician is evidenced by the fact that students-musicians are still studying according to his works.

Last years of life and death

For the last 5 years of his life, the virtuoso was rapidly losing his sight. To keep composing, he had to dictate the music.

There were also problems with public opinion. Contemporaries did not appreciate Bach's music, they considered it obsolete. This was due to the flowering of classicism, which began in that period.

In 1747, three years before his death, the Music of the Offering cycle was created. It was written after the composer visited the court of Frederick II, King of Prussia. This music was meant for him.

The last work of the outstanding musician - "The Art of the Fugue" - consisted of 14 fugues and 4 canons. But he didn't get to finish it. After his death, his sons did it for him.

Some interesting moments from the life and work of the composer, musician and virtuoso:

1. After studying the history of the family, 56 musicians were found among the relatives of the virtuoso.
2. The musician's surname is translated from German as "stream".
3. Having once heard a work, the composer could repeat it without error, which he did repeatedly.
4. Throughout his life, the musician moved eight times.
5. Thanks to Bach, women were allowed to sing in church choirs. His second wife became the first chorus girl.
6. He wrote more than 1000 works in his entire life, therefore he is rightfully considered the most "prolific" author.
7. In the last years of his life, the composer was almost blind, and the operations performed on his eyes did not help.
8. The grave of the composer for a long time remained without a tombstone.
9. Until now, not all the facts of the biography are known, some of them are not confirmed by documents. Therefore, the study of his life continues.
10. Two museums dedicated to him were opened in the homeland of the musician. In 1907 a museum was opened in Eisenach, and in 1985 in Leipzig. By the way, the first museum contains a lifetime portrait of the musician, made in pastel, about which nothing was known for many years.

Bach's most famous musical compositions

All works of his authorship were combined into a single list - the BWV catalog. Each composition is assigned a number from 1 to 1127.

The catalog is convenient in that all works are divided by types of works, and not by year of writing.

To count how many suites Bach wrote, just look at their numbering in the catalog. For example, the French suites are numbered from 812 to 817. This means that a total of 6 suites were written within this cycle. In total, 21 suites and 15 parts of suites can be counted.

The most recognizable piece is the Scherzo in B minor from "Suite for Flute and String Orchestra No. 2", called "The Joke". This melody was often used for calling on mobile devices, but despite this, unfortunately, not everyone will be able to name its author.

Indeed, the titles of many of Bach's works are not well known, but their melodies will seem familiar to many. For example, Brandenburg Concertos, Goldberg Variations, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

List of major works by Bach

A. Vocal works (accompanied by an orchestra):

I. 198 church cantatas

II. 12 secular cantatas

III. 6 motets

IV. Christmas and Easter oratorio

V. Great Mass in h-moll

VI. 4 Small Masses and 5 Sanctuses VII. Magnificat D-dur

VIII. Passion for Matthew and John

IX. Funeral ode

X. Church arias and songs

B. Works for orchestra and chamber music:

I. 4 Overtures (Suites) and 6 Brandenburg Concertos

II. 7 concertos for clavier and orchestra

3 concertos for two claviers and orchestra

2 concertos for three claviers and orchestra

1 concerto for four claviers and orchestra

III. 3 concertos for violin and orchestra

IV. 6 solo violin sonatas

8 sonatas for violin and clavier

6 sonatas for flute and clavier

6 solo sonatas (suites) for cello

3 sonatas for viola da gamba and clavier

3 sonatas for trio

V. Musical Sacrifice

B. Works for clavier:

I. Partitas, French and English suites, inventions for two and three voices, symphonies, preludes, fugues, fantasies, overtures, toccatas, capriccios, sonatas, duets, Italian concerto, Chromatic fantasy and fugue

II. Well-Tempered Clavier

III. Goldberg variations

IV. The art of the fugue

D. Works for organ:

I. Preludes, Fantasies, Toccatas, Fugues, Canzones, Sonatas, Passacaglia, Concertos on Vivaldi Themes

II. Choral Preludes

III. Choral Variations