Bach: The True Face and Life of the "Father of Music"

2018/10/16

In the year 2000, the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, I published a book titled "A Journey to Bach" (Tokyo Shoseki). The content followed his life while introducing the towns where Bach was born and lived alongside beautiful photographs. Helped by the anniversary year, it went through multiple printings and led to work accompanying a music tour of the same name, "A Journey to Bach." Fortunately, the tour also became popular and has continued, having been held approximately 30 times to date.

While the tours were thriving, the original book went out of print some time ago and the content became outdated, creating a need for a complete rewrite. This book, published in June, is a volume born from those circumstances.

The towns where Bach lived are concentrated in the Saxony and Thuringia regions of central Germany. This is because he belonged to a family of Lutheran musicians. Martin Luther was born in this region and translated the New Testament into German at Wartburg Castle, which towers over the outskirts of Eisenach, Bach's birthplace. Luther emphasized music in worship; in addition to the organ and choirs, he introduced hymns in the native language so that the congregation could participate in the music. Thanks to becoming the heartland of Lutheranism, Thuringia and Saxony came to be called the "Land of Music" in the 17th century, and the Bach family played a central role in that.

In this book, starting with the relationship between "Bach and Luther" and using the structure of "A Journey to Bach" as a foundation, I explored the relationship between "Bach" and "Place" by adding perspectives such as the settings of secular cantatas and organs in various locations deeply connected to Bach. Additionally, in the chapter titled "Bach as a Family Man," I tried to depict a Bach full of humanity as a father and husband. I also dedicated a chapter to a disc guide and included columns on recent new discoveries, as well as interviews with world-renowned Bach performers and local organists and cantors.

It is often said that Bach's music calms the soul. I believe the greatest reason for this is that he created music as an "offering to God." Walking through the towns where Bach lived and listening to his music there allows one to feel this firsthand, while also deeply sensing the greatness of Bach, who created music that transcends time and space from such a rural area.

Bach: The True Face and Life of the "Father of Music"

Hiroko Kato (Author)

Heibonsha Shinsho

344 pages, 920 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.