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Dimension: 21.5 x 14.5 x 1.6 cm

TITLE	Begegnungen mit Bach. Eine Anthologie zugunsten der Berliner Bach-Autographe, hrsg. von Friedemann Kluge
PUBL. DETAILS	Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag /Stuttgart und Weimar: Verlag J. B. Metzler, 2002. 153p; Hardback. Eur 19,90.
ISBN	3-7618-2030-5 (Bärenreiter); 3-476-01910-1 (Metzler)
TO ORDER	Bärenreiter-Verlag, Heinrich-Schütz-Allee 35, D-34131 Kassel, Germany.
SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION	A collection of 46 short essays by various authors, recollecting their encounter with the music of J. S. Bach.
WORKS COVERED	Passing reference to many works, incl. BWV 232, 244, 988, 1004, 1048, 1080.
READERSHIP	music lovers
RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION	Not a research publication, but it may be used for research into the reception of Bach's music in the 20th century.

ur experience has both personal and universal dimensions. While every personal experience is unique, there are also some shared aspects in the process and circumstances in which we are exposed to the world. Encounter with Bach’s music is no exception.

For many people nowadays, the name of Bach is introduced in one of the following settings: instrumental lessons, choir rehearsals, and TV or radio advertisements; typically, there are a few works which recurs in such a tale, e.g. Inventions, Well-Tempered Clavier, B-minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion. These contrasting elements—surprising and anticipated—make each story fascinating.

List of authors

Adam, Theo
Biller, Georg Christoph
Erdmann, Dietrich
Gabriel, Thomas
Geck, Martin
Geissler, Christian
Giersdorf, Peter
Göttler, Fritz
Götzelt, Klaus Th.
Groenewold, Ulla
Grotz, Reinhard
Güttler, Ludwig
Harnoncourt, Nikolaus
Hentig, Hartmut von
Hespos, Hans-Joachim
Hildebrandt, Herbert
Hildebrandt, Regine
Höbel, Susanne
Horst, Astrid
Hundertmark, Magdalene
Jungheinrich, Hans-Klaus
Klebe, Giselher
Kluge, Friedemann

Knobloch, Heinz
Kraa, Maria
Lechtenbrink, Rainer
Magirius, Heinrich
Maizière, Lothar de
Maser, Peter
Matthus, Siegfried
Meyer, Krzysztof
Peters, Sabine
Petzoldt, Martin
Riehm, Rolf
Schlick, Barbara
Schmidt, Melmut
Schridde, Margrit
Sölle, Dorothee
Stauder, Hartmut
Stolpe, Manfred
Udolph, Ludger
Wagner, Gottfried
Woehl, Gerald
Wolff, Christoph
Zechlin, Ruth
Zimmer, Dieter

offering many leisurely hours of reading enjoyment

This book is an anthology of forty-six essays by well-established figures in Germany from diverse background—musicologists, musicians, composers, teachers, politicians, theologians, scientists, publicists, critics and journalists—who unfolds their own account of encountering with Bach and his music. Bach researchers are represented by Martin Geck, Martin Petzoldt and Christoph Wolff. The present Thomascantor, Georg Christoph Biller, is among the practicing musicians. The short CV of all the authors is given at the back of the book. The contributions themselves are of mixed kinds, and mostly light hearted, witty and amusing. (The title of essays can be listed by clicking this link.) The longest is a ten-page poem by Christian Geissler, while there are five one-page essays.

The book offers many leisurely hours for your reading enjoyment. It is also good to know that part of your money goes to a good cause: the preservation work for Bach’s autographs in Staatsbibliothek in Berlin.

In terms of research value, this book may be used as an additional resource for those who investigate into the reception history of Bach’s works in the mid 20th century, even though it was not intended as such (and hence there is no index of works).

Published online on 22 April 2002

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