Sebastian Bach

Poole, Reginald Lane, 1857-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 225K words
Chapters: 23

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Sebastian Bach by Reginald Lane PooleAuthor: Poole, Reginald Lane, 1857-1939,Language: English, Class: ML: Music: Literature of music, Release Date: Jun 23, 2014

Editor's review

This is an early English biography of the composer Sebastian Bach by Reginald Lane Poole, a historian whose style reflects the British scholarly essay tradition of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book is short, centering on Bach's life and musical achievements while also covering the historical background and church music tradition; it serves well as an introduction to Bach and his music. Available as a free ebook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to search and cite at any time, making it especially suitable as supplementary reading for music lovers, church musicians, and students who need original English-language sources. Note that the book was written long ago, and some historical material and views may not reflect the latest findings of contemporary musicology; readers should read it alongside later biographies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Music lovers who want a quick overview of Bach's life and creative background
Students of Western music history who need original English reference materials
Church musicians and organists looking for background reading
General readers accustomed to classical English biography

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers seeking the latest musicological findings
Readers hoping for extensive score analysis or close readings of individual works
Those who need a Chinese translation and are not comfortable reading English

Reading tips

Read the biographical chapters first to establish a timeline, then refer back to the chronology of Bach's major works
Listen to representative works mentioned in the book, such as cantatas and Passions, to deepen understanding
When encountering old translations or terminology, consult a modern music dictionary for comparison

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

This is an English ebook released by Project Gutenberg. The language is English, and no Chinese translation is provided with the book, so readers need some English reading ability.

Is this book suitable for complete beginners learning about Bach?

It works as one of several introductory readings. It is short and clearly written, helping readers build a basic framework of Bach's life; but it contains little musical analysis, so complete beginners would do best to listen to the works or consult modern introductory books alongside it.

Does the content include a catalog of Bach's works?

According to the available information, the book is primarily a biographical narrative and does not state that it includes a complete works catalog. For systematic reference to Bach's work numbers, consult specialized resources such as the BWV catalog.

Comments

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About the author

Poole, Reginald Lane, 1857-1939 Author · British · 1857–1939

Reginald Lane Poole (1857–1939) was a British historian and bibliographer. He devoted himself for many years to the compilation and study of historical documents and edited works such as The Political History of England, earning a recognized place in the fields of source editing and historiography. One of his works is held in this collection, namely Sebastian Bach. The book presents Bach's life and musical achievements in a biographical manner, with plain and clear prose and a firm grounding in historical fact, reflecting the rigorous and unadorned style of a documentary scholar. It is suitable for readers interested in Western music history and in Bach. Public information on Poole's life is limited, and his scholarly profile is known to readers mainly through his editorial works and this biography of Bach.