Product Description
The monumental work of J. S. Bach—some 250 cantatas,280 organ compositions, the great Passions, oratoriosand masses, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the BrandenburgConcertos, the Art of the Fugue—stands as a high-watermark of Western civilization. Yet that work isunderstandable only in light of Bach's profound Christianfaith, asserts Hans Conrad Fischer. Born under the shadowof Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther in seclusion hadtranslated the New Testament into German, Bach saw hiswork as a daily engagement with Christian mysteries, oftensigning his manuscripts SDG–soli deo gratia or for God'sglory alone.

This lavish volume celebrates Bach unabashedly. Theengrossing text, enhanced with dozens of portraits, photosof locales and artifacts, maps and manuscripts, brings Bach,his faith, and his achievements directly to the reader. So toodoes the accompanying CD-ROM, including 17 keyselections sampling Bach's best-known pieces from eachgenre and period of his life. It conclusively presents J. S.Bach's genius as not only musical but also religious, onethat still effectively presents Christian faith to today's largelysecular public. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Soli Deo Gloria
Always a pleasure to find another biography of my favorite composer.This one is a delight.It is easy to read and has many interesting illustrations.Thank you for recommending it.

A Bach Bargain
If you know someone who loves Bach's Music, this is the perfect, impressive yet inexpensive gift. Wonderfully illustrated, this one volume and accompanying CD covers Bach's life, times, contemporaries and music. With many full-color photos as well as smaller black and white illustrations, this "coffee Table" book would ordinarily sell for two or three times the price it is being offered at now.The CD recording is a nice touch for non-musicians that provides a good overview of Bach's music as well as further illustration of the text.

short and sweet
In this simply written and beautifully appointed volume Hans Fischer has provided a general overview of the life and times of one of the greatest composers ever to live. This is no substitute for the likes of Christoph Wolff's massive (600 pages) intellectual biography Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, but for that very reason it is all the more accessible and enjoyable for the non-specialist. Fischer concentrates on Bach's life and times, and there is little analysis of his music per se. Born in Eisenach, home of the famous Wartburg Castle where Luther translated the Bible into German while imprisoned, Bach (1685-1750), was the youngest son of a family of eight children (four of whom survived). By age 10 both his mother and father died within a year, so the orphan Bach was raised by his brother. In his own two marriages he fathered 17 children.

Fischer insists that to understand Bach you must move beyond mere technical or intellectual analysis and grasp the centrality of Bach's deeply held (Lutheran) Christian faith. His organizing theme is that, in Bach's own words, the composer's lifelong goal was a "regulated sacred music to God's honor." His life was centered around the daily prayers, life, and worship of the local church. Indeed, writes Fischer, Bach "completely subordinated himself to the liturgy." At the top of many of his compositions Bach wrote the letters "JJ" (Jesu juva, Jesus help), and at the end, of course, the three letters "SDG" (Soli Deo Gloria, for the glory of God alone).

The subtitle of this book is important. Perhaps a full third of the book includes gorgeous plates of autographed manuscripts, engravings of churches and towns, period portraits of people close to Bach, along with important primary documents. For example, it is common knowledge that Bach came from a long line of family musicians; Fischer includes the entire Origin of the Musical Bach Family in which Bach documented what he knew about his 53 ancestors back to the sixteenth century and Vitus Bach, a baker in Hungary. Or again, it is fun to read the city council of Leipzig's Contract of Employment as the Cantor of St. Thomas's (where Bach spent 27 years). Among the 14 enumerated points: "That I will make music in the two major city churches as well as I can" (#2), and, "That I will not leave town without the Mayor's permission" (#13). For about $1300 you might purchase Hänssler Classic's 172 CDs of the Edition Bachakademie (the complete works of Bach). Or buy this book and enjoy the delightful CD that comes with it, A Musical Journey Through the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach, which includes 17 extracts from the Hänssler edition.

Bach: His Life
H. C. Fischer has given in his book a helpful, informative and well reseached view of the man J. S. Bach whose music we hear yet in this time and enjoy no less than when he wrote.

The glory of Bach
It really is impossible to capture the glory that is the music of J.S. Bach in the printed page, but this book comes very close.Coupled with a CD of music samples taken from the Edition Bachakademie (a 172-CD set that is the only complete recording of the music of J.S. Bach), this book is a wonderful introduction and survey of the Bach's life and music.

The CD itself is a wonderful collection of seventeen pieces, ranging from just a little over a minute to nearly ten minutes, excerpts or complete renderings of Bach compositions.These include a generous sampling of organ pieces such as the Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, harpsichord pieces including The Art of the Fugue, and pieces for other instruments and combinations.Included also are portions of the Brandenberg Concertos, the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B-Minor, arguably his best piece (and argued by some as the best music ever written).

Bach's work was primarily liturgical and religious in nature.At the conclusion of a great many of his manuscripts, he inscribed the letters SDG, which stand for Soli Deo Gloria, for God's glory alone.Bach was employed as a church organist in Germany, having come from a distinguished musical family (in fact, figuring out which Bach is which can sometimes be a struggle even for scholars).Living a few generational after the Reformation, Bach brought the fullness of the theological impulses together with the richness of the Baroque tradition of music, then in full flower, together in a magnificent form.

This book gives insight into the spiritual and historical forces that helped shape Bach and his music.It has a lavish presentation style, with full-colour portraits of people and places of significance in generous number throughout the text.There are photographs of some of the great organs of the time, too.It is a uniquely fortunate work of fate that J.S. Bach's career should coincide with that of the Silbermann family's ascendancy in organ building, for they reached heights in craftsmanship rarely reached even today.

Bach was a man of strong passions - such is obvious from his music, but also is demonstrated in various aspects of his life apart from music.He was more than once called before church councils to answer for his behaviour, and was involved in physical brawls that required police and court interventions.Bach was very opinionated, to the point of exasperation of those around him, but often got his way.

This book introduces in a very inviting manner.Author Hans Conrad Fischer writes in a lively, interesting fashion for beginners and experienced music fans alike.This book makes a wonderful introduction to Bach, a good refresher for Bach, and is especially good for exploring the historical and spiritual contexts that surround Bach's music.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Review of Pitschi by Hans Fischer
This is a lovely, gentle children's story. The story is of a little kitten that wishes she were something other than a kitten. As she tries to act like different animals she learns a lesson about the value of being who she is. The illustrations are simple and engaging and the ending is happy for everyone.

My favorite book when I was 3
This was my favorite book when I was a young child. My mother says that I demanded that she read it to me every night. It's about a kitten who doesn't fit in with the other kittens, so he goes around the farm seeing if he'd be a better duck, chicken, etc. But he nearly drowns when the ducks go swimming (the ducks save him), and so on. In the end he comes home and is happy to be a kitten with his family. Looking back now that I'm 41, Pitschi's adventures symbolize much of my life. It's surprising to think that when I was 3 I must have had some idea of the future "story of my life."
--
Review by Thomas David Kehoe, author of "Hearts and Minds: How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Relationships" ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Hans Hotter (1909-2003) was one of opera's most influential and profoundly moving artists of the twentieth century. His imposing frame and austere, high-browed profile made him an ideal figure of tragic dignity, unequaled in his era as Wotan, Amfortas the Dutchman, Scarpia and the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo, and several Strauss roles, including three world premieres of that composer's works. Hotter made his debut at age twenty-one in Troppau, Germany (now Oppava, Czech Republic), and by the age of thirty was a leading artist at the prestigious Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Although he never joined the Nazi party and avoided appearances at Bayreuth while under Nazi control, Hotter remained active in German theaters throughout the war. He achieved his vocal prime after the war and was a featured performer in Munich, Vienna, Bayreuth, New York, San Francisco, London's Covent Garden, and Salzburg. In addition to his long and acclaimed opera career, Hotter was also a distinguished stage director, teacher, and an incomparable lieder singer, celebrated for his mastery of Schubert's song cycle Die Winterresise.

Translator and editor Donald Arthur conducted a series of interviews with Hotter during the final years of his life. The result is not merely an English translation of Hotter's memoirs (originally published as Der Mai war mir gewogen in Germany in 1996), but a significantly more critical, probing, and engaging account of the great singer's life. In particular, Hotter now confronts both his personal resistance to, and professional concessions toward, the Third Reich, and he speaks in greater detail about his musical and theatrical insights and his associations with such European luminaries as Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, and Clemens Krauss, to name but a few. Accompanied by more than seventy photographs, some never before published, this volume is a cause for celebration among his fans and general opera lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hans Hotter an inspiring artist and human being
In the book Hans Hotter: Memoirs, Donald Arthur captures with tact the life, the courage and the sense of humor of this truly remarkable artist. In his informative introduction, Mr. Arthur gives sincere keys about Hans Hotter's artistic views as well as a person. Throughout the reading, we learn how much diversity of roles Hotter had during his career which are especially relevant since unfortunate circumstances or lack of initiatives many of these have never been recorded (including first time creations). The book also underline the fact that Hans Hotter was singing operas with a certain volume of voice (never fully!) and then how he was able to diminish the volume of his voice in order to interpret German lieder. In doing so, it would benefit musical expression and voice coloration. Elementquite unusual since many singers of that era, sang melodies regularly after retiring from opera stages with a voice partly gone. For the first time and perfectly illustrated in this book, it shows not only stylistically how Hans Hotter was among the very first to acknowledge the importance of melodies as a Major art form but also how he avoided the usual pitfalls of being excessive in expression or other dramatic (like most of his colleagues). Text and musical conception were always part of his interpretation in forming "one" without forgetting the expression.
As a teacher Hans Hotter had the phenomenal faculty to inspire his students. Musically of course, but technically as well and in very short period of time.
His modest personality shines throughout the book as a constant element reminding us than an interpreter is not the compositor. Also underlined is his generosity of giving / sharing with others.I had the very good fortune to assist many of his master classes and witnessed his endless share of knowledge. His goal was always to help and guide singers in a constructive way and treated students as equal.
In his master classes, he would Very often propose options to student singers and not to impose them. Then, as he said, he would "demonstrate" in singing mini-recitals in order to show what he was explaining. Having been told by his own teacher to teach as early as possible, it was natural for him to share his experiences with students.
In many occasions, the book explains how life and art are bounded together and how it was crucial for him to act in life in the same way than music: with truth and honesty (especially during World war II).
Mr. Arthur emphasis how important encounters were central in the artistic career of Hans Hotter and then how he developed human relationships. These elements make this book a must.
The book is full of all sort of funny stories and they help the reader to understand what tools are necessary for a full and long career.
Finally, the book is so lively written that sometimes you think that you are with Hans Hotter in the same room. Luckily for us and as it is explained by the author in his introduction this book came out, despite many unusual circumstances.
Emmanuel Benador
... Read more

Product Description
The predominant lieder singer of his generation, Fischer-Dieskau also had a distinguished career on the operatic stage. This biography provides a comprehensive and frank account of his extraordinary career, from his debut in Verdi's Don Carlos in 1948 to his farewell concert appearance in 1992. Hardcover.Amazon.com Review
This book celebrates the art and life of the great German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau from his debut recital in 1947 to his retirement almost five decades later. Born in 1925 into an upper middle-class, intellectual Berlin family that prized patriotism, culture, literature, and music, he first made his name as a lieder singer, but recordings and operatic engagements soon followed. His repertoire was enormous, ranging from Bach cantatas to many premieres of contemporary works. This biography documents the scope of Fischer-Dieskau's unceasing performing and recording activity; it enumerates his operatic roles, describing his musical, literary, and historical preparation for "becoming the character he impersonated." It also discusses the singer's vocal and musical working methods, often quoting his own words from his books and letters, notably his famously controversial views on the relationship of words and music, and the tension between his inquiring intellect and his emotional musical response.

Dominated by a sense of artistic responsibility, Fischer-Dieskau worked obsessively in pursuit of perfection, gaining stimulation and renewal by frequent changes of accompanists. To satisfy his constant need for more self-expression, he took up writing, conducting, painting, and teaching. Inevitably, his personal relationships and private life were subordinated to the relentless demands of his life onstage. In his memoirs, Fischer-Dieskau confesses: "I worshipped my profession and my career; I was under the spell of opera and my recitals."

Of his four marriages, the first ended in tragedy when his beloved young wife died in childbirth; the next two ended in divorce; and the last one, to soprano Julia Varady--with whom he has often appeared in opera and concert--has given both lasting happiness. Not surprisingly, his three sons inherited his artistic gifts and courageously followed in his footsteps as stage designer, conductor, and cellist. By their own account, they grew up mostly without their father, who himself recalls isolated moments of shared activity.

The book suffers from repetitiousness and chronological incoherence. Neunzig has an irritating habit of explicating quotes both before and afterward, and of exaggerating the obstacles the singer encountered on his meteoric rise to fame and subsequent illustrious career. The biography's greatest flaw is its lack of objectivity: obviously written by a starstruck admirer, it is an uncritical hymn of praise; indeed, the constant hyperbole becomes self-defeating. Even the copious quotes from reviews and comments on the singer's performances are carefully chosen to express approbation; adverse responses are brushed off, though there are excerpts from his own replies to his critics. Yet despite Neunzig's adulation, his portrait of a great artist cannot conceal that total dedication to a successful career can lead to total self-absorption; indeed the singer himself was aware of the danger of "avoiding reality and rejecting life's day-to-day affairs." This includes not only the familiar controversy about the separation of art and politics but the special problems of living in Germany after the rise of Nazism. Though Neunzig clearly states his own opposition to the regime, Fischer-Dieskau's views are expressed mostly in assertions of kinship with idealistic operatic characters, and complaints about the discomforts and deprivations of life in the army, POW camps, and postwar Berlin, for which anyone who survived the war on the other side hardly feels much sympathy. A single paragraph recounts the 13-year-old's shock at finding a Jewish shop smashed, and another the "elimination" by the Nazis of a handicapped older brother; the reader is left to infer the singer's political attitude.

The book is written in a somewhat heavy style, perhaps partly due to the translation, and includes a chronology of Fischer-Dieskau's life, lists of his books and innumerable CDs, and many excellent photographs, on and off stage. --Edith Eisler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Just the facts, ma'am
What a bore this book is. No sense of style (welll, it's a translation after all). No sense of narrative line. Just facts printed on the page. If you want the facts, here they are. I'd suggest you wait for the movie.

Frustrating glimpses of a fascinating man and artist.
Despite nearly 50 years of performing before the public, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau has remained a rather mysterious figure, and this biography does nothing to change that impression. The more one seeks the private Fischer-Dieskau, the more he retreats behind a preoccupation, more accurately, an obsession with art. On the other hand, as this biography confirms, no one has made the essence of what he is more evident and accessible than Fischer-Dieskau. Neunzig traces the development of F-D the artist, pursuing the influences and events that shaped one of the most talented and controversial musical performers of the 20th century, and he makes it clear that the conflicts and contradictions were there from the beginning, that they are, in fact, the forces that drive him. This book has a lot to offer those who know relatively little about F-D and are willing to put up with its reverential tone, which hasn't exactly been diminished by the equally effusive translation of Kenneth S. Whitton. However, if what you want is a serious, scholarly consideration of how Fischer-Dieskau became the man and artist he is, you are doomed to disappointment. Natterings about genius, no matter how flattering, just aren't sufficient. ... Read more