What is really Johann Sebastian in the Notebook?
The familiar “Minuet in G” (BWV Anh. II. 114) and its partner piece, “Minuet in G minor” (BWV Anh. II. 115) were traditionally believed to have been composed by J. S. Bach. However, recent research, particularly on the part of Hans-Joachim Schulze, points to the German composer and organist Christian Petzold (1677-1733).
According to research conducted by Schulze and listed in the Peters Edition of the Notebook, the keyboard pieces were composed by J.S. Bach himself, Couperin, Hasse, Böhm, his sons J. C. Bach and C.P.E. Bach, and Petzold, while some nine pieces are anonymus.
Recent speculation suggests that Anna Magdalena Bach (1701-1760) may have been the composer of several pieces attributed to her husband. Johann Sebastian wrote a number of compositions dedicated to her, most notably the two Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach. She regularly helped him transcribe his music.
In an article in The Telegraph (on April 22, 2006), Bach scholar Professor Martin Jarvis suggests – on the basis of having used police forensic science
techniques – that famous works attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach were not penned by the great composer himself, but by his second wife.
Follow discussions on various J.S. Bach-related subjects at the Bach-Cantatas website: www.bach-cantatas.com
Comments
Is very interesting, however there is no way to really probe who is the author because the music itself has an important sign of Bach. He clearly had a strong influence in contemporary musicians. History finaly is the art of interpretation.
Nice article, interesting read. Funny how things in history come back to us with new revelations. I can’t say this really affects how I see him though. I’m a pretty big fan of Johann Sebastian Bach work. One of my favorite pianists.
That is a good research, but i think it is better we believe what we had already believed about this guy J S Bach rather than a new discovery.