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Bach's Operas of the Soul - (Unlocking the Masters) by Mark Ringer (Paperback)
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Highlights
- Bach's Operas of the Soul introduces the general music lover to Bach's sacred cantatas.
- About the Author: Mark Ringer is professor of theatre at Marymount Manhattan College.
- 232 Pages
- Music, Genres & Styles
- Series Name: Unlocking the Masters
Description
About the Book
Bach's Operas of the Soul introduces the general music lover to Bach's sacred cantatas. Through brief and accessible essays, Mark Ringer explores these great dramatic musical creations and curates listening experiences to select cantatas with supplemental audio tracks.Book Synopsis
Bach's Operas of the Soul introduces the general music lover to Bach's sacred cantatas. Through brief and accessible essays, Mark Ringer explores these great dramatic musical creations and curates listening experiences to select cantatas with supplemental audio tracks.
Review Quotes
[A] guide to the music of Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach--specifically, his cycles of sacred cantatas, or works for solo voices and chorus with instrumental accompaniment composed for the Sundays and Feast Days in the Lutheran church calendar. Ringer (theater, Marymount Manhattan Coll.; Opera's First Master) writes that though these cantatas constitute nearly half of the composer's surviving works, they may still be unfamiliar to many classical music listeners. The author's goal is to introduce readers to these pieces, and, he hopes, to a greater appreciation of Bach. Instead of listing the cantatas according to the customary BWV (Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis) numbers, he presents them in the order of the liturgical calendar: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Trinity. The brief essays on each cantata function much like program notes at a live concert performance. To heighten the experience, a Hanssler Records CD is included with the book.Students and devotees of classical music will appreciate this introduction to some of the most transcendent music in the Western canon.
About the Author
Mark Ringer is professor of theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. A contributor to the New York Times and other publications, he has worked extensively as a dramaturg, director, and actor throughout the United States and Europe. His books include Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi and Schubert's Theatre of Song.
